A thriving island arts community
Bruny Island
I had a huge circle of friends, all similarly connected to the environment and the place. I was running around outside a whole bunch. It was an amazing school to go to. The Bruny school was a really cool, small school. We did a lot of a lot of stuff outside and trips around, planting trees and I learnt a lot about the swift parrots and the pardalotes as part of school.
I've had a bit to do with a few artists on Bruny, quite a few painters I've spent time with. Tim Burns and Caroline Rannersberger, talking a lot about about the way the island shapes their art and how it shapes mine.
There are a few other musicians who have moved down. Alf Jackson the drummer and Scott Tinkler the trumpet player - they're really good friends of mine and we play together a lot.
Again, they were also massively inspired by the place. The place is growing as a place to come and kind of hermit away. A lot of people come here and just stay in their little pocket and make stuff.
I still remember the the time at the school when Tonya (Cochran) from Inala came in and we collected blue gum nuts from Two Tree Point. Then, we took them back to school and propagated them for the swift parrots. I've learnt so much about Nature from the community.
I massively support the work Inala do. I've been part of a few plantings and quite a few friends of mine have planted specific trees for specific birds, like the pardalotes and the swifties.
I think the arts in conservation is an awesome way to connect with people. It's just easier to take in on a more soulful level. You can feel a message differently, rather than just hearing words about it.
If you see an image, just a single image, it can be so moving to the point where it can have a fundamental shift in someone. It's the same with music and poetry. It's a great match-up, conservation and art, and a perfect way of connecting with a big audience.
Julius Schwing
Musician and Composer
I had a huge circle of friends, all similarly connected to the environment and the place. I was running around outside a whole bunch. It was an amazing school to go to. The Bruny school was a really cool, small school. We did a lot of a lot of stuff outside and trips around, planting trees and I learnt a lot about the swift parrots and the pardalotes as part of school.
I've had a bit to do with a few artists on Bruny, quite a few painters I've spent time with. Tim Burns and Caroline Rannersberger, talking a lot about about the way the island shapes their art and how it shapes mine.
There are a few other musicians who have moved down. Alf Jackson the drummer and Scott Tinkler the trumpet player - they're really good friends of mine and we play together a lot.
Again, they were also massively inspired by the place. The place is growing as a place to come and kind of hermit away. A lot of people come here and just stay in their little pocket and make stuff.
I still remember the the time at the school when Tonya (Cochran) from Inala came in and we collected blue gum nuts from Two Tree Point. Then, we took them back to school and propagated them for the swift parrots. I've learnt so much about Nature from the community.
I massively support the work Inala do. I've been part of a few plantings and quite a few friends of mine have planted specific trees for specific birds, like the pardalotes and the swifties.
I think the arts in conservation is an awesome way to connect with people. It's just easier to take in on a more soulful level. You can feel a message differently, rather than just hearing words about it.
If you see an image, just a single image, it can be so moving to the point where it can have a fundamental shift in someone. It's the same with music and poetry. It's a great match-up, conservation and art, and a perfect way of connecting with a big audience.
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I really enjoy watching it all happen. Just slowly, observing the cycles. I really notice the bird life, because that comes to your door. Then, there's a lot of marine life. It's a big part of every day, reflects composer and guitarist Julius Schwing, on his connection to Nature and a childhood spent "amongst it all" on Bruny Island.
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