HOW I GET MY KICKS
That often means making lovingly crafted patchwork cloaks. “The cloaks are great in winter. They’re so warm, I’ve even used them as blankets before.”
What makes her wearable artworks truly remarkable is her commitment to using exclusively recycled materials. From discarded fabrics to old sheets, Candice breathes new life into what others consider waste. When she enters an op-shop or recovery centre she says she knows she can turn what other people considered trash into something beautiful. “Walking around – things just get translated in my mind. Other people just see scraps, but I might see a butterfly wing. I don’t see what it is, I see what it’s going to be.
MAKING ART
The idea for her handmade cloaks came to her from her love of historical fiction, and she fell in love with mediaeval gowns she saw for sale. But when she noticed the price she realised how people struggled to afford them, and felt they lacked a bit of character.
“I couldn’t afford anything, and I always loved beautiful things and op-shops were just a great resource – I never felt like I went without. I always knew I could go in there, and it was just a matter of how I put it all together.”
a story of hardship and personal triumph.
Each of her cloaks is custom-made to suit the personality of an individual, then Candice gives it to them as a gift.
Candice credits her creative garments with the resourceful nature she has grown to have due to her humble past. “They say you know you’re a creative person if you see faces in things, I’ve always been like that. I just didn’t have the right outlet for a long time.”
find a path to personal growth. Reflecting on her experience, Candice shares: “You work through a lot of trauma issues with creativity. Even when I’m overwhelmed with emotions now, I just go to the piano and play around now, or create. I have to create – or else I’d go insane,” she says. “I have to be doing something with my hands.”
Candice Fry:
S
tepping into Candice Fry’s art room, I am surrounded by beautiful handmade cloaks, dreamcatchers, and an assortment of other creations adorning the space. Little would
visitors know that behind these creations lies
Candice’s artistic journey began during a series of personal challenges. Leaving home early, and having a child at 18, Candice battled homelessness during a rental crisis, and faced mental health challenges. But it was through art that Candice was able to
“It’s very personal. And I guess that’s the reason why I’ve never expanded to make it a business, because I like to do things specifically for the person.”
RURAL HEALTH MATTERS
Importance of community-led action in building resilience to the mental health impacts of climate change and extreme weather-related events. Climate anxiety and the mental health and
South Wales. These participants prioritised the
influence. This action includes long-lived local
for Climate movement or the Knitting Nannas
well-being impacts of extreme weather-
need for three types of community action that
community-based climate change mitigation
Against Gas actions.
related events are of growing concern globally.
bring people together to build resilience. These
groups with a focus on caring for the land;
In Australia, rural communities in particular
are categorised as (1) general community-
adaptation
continue to deal with unprecedented drought,
led support, (2) community-focused and (3)
monitoring (and reducing) water usage during
fires and floods. The mental health and well-
politically-focused climate change action.
drought; ‘buying from the bush’ campaigns
being impacts of such climate change induced events are numerous. However, little is known about what promotes the resilience of rural communities.
General community-led support includes a broad range of activities that support mental health and wellbeing and focus on bringing people together. These activities
Rural researchers from the University of Sydney
include creative arts-based activities; nature-
School of Rural Health (Dubbo/Orange), the
based programs such as Landcare Australia;
Broken Hill University Department of Rural
community
Health and the University Centre for Rural
foster secure and lasting connections such
Health in Lismore conducted a study that
as men’s sheds; and emergency services and
explored the importance of community-led
organisational interventions such as preparing
action, what participants perceived to be
for extreme weather-related events as a
effective at building resilience and what are
community.
the necessary components of success.
events;
group
activities
that
Community-focused climate change action
This study engaged participants from three
are
highly impacted communities in rural New
activities
practical that
mitigation have
and
local
adaptation
impact
and
action
such
as
community
A common theme from the participant forums was that community-led action increased engagement, participation and ownership,
that empower communities to support each
giving people a sense of belonging and
other through local suppliers; getting together
connectedness. This In turn this helps address
to support firefighters during the bushfire
the mental health and well-being impacts,
season; and working in a team to build sheds
while simultaneously supporting communities
for people rendered homeless following
to prepare for those impacts. Research
bushfires.
participants described how the uniqueness of
Politically-focused climate change action
each community meant that local community
involves challenging specific climate policies
knowledge and understanding was key to
and political inaction. This includes activities
identify needs, enablers, relevance and what
such
might work best for that community.
as
raising
educational
funds
advocacy;
and
awareness;
topic-specific
political protests such as advocating for river conservation or responding to the threat of
The study results illustrate that the design of strategies to lessen the mental health and
a new dam; and local/national/international
well-being risks from climate change may
activism, for example being involved in
benefit from community-led and collective
Extinction Rebellion actions, the School Strike
activities that build community networks.
ORANGE CITY LIFE | JUNE 8 — 14, 2023
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