Bike the Earth visits Bob Randall

En route from Townsville to Bali, Chris Le Breton was invited to visit Uluru to see for himself some of the injustice that continues to be perpetrated by the Australian Government towards Aboriginal peoples:
http://awakeningthedreamer.org/biking-to-uncle-bob-randall/

Magnetic Island, northern Queensland, Australia - 15 March - 11 May

Starting again to get some news on here, now that I have reached Ubud, Bali, waiting for my bicycle trailer wheels to be repaired.  

Aiming to go to Darwin via Townsville, I googled "Transition town Townsville" and up came the name of a guy named Leon, a permaculture practitioner who lived on the island with his family, and invited me to come stay, and lead a symposium, or seven! 

So I did just that, and loved the island, two thirds of which is protected national park. Townsville is largely a port servicing the mining and sugar companies whose produce (not the right word for mining?) is shipped largely to China. And it boasts the largest United States military base outside the USA, altho I didnt see a single US military person whilst I was there. 

Townsville had a bit of a red neck feeling to it, and so I based myself on the island at Picnic Bay, below.

and led two symposiums on the island, the last of which I entitled:  "Creating a Bold New Future for Maggie."  Below - welome Paul, Kaylene, Jo and Alison - "Island Dreaming" tribe - 4 new Facilitators of the Awakening the Dreamer symposium that I trained in a 1 day 'long training' Magnetic Island. A huge privilege to impart the symposium to them, at Kaylene's beautiful Bali-esque oasis home on the island!  Thank you Kaylene! 

The downside of the stunning scenery and ferry crossings from Townsville to Nelly Bay, Magnetic Island over a 6 week period during 2 months -(the rest of the time I went to NZ to renew my Australian visa)- was that the salt spray corroded parts of the bicycle and the trailer to some degree.

 Magnetic Island was extremely wet when I arrived in mid March, seeing the end of a prolonged rainy season, continuing after the devastation wrought by Cyclone Yasi that had decimated much of the verdant tree cover and foliage that hid houses from each other.   After 3 weeks of almost non stop raining, the torrential rains stopped and the slightly cooler, dry season hit the island.  

None of this phased me much as I would commute around the island, making preparations for the 2 symposiums I organised on the island, the three in Townsville, and one at James Cook University too.

*****

Through Kaylene, who I met thanks to friends we had made in Currumbin (thank you Trudy) and Eumundi (thank you Treena), I met Bob Randall a few times.  Here he is leading a Welcome Mother Sun ritual on Magnetic Island.




Bob Randall, singer, teacher and Yakunytjatjara elder (indigenous custodian of Uluru/ Ayers Rock) invited me to come visit his home in Northern Territory to see for myself the conditions in which Aboriginal people lived. I took him up on his offer.

More on this later!
Chris

Cairns, Millaa Millaa, Ravenshoe, Cairns - 1

Bike the Earth arrived in Cairns mid December 2010 and left early March 2011, delayed by the flooded road and railway, but with gratitude for the fantastic welcome we received in Cairns and the Atherton tablelands  as we organised seven symposiums and organised the first leadership/change agents course in northern Queensland.  It was an honour to be able to contribute to supporting initiatives such as Permaculture Cairns and Transition Cairns. Thank you to Sjoerd at ParaPachamama, and to Sarah and Anna at CAFNEC, and Janet at  Permaculture Cairns. 

Bike the Earth is now en route to Townsville, Mt Isa and Darwin, to leave Australia northwards. 

Chris Le Breton @ Treena & Andy's house, Eumundi

It has taken nearly one hour to load the video, and still no indication of success, or are 95% of the way there or to go. So must disconnect, and go. Will see what can be done to succeed next time.

Chris

Wednesday 1st December: Woodfordia to Crystal Waters Permaculture Village

an hour free to sit in Bill Hauritz's kitchen, drink some of his coffee (thank you Bill) and pore over the questionnaire for civic groups prepared by the United Nations in advance of the 2012 Earth Summit. How am I going to get the work done for this, given everything else?  Any offers?! or suggestions, dear readers and followers?  It is kind of important that we get our views into the UN process now, as the agenda is revised and worked upon by Govt representatives.  Even if they are coming to it from a paradigm that humans are separate from nature, nonetheless, we need to engage with them now.

