Winter is a popular time for festivals in Australia. In my neck of the woods there is a literary festival and a folk festival within two weeks of each other and being an author and a storyteller, I have been known to stick my nose into both. Community means a lot to me; it’s my where I find my strength and support; it’s where I test my ideas; it’s where I go when I feel broken and where I connect and collude with others who who have ideas and are sprouting flight feathers.

However it was the Newport Folk Festival that stretched my energies this year with singing (I’m a rather squeaky soprano in the Newport Community Choir), a children’s storytime with my friend Dharma, the pop-up Flock OZ, a show with Sarah, and I help organise and tell stories around the fire for the Saturday evening.

I’ll let the pictures do the talking but first...

To begin - Dharma’s family have been in the the book trade for decades; her dad co-foundered Readings, Melbourne’s premiere independent book store. Currently they have a business called JP Books. Although specialising in educational books, the front of the business is a gorgeous shop for children. Everlasting Books is an Alladin’s cave of titles for the very young through to young adult. For 10 years Dharma has hosted regular storytimes at Everlasting Books and as a result, she has the deepest and richest repertoire of stories and songs of anyone, anywhere! And we have a ball together every year at the Folk Festival.

For more years than I have fingers, I have, with the help of others, organised a storyteling evening in the old Newport Scout Hall, a retro gem that we all hope will live on forever. Draughty and probably leaky, it has a charm all of its own. A team of us, bake cakes, cook soup, light candles, stoke the fire and welcome festival goers to the hearth.

Fabled Nights by the Fire; vege soup served by Cam who also hosted and kept the wheels turning

My good friend Dave Davies, reciter of verse and short story

As well as all the storytelling and singing, the festival was happy for me to install the pop-up Flock OZ and prattle on about migratory shore birds and the importance of the local wetlands. A festival is the perfect place to engage community in this way.

So that’s Newport. Next festival is the Hamilton Woolly West Fest. Now this one is a hoot!

BGANZ stands for Botanic Gardens Australia and New Zealand. It’s all about representing the interests of botanic gardens, promoting and sharing information and of course celebrating.

And once a year, on the last Sunday in May, botanic gardens around Australia and New Zealand celebrate with all manner of events.

As part of the fun, Sarah and I were thrilled to have the chance to tell our story of the Amazing Case of Dr Ward in our local Williamstown Botanic Gardens. These gardens inspired us to research the story, so it always feels good to share it under the trees.

A thoroughly happy day!

This is the 6th year I’ve celebrated World Migratory Bird Day with my community.

Hobsons Bay has wetlands that support several species of migratory shore birds; ones that travel every year from the Arctic Tundra, where they breed, along the eastern edge of Asia all the way to us, where they spend the summer. Their survival is precarious as the habitats on which they depend are given over to industry.

Our event has grown from small beginnings. In 2014 the Newport Community Choir startled a Friends group on a weeding and planting day, with a song about the Eastern Curlew, and now, a few years later, we are firmly in the council calendar. This year, as enthusiasm and support has grown, there were two events. Actually, if you count me and Sarah telling bird stories at children’s story time in the Altona Meadows Library - its three!

The big day began in the Newport Community Hub and was child focused. Our rangers are pretty passionate about the importance of engaging young people. This is the ranger’s event and they have the support of local musicians, artists and scientists.

In the afternoon at the Louis Joel Arts and Community Centre in Altona, a second wave of people gathered for the launch of the Overwintering Project - a print project run by the indefatigable artist, Kate Gorringe-Smith.

I was madly snapping away with my phone camera, harvesting as much of a record of the day as I could. Enjoy and be inspired to create conservation events in your community.

Unfortunately, not captured on the day, was the Newport Community Choir singing a song about the East Asian Australasian Flyway and the journey of a tiny bird - the Red-necked stint. This song was written especially for us by local author Fiona Price and set firmly in Hobsons Bay. Its a gem and such a delight to sing. Yes I’m in the soprano section!