Environment
From "Maple Street Co-op News", Feb/Mar 2006

Memories of a Community Festival
by Mary Meadows

This year I had the privilege of being a volunteer assisting with the Fire Event at the Woodford Folk Festival. "Are you mad?" people asked. "Isn't it really hot at Woodford between Christmas and New Year?" Well, yes, but unless you were to travel to the South Island of New Zealand or the northern hemisphere, the heat is everywhere.

When we arrived on Boxing Day to set up camp, cars were queued up to a kilometre from the main gate, so we slipped into the Woodford township for a coffee, as you would, to pass the time. A special campsite for the Fire Event crew was set up at the rear of the Amphitheatre, which was perfect for access to the work area but not so brilliant if you planned to get some shut-eye prior to 11.30 pm (earplugs were available at the Festival Store).

This year's Fire Event theme was honouring the Earth and saving it from destruction by greedy corporations – a subject close to our hearts in Maleny, where we are dealing with corporate invasion in the form of a Woolworths supermarket going up beside Obi Obi Creek, home to a platypus colony and other wildlife.

Creative pursuits

The copy of The Burning Times I'd received from Richenda Bridge (the administrator) said there'd be a meeting at 9 am on 27 December, and there was. Paul Lawler (the pyromaniac) outlined the activities for the next six days, and Carmel Givens (director's assistant) with creative co-workers Lily Podger and her son Alex Podger explained what was expected of the volunteers and the artists. Earlier, Lily had designed and made a symbolic giant shopping trolley; she'd also managed to break her wrist, but this slowed her down only slightly. Alex had created the trees, based on the those in the Dr Seuss story, that would form part of the Fire Event. The other creative force from Hervey Bay was Jorge Pujol who, with his crew working on site in the blazing sun, constructed the Tower and the various components required for the event. The Dolphin and Wishing Star artists are art teachers from Hervey Bay.

Local Maleny artists Alex Bridge (the Whale), Kirsten Cash (the Turtle), Emma McDonald (the Platypus) and Marc Kalifa (the Angel Fish) had done quite a bit of preparatory work on their various creations prior to Christmas, but the final construction phase transpired over the six days of the festival.

Lily explained to the assembled that volunteers were expected to attend the 9 am meetings daily, take an hour for lunch and work till 5 pm. If the vollies simply had to attend a talk or see a show during the day, allowances would be made – but if people abused the system, their free pass to the festival could be taken away by the cutting-off of their wristband with a pair of scissors. I am not aware of this threat actually being carried out, but I did feel that some people abused their privileges and did not fulfil their side of the arrangement.

We could choose what area of the construction we wanted to work in, and we were told to have fun in the process and that by osmosis it would all come together – which it did! Having caught up with Juliette and Marc Kalifa at the ticket office at 8 am on Boxing Day, I opted to help construct the Angel Fish (commonly known as "Kalifish"). Others like the thespians had rehearsals during the day, but also helped in the lantern-making tent or created skull masks and fire torches. The process of creating the props, organising the musicians who were to perform on the night, making sure the fireworks were ready, and marshalling the festival attendees who were interested in being in the choir or making lanterns was quite a feat of management and engineering.

Fishy business behind the scenes

The work site – a very large marquee – had to accommodate the construction of the whale, turtle, platypus, dolphins and fish along with the making of fire torches, etc. It became quite congested as the fish population grew, and the trees needed to be housed inside when not being worked upon. By days 4–5, another sheltered work area had to be set up to accommodate the expanding works of art.

Marc had already made an Angel Fish for the construction crew to use as a model. As the work progressed, some people became quite attached to their particular fish and needed to be involved in the total process of constructing the cane over the bamboo frame, papering the exterior, adding the scales and painting in the eyes and gills. These fish were about 1.5 metres high by 1.5 metres long, and could fit an adult inside the construction, but the bamboo A-frame was designed to sit on the carrier's shoulders.

One of our pyrotechnic crew who'd arrived three days before the event was keen to be a fish carrier, but was unaware of the construction process and thought we were discriminating in favour of skinny people as he pulled the shoulder handles down over his body to his hips. Luckily the frames were flexible and he lived to perform as a fish in the Fire Event.

One of our younger vollies was also keen to be a fish, but the size of the creation was too difficult for him to handle; so to accommodate him and a couple of other small people, it was decided to construct three flat fish. As I was to discover later, Paul Lawler likes to involve all the volunteers in the actual Fire Event.

