Rural Press Awards … there is a free lunch …

… but I won’t be there for it!

Was invited to a free lunch tomorrow at The Tattersall’s Club in Brisbane for the presentation of this year’s  “Excellence in Rural Journalism Awards” … but sadly can’t take it up.

Seems my image of young indigenous girl “Mowisha from Jumbun” has been selected as the Winner of the ‘Excellence in Rural Photography – People’ award. The pic was made whilst I was working in the Jumbun aboriginal community in the Murray River valley near Tully, North Queensland for an SBS story “The Town at the End of the Road” by Mark White.

Jumbun residents, like little Mowisha, are predominantly from the Girrimay and Dyirbal Aboriginal clans. Her community of about a hundred are battling the controlling Indigenous Land Council to resurrect a farming industry. The 200ha Jumbun property is still listed on the ILC’s books as Jumbun Farm, despite nothing currently being grown there by its residents. That wasn’t always the case. Jumbun was founded in 1975 as a farming community under the Whitlam government, By the 1980s it was growing produce including bananas, pumpkins and zucchinis and exporting to Sydney and Melbourne. However, changes in farming practices, crop blight and cyclones meant the industry dried up.

Residents are desperate to revive the community’s fortunes but have received no support from the ILC to help them restart farming produce and running cattle. The community needs to produce to stave off the prospect of disappearing completely. For little Mowisha Jumbun is her home, history and possible employment … but without farming the future of her community is, indeed, bleak.

This was the first time that I’ve won anything whilst working for SBS … but hopefully not the last. Gratifyingly, this is the third year in a row that I’ve been named the ‘People’ category winner (here … are this year 20182017, 2016). Don’t know if I can keep that one up …!

Below – the Winning “Mowisha from Jumbun’ image – © Brian Cassey

Press Excellence in Rural Journalism Awards- Brisbane - People category - Winner - "Mowisha from Jumbun" by Brian Cassey

Eric the ‘Beef Boss’ … & Lunch …

Eric Rosendale of Bonny Glen Station, Cape York Peninsula says he needs to clear more of his land for grazing and to make it possible to muster stock on horse back. He was critical … in a story by The Australian journalist Michael McKenna … of the Queensland Governments proposed tree clearing crack down.

I’ve just learnt that the picture I made to accompany the story has now been recognised in the ‘2017 Queensland Rural Press Media Awards’ … and I get to go down to Brisbane for a nice lunch at the Stamford Plaza in a couple of weeks to receive a couple of rural ‘gongs’ … courtesy of the Rural Press Club.

The image of Eric (below) was selected as the Winner of the ‘People’ category in this years photography awards … and then also selected as ‘Overall Winner’ across all photographic categories. It will now go on to represent Queensland in the Nation wide ‘Australian Star Prize for Rural Photography’ which is decided by the Australian Council of Agricultural Journalists. If successful there it will move on to represent Australia in the planet wide competition run by the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) to be announced in South Africa. Some ‘If’s involved in all this … but pleased to receive the recognition so far and to follow up last years similar win with ‘Beef Farmers’.

‘Beef Boss’ Image © Brian Cassey

'Rural Press Photography Awards Queensland 2017' - Winner - 'Beef Boss' by Brian Cassey - Eric Rosendale of Bonny Glen Station, Cape York Peninsula

Wet But Fine Exhibition Opening …

It was raining of course … it is the wet season after all. But that didn’t stop people turning up in droves to the launch of my “The Aak Puul Ngantam Stockman” exhibition at The Tanks Arts Centre in Cairns on Friday evening.

It was brilliant to see so many friends, colleagues, fellow photographers (many of whom I don’t catch up with often enough!), new acquaintances and faces from years long past, brave the elements to attend, share stories and down the odd drink.
Many Thanks must also go to charismatic indigenous leader Bruce Martin who took time out from his manic schedule to open the exhibition.

The Tanks exhibition space is expansive, full of character, versatile … and  wonderful. In addition The Tanks crew of curator Chris Stannard, Olivia, Gio, Belinda and Lisa – have done a wonderful job of curating, hanging and letting the world know about my work.

Spread around the huge space are my thirty two images – fourteen large portraits of the Aak Puul Ngantam crew each on their own floating wall and eighteen prints of the APN mustering operation. It all looks fantastic.

The images in the exhibition were made at the Cape York Peninsula mustering operation whilst working on a story for ‘The Australian’ … and have since, gratifyingly, received some critical acclaim and awards.