By way of distraction, my eye wanders, and skirts to the colourful programme for the 25th Woodford Folk Festival here in southern Queensland, nestled against the high hills (that we have to climb up later).  The colourful programme includes a dress code:

..sequins, top hat, silks, a VB singlet, satin knickerbockers, a Pocohantas costume, lycra, faux fur, face-paint, a Venetian mask, blue jeans, a poncho, a tuxedo, a tracksuit, thongs, a cocktail dress, gumboots, a sundress, sandals ... dress up, outrageously, fantastically, beautifully in character, or dress down and relax.  We invited you to take advantage of being away from the daily grind to inhabit Woodfordia as the creature of your dreams - for one week, you can come as you are, or come as you'd like to be/  Festivillians are welcome to indulge their sartorial style in whatever way they please, from the casual to the costumed - there's no dress code here.

www.woodfordfolkfestival.com

Monday 29 and Tuesday 30 November

Monday 29 November 2010.  Last full day in Brisbane

Seeing Gasland yesterday was an eye_opener. To imagine that two thirds of the USA could now be irretrievably polluted, and the oil/gas companies are now drilling in the same way in Australia/Queensland, frac-ing the ground with the same highly toxic chemicals, and set to do so in Europe and north Africa. 

http://gaslandthemovie.com/

Ilawarra,New South Wales - http://www.otfordeco.com/GasLandMovie.html

War in AUSTRALIA - pitting angry locals against big gas companies. and behaviour more like the worst dictatorships ever: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaWA_TDG56I

Was pleased that with my Bike the Earth hat on, I was able to bring together Fiona Sullivan (Be the Change Australia), John Price – www.grandkidzfuture.com and Bruce/Sally from St John’s Environment Centre in Ashgrove, Brisbane together after the film, to help galvanise collaboration and campaigning in Brisbane as to the effects on its water supply if affected by the pollution known to occur with the de-fracking.  And the great farming the grand artesian wells  I suggested that Six Degrees have one volunteer at ever film showing to take email addresses of exiting attendees, and help to broaden the campaign against oil and gas drilling onland in Australia.

Spent morning with Roland in central library poring over maps and rechecking our route to Maryborough and northwards to Cairns.

 What will I miss from Brisbane?  the Jacaranda blossom, the fantastic cycle routes (best in the world, in some cases, along the river); Epic Cycles who were so very very friendly and helpful, West End with its coffee shops, the neo-gothic 19th century buildings in the city, friendly locals, and our friends - Pierre, Rosa, Wilf, Rosie, Fiona and Jester! 

Chris 

Tuesday 30 November 2010

Brisbane/Sandgate to Woodford

71km

hilly climb just near  end with 10% incline

26 degrees at 0930. 21 degrees at 6pm.  33 degrees max in the day.  HOT riding.

After being based in Brisbane, in West End for  a week, and in Bardon for 3 weeks, (2 weeks in NZ where I had to go to renew my Oz visa) we are on the move again. A generous donation was received by Bike the Earth 24 hours before we left, enabling Roland to stay on the ride till about Cairns. And with coaching from Simon Richard to us both, phenomenal quantum stuff, Roland and I are beginning to work more powerfully as a team.  We will be the best of friends of the worst of enemies by the end!

Thank you to so so many people who have offered us help, chilled with us, hosted and donated. Your generosity and support has been incredible.

Got the 7.18 train from  Roma Street to Sandgate. Had the works (large breakfast) at Doug’s Café/  Local cyclists there. Always a good sign.  Got talking to them. What a lovely place to live and cycle .  Doug's do good fish and chips too.

Flat vista. Far and wide.  Looking out to sea. Tidal. Olderhouses built for the floods. Newer not so well designed for when there is a high tide. 

Arrived in Woodford at 5pm - hard work on this first day after so long.  Muscles tired.  Now staying in Woodfordia, courtesy of the Woodford Folk Festival team: http://www.woodfordfolkfestival.com/

Chris

In Auckland, New Zealand, waiting for renewal of Australian visa,

A week ago, Roland and I posing for the camera, having done 3000 km over 4 months, giving the Awakening the Dreamer Symposium to 100 people, publicising Four Years Go, and connecting communities.

Shortly after this, Chris left Australia for New Zealand to reapply for another 3 month visa.  He is waiting for this to be renewed, but taking the opportunity to work onthe accounts of the last few months, transpose people's business cards to a database, and think about how to deepen our engagement with people we meet on our journey, both to ask them for money, and to move ourselves forward:  how do we create a sustainable world in FOUR YEARS?

Catching up on outstanding paperwork, I came across this gem from a book I read in Castlemaine:

God help me to live slowly,
to move simply,
to look softly,
to allow emptiness,
and to let my heart create for me.


Chris Le Breton
Auckland, NZ