THE TWEED
Health & Beauty
www.tweedecho.com.au Volume 3 #30 Thursday, April 7, 2011
Page
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9
LOCAL & INDEPENDENT
Duck deaths unexplained Luis Feliu
Place of worship a musical feast Kate McIntosh
At Uki’s Holy Trinity Anglican church, music mingles with a higher power. Twice a month the church plays host to Songwriters on the Songline. The event, which has been running for the past year, showcases contemporary acoustic music. The small, high-ceilinged timber church makes for an intimate and atmospheric setting. Organiser Rich Bell of local art collective Ukitopia says he is careful to select acts that are keeping with the ambience of the space. ‘It’s bringing a different kind of congregation to the building,’ he said. ‘This was an opportunity to have a venue that wasn’t full of people talk-
L to R: Rich Bell, Sue Collins, Sue McKenna and Rev John Tyman are helping to bring a different type of congregation to the Uki Holy Trinity Church. Photo Jeff ‘Tin Tonsils’ Dawson
ing and drinking. We’ve had the opportunity to take this very reverential space that is normally used as a place of worship and extend it to our acoustic storytellers.’ The next Songlines this Saturday, April 9, will feature Mullumbimby singer-songwriter Susanna Carman followed by Uki-based five-piece Mantlepeace, a likeable brew of earthy groove and sweet melody. Rich – a sound mixer and guitarist – said the Tweed and Byron shires provided a fertile ground for musical talent. Songlines has hosted a diverse range of musical styles encompassing folk, acoustic, devotional and cabaret. Previous acts include Mullumbimby gypsy guitarist Shai Shriki, Uki singersongwriters Loren and Murray Kyle, as well as cabaret performer Ivy Lucille. The event has also been supported by church minister John Tyman, who personally introduces the acts.
He says in medieval times cathedrals were often used for music and dance events and that Songlines was a way of restoring the sense of church as part of the community. ‘It’s not owned by the church, it’s owned by the people,’ he said. ‘Hopefully people realise it’s a beautiful space and just know that it’s a place where they’re always welcome.’
An investigation into the sudden death and sickness of 24 birds, mostly black ducks, on a suburban Banora Point lake last week, has yet to find out what killed them An autopsy has ruled out pesticide as a cause and further tests are being carried out to see if the birds died from bacteorological exposure or disease. A spokesman for the local bureau of the Office of Environment and Heritage in the Department of Premier and Cabinet (the old Department of Environment Climate Change and Water) said a total of 24 dead and sick birds, including a black swan, believed to frequent the man-made lake Kimberley, were collected by Tweed Wildlife Carers last week. The carers reported that 13 Pacific black ducks, two moorhens and a black swan had died and the others were sick or dying. The department was alerted by a
number of residents around the lake, which is used as a walkway and recreation space by surrounding residents, that the lake was littered with the dead and stressed birds. Officers inspected the area and the bodies of the swan and one of the ducks was sent to the department’s forensic laboratory in Sydney. That analysis ruled out pesticides as a potential cause of death. NSW Department of Primary Industries is undertaking autopsies and Tweed Shire Council is also helping with the probe which involves collecting water samples and questioning adjoining property owners. Testing includes looking for the presence of a range of pollutants and their potential sources in the lake water. The Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA), which is overseeing the construction of the new bypass of the Pacific Highway which straddles the continued on page 2
Music and God Speaking to the audience, John often draws parallels with the universal themes of music and God. ‘Music bridges languages and faiths. I try to talk about it as a unifying force,’ he said. ‘Some people would suggest God is like a song that is sung in many languages, different rhythms and in many different harmonies.’ Songlines starts at 7.30pm. Tickets are available on the door or in advance from the Uki Cafe. Cr Katie Milne and a surviving moorhen (centre) visit the lake.
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