If you did miss the opening night ‘launch’ the exhibition will run till March 2nd in tank 4 of The Tanks Arts complex Cairns.

Below are three images of the exhibit at The Tanks – the top two show the character of the space with some of my prints in place, whilst the third is from the opening night celebrations.

ABC Radio was just one of several media outlets to publicise the exhibition and opening eve and you can listen to Fiona Sewell’s great work in interviewing yours truly on the ‘Play’ page of my web site – or alternatively here below …

 

Images © Brian Cassey – Audio courtesy ABC Far North ©

The Tanks APN Exhibition

The Tanks APN Exhibition

20140207_APNExhibitionTanks4Blog

 

The Aak Puul Ngantam Stockman

This presentation – “The Aak Puul Ngantam Stockman” – was made for the ‘Nikon Walkley Photographers Slide Night’ in Sydney at the State Library of New South Wales on the 28th May 2013. The images were made on Cape York Peninsula northern Australia and show the work of the mustering operation by the indigenous company APN Cape York. The operation is attempting to provide meaningful employment and occupation for the indigenous population of the area around Aurukun – and break the cycle of welfare dependancy, violence, alcohol and drug abuse. The portraits represented in this presentation were exhibited at The Global Gallery, Paddington, Sydney as a featured exhibit of the 2013 “Head On Photo Festival”.
One of the portrait images was selected as a Winner of the “Head On Portrait Prize” – and another as a ‘Finalist’ in the “Kuala Lumpur International Portrait Awards”.
The music accompanying the presentation – “Fire Serpent” from the album “Shaman’s Dance” – is used by kind permission of the artist Dan Pound.

Words and Images © Brian Cassey

Sydney Exhibition – Head On

Only a few weeks till my collection of images – “The Aak Puul Ngantam Stockman” – opens at the Global Gallery in Paddington Sydney as a ‘featured’ exhibition in the massive ‘Head On Photo Festival’.

All are welcome to the opening function at the gallery on the eve of Wednesday 29th May from 6ish  (with a little drink or two offered – but no obligation!)

The exhibit consists of 14 large portraits – all made ‘in situ’ at the base camp of the mustering operations on a remote property out from the indigenous township of Aurukun, Cape York Peninsula. The cattle venture by indigenous APN Cape York is an attempt to provide sustainable employment and a sense of pride in the troubled township – and break the cycle of booze, drugs, violence and welfare dependency.

The subjects included in the exhibition are a mix of elder experienced former aboriginal stockman, young indigenous men from Aurukun keen to learn the ropes, a white family of head stockman, wife and cook and two daughter Jillaroos, a teacher for the kids and a ‘roustabout’ – all of whom are directly involved in the day to day hands on mustering operation.

The crew are mustering – by horseback, quad bike and helicopter – about 5000 head which are the remnants and descendants of a failed cattle venture in the 1990’s.

The work was originally made for  ’The Weekend Australian’ newspaper and accompanied by text from journalist Michael McKenna (who is also one of the subjects).

The exhibition runs at Global Gallery till the 9th June … looking forward to seeing you there.

Below is just one of fourteen portraits that make up the exhibition.

Image of Winston Marpoondin – © Brian Cassey

APNBlog

 

Cape York Cattle Muster Essay …

Have now found time to post a new photo essay from the Cape York mustering trip – “Cattle Muster Cape York”  – to the web site of my collective ‘fotostrada’ under ‘Latest Stories’. The new essay is in addition to the “Aak Puul Ngantam Stcokman” essay of portraits posted earlier.

This set of images were made during the mustering operations – by horse back, helicopter and quad bike, on the remote property out from the indigenous township of Aurukun. The stock they are mustering, numbering about 5000, are the remnants and descendants of a failed cattle venture in the 1990’s.  The participants are a mix of elder experienced former aboriginal stockman, young indigenous men from Aurukun keen to learn the ropes, a white family of head stockman, wife and cook and two daughter Jillaroos, a teacher for the kids and a ‘roustabout’ – all of whom are directly involved in the day to day hands on mustering operation.

The venture is an attempt to provide sustainable employment and a sense of pride in the indigenous town – and break the cycle of booze, drugs, violence and welfare dependency.

They have already had some success with the sale of mustered stock fetching record prices at a recent Mareeba cattle auction.

