Friday, November 30, 2007

Getting involved

The Inala Elders Yarning Place Singers

welcome you to:

'Stories and Songs from the Inala Yarning Place'


Beginning in 2007, the 'Stories and Songs from the Inala Yarning Place' project will work over a period of 10 weeks with the Inala Indigenous Elders, their Yarning Place Singers group and individual community members and organisations to:
  • share stories about how they live in and what they have brought to the wider Inala community
  • turn selected stories into lyrics and songs
  • practice and rehearse singing these songs
  • stage a community concert of stories and songs
  • publish the songs, stories and video of the concert as a DVD and accompanying booklet for distribution to the wider community.
The project is looking for local Inala individuals and groups to help the Elders and other project participants share stories about Inala and the local district and help turn these stories into new songs for the community concert.

This cross cultural project aims to spread the magic of sharing stories and creating new songs across a whole range of different groups in the area.

Already the project has added to the Yarning Place Singers repertoire with a new song about the importance of 'Biota Street' in the hearts of locals and a second song about the adventures of ICY Tea - the Inala Community Theatre.

Participants will learn new storytelling and songwriting skills as they work with storyteller, Daryll Bellingham, and well known singer/songwriter Getano Bann.

There will be three more workshops organised for early 2008 at the Inala Elders Centre. The workshops will be followed by 4 rehearsals and a performance with a live band.

Help build
  • community understanding
  • some new local songs and
  • a fantastic concert of stories and songs.

Help tell the world via our blog (inalayarningplace.blogspot.com) and concert DVD just how respectful, understanding, creative and welcoming Inala can be.



Like to get involved?
Phone the project organiser
Karen Tunny on 3846 3135.
or email - mail@storytell.com.au

Friday, November 16, 2007

First Song in the Stories and Song from the Inala Yarning Place project

We're under way in earnest.

After some planning and yarning and writing a Creative Sparks Grant Application we had our first workshop at the Inala Elders Centre on Tuesday 13th November.


Planning session at the Inala Elders Centre - 18/9/2007
Getano Bann, Aunty Vi McDermott, Daryll Bellingham, Terrie Kavanagh, Aunty Edna Bond.

We created our first song and here's the draft. It will be interesting to see if it changes over the next five workshops or not.

After a cuppa and some bun loaf, I suggested we tell stories about unusual or special events that had happened recently. Aunty Edna Bond told us all a story about how she had planned to fly up to Yarrabah to visit her sister but the plane got held up on the tarmac because there had been fumes coming into the cabin. When they saw the pilot and copilot leaving the plane, Aunty Edna got a good look at the pilot's face and what she read there didn't look good so she cancelled her flight.


Terrie Kavanagh who's been leading the Inala Yarning Place Singers
with the Elders for several years.


Then Aunty Vi McDermott just had to share a story about when she and Aunty Edna and Terrie had all travelled up to Cairns with an ICT (Inala Community Theatre) play about domestic violence. They had some pretty scary and interesting times.

Well Getano got to work and we all helped put the two stories together into the one song.

You can hear the song here (2 MB, QuickTime - better with broadband) and the lyrics are below.

'He was gonna make us famous
We were doing our play in Cairns
He said he worked on the radio
But he was just a gamin man.

We had to get to Cooktown
Theresa said, 'Get out of Bed!'
But when we saw the Sunbird
We we all mighty scared.

We loaded up the hire van
But it was the wrong one
The driver spoke of crocodiles baking in the sun
But when we crossed the river, mmmmmm, we didn't see one.

They say I'm a sticky beak
But observer is a better word
I can read a pilot's face
And that is not absurd
I found a long lost sister
between our brother's words

chorus

No more worries, no more strife
We can be strong, it's our journey of life
Whatever mishaps, we'll take it in our stride

Whatever mishaps, make it side by side.'

The most fun was singing our new song.

Aunty Vi McDermott and Barry Malezer

(Any thoughts about a good Inala song topic?)

Daryll