A food, talk, talent and spirit fest

Those of you who have experienced the Folk Festival will know that every palate is catered for. I had my 6.00–7.30 am morning ritual of a cup of coffee at either The Mango Shack or The Curry Bar, followed by muesli and yoghurt and a cup of chai with my fellow campers. We had a substantial cool room at the Fire Event site, so all of those involved in the event could store food and drinks. Dinner for me was invariably at the Common Ground Café, the Ananda Marga Vegetarian Café or Govinda's Pure Vegetarian Cuisine. Spaghetti Junction was on my list to visit, but was always crowded at my eating times; however, on occasion, I did get sidetracked at the Courtyard next door, watching the mini circus acts.

The Common Ground Café people come from a spiritual community in NSW and each year construct a two-storey timber building, which this year was housed across from one of the new dams. They have the preparation and service of food down to a fine art. One of its members spoke at the GREENhouse on communities and living sustainably. They not only work together on their farming community, they have all of their meals together.

Last year the GREENhouse was in the middle of the Village Green. Now there is a dam on that area as well as a big performance space – an ideal venue for the Murri dancers – which is capable of being viewed from a number of angles.

My favourite venue has been and still is the Folklorica tent, with performers as varied as Khalil Gudaz playing the sitar, Ugandan and Ethiopian dancers, and Tenzin Choegyal – whose powerful voice made my hair stand on end.

Fortunately, I did see a number of musical performers, and I found it quite cute that in the spirit of co-operation The Duhks and The Mammals, who were billed to follow each other, actually alternated their numbers. They did this with performers from each group playing with the other group, swapping instruments and alternating their brackets of songs.

An Earth-saving extravaganza

On the day of the Fire Event, constructions were still coming together. Paper and paint were still being applied to the larger sea creatures. Richenda was pulling her hair out, trying to keep up with people switching their positions in the procession format (a task that had been complicated by the arrival of new people each day). As a group, we had one mini run-through and one main rehearsal and music sequence (without the actual musicians). The fact that the procession worked so well is not only a credit to all of those involved, it was a minor miracle!

For those of you who did not witness this saving-the-Earth spectacular, you missed not only the event but also "the Earth" – a re-creation of our planet as viewed from outer space. This prop was used in the last Winter Olympics and it required $1,000 of helium to keep it airborne. It was ably towed by Carmel Givens and Ridley Kennedy through the trees in a disguised buggy, guided by Marc Kalifa and Keira Peace, and then wheeled to the head of the Fire Event procession.

Before and during this activity, we witnessed the firelighting ritual, the destruction of the trees, the saving of the seed of one tree and the annihilation of the Corporate Bully. We felt at one with the choir, the dancers, the light-workers (led by Sidonie Bouchet) and the flag-bearers. Wishing stars containing festival attendees' hopes and dreams were placed at the base of the Tower, to be engulfed in the cleansing flames.

The fireworks started with the trebuchet releasing its flaming weapon at the Tower. As the Sun, Moon and Star components were exploding in pyrotechnic splendour, one child in the audience was heard to ask, "Mum, why are they burning the Earth?" Well, not quite; the Earth was hovering safely away from the flames. The purpose of burning the Tower and its firmament was to release the past and let the future grow out of the ashes. It would be a positive outcome if this action, as perceived by this child, created a passionate environmentalist in the years to come.

The after-event party carried on a tradition involving the burning of props that did not go up during the event, allowing the artists to release their creations without attachment. The whale went first, followed very closely by the trees. This action gave closure to the event for all involved, and was a real letting go of spent energy.

The giant shopping trolley would also have met its demise in the eternal flames, but the maker has more in mind for this symbol. It will be used in Hervey Bay demonstrations filled with little whales to highlight their struggle for survival. It may also be seen in our immediate region in the not-too-distant future, so stay tuned.

Editor's note:
Steve Swayne has compiled over 1,000 photographs of the 2005–06 Woodford Folk Festival and Fire Event on a PhotoCD; visit http://www.serendigity.net to view a sampling of photos and for purchase details.

[From "Maple Street Co-op News", February/March 2006; published by The Maple Street Co-operative Society Ltd, 37 Maple Street, Maleny, Qld 4552, Australia, tel (07) 5494 2088, email maplest.coop@ serv.net.au,
website http://www.maplestreetco-op.com.au]