The work was made for ‘The Australian’ newspaper with text by journalist Michael McKenna and was published over four pages (including page 1) of  ‘The Weekend Australian’ edition (see earlier post below.)

Posted below are just three images from the complete essay which can be found in full at http://www.fotostrada.com/#/latest-stories/cattle-muster-cape-york/BCAurukunAPN24

Images © Brian Cassey

Indigenous Stockmen Saddle Up Again …

A little pleased with this weekends The Weekend Australian (27.10.2012).

Last Weekend I ventured once again up to the wilds of Cape York Peninsula, this time with journalist Michael McKenna, for a four day visit to Bruce Martin and his APN Cape York cattle enterprise a hundred K out from Aurukun.

APN Cape York is an initiative of Bruce and the collective Wik clans of Aurukun – an attempt to provide sustainable employment and a sense of pride in the indigenous town – and break the cycle of booze, drugs, violence and welfare dependency.

The idea of this particular plan of Aak Puul Ngantam (which in Wik mean “our father’s father’s country) is to return to the traditional  ‘country’ – in this case as stockman to manage and profit from the approximately five thousand head of cattle left to run wild after an earlier venture failed in the 1990’s. To work on the land just as their forefathers did many decades before.

Our task was to document the mustering venture in words and pictures for the weekend edition of  The Australian.

It didn’t start well … the ute taking us through the bush shed the drive shaft half way though the journey in the middle of nowhere, meaning we were unceremoniously towed into the mustering camp.

Sometimes, however, things fall into place – and with the help of the entire APN crew present – stockman Jay, Kenneth, Winston, Dominic, Steven, Cameron, Allan and Bruce, roustabout Perry, cook and mum Rebecca, jillaroo sisters Nina (5) and Shae-Anne (10), their teacher Moyra and helicopter pilot Brendan – the coverage went like clockwork (and with a great amount of banter and good humour).

I photographed the team erecting stock fences, mustering on horse back (and in Bruce’s case off the horses back!), helicopter and quad bike and training a herd of cattle to be used as a host herd.

The Weekend Australian used what must be a record number of images on the same subject by the same snapper – 22 of my pics in all over five pages – along with Michael’s excellent thousands of words! They also run on-line a photo essay and a video.

I’ve posted below screen grabs of the pages involved – and the online photo essay can be found here – and the video here.

Also below is just one image from the set of portraits I made of all the camp participants – an essay to be entitled “The Aak Puul Ngantam Stockman” – which I hope to exhibit at some stage in the future.

The full sets of images will appear on my web site when the current site revamp is finished in a few weeks time. They will also feature soon on the web site of my collective ‘fotostrada’.

© Images Brian Cassey

 

Thousand Kilometre Images …

Often the easiest part of making images is pressing the shutter … and the hard part is getting to the right place to take them!

Such was the case this week on a job for ‘The Australian’ broad sheet.

The object was the take pics to accompany a story by Brisbane based journalist Sarah Elks on the subject of the controversial and now doomed Queensland Wild Rivers legislation and the opinions of grazier Scott Harris at Strathmore Station between Georgetown and Croydon in remote north west Queensland.

It entailed a round trip drive of well over a thousand kilometres dodging rock spitting road trains …  a substantial amount on corrugated gravel roads … which equated to almost fourteen hours behind the wheel over two days. A few of the native wild life met their demise over those hours including a rather fat bird of prey who obviously over indulged feasting on a road side roo carcass, failed to gain sufficient height on take off and smashed into my windscreen. Had to confess the rather large crack from top to bottom of the screen to the hire car company on my return.

Grazier Scott Harris and his wife Kerry were extremely gracious hosts and we spent dinner in the evening with their crew planning the best scenario for images.

Strathmore muster by helicopter and quad bike (not a horse in sight) and we made a plan to make the images of the choppers mustering stock across the Einasleigh River at dawn.

At first light we took off in the Robinson 22 helicopters and watched the sun peak over the horizon from a thousand feet.

The mustered cattle did their part as Scott and contract pilot Mike Fleming coaxed them across the river and the images were made. ‘The Weekend Australian’ ran with a large image on page 1 and a further 3 images and story on page 5.

The Australian also ran a ten image slide presentation “Helicopter Cattle Muster” on their web site which can be viewed here.

Below I’ve posted a grab of the image of  The Weekend Australian’s front page, another of page 5 … and an image of grazier Scott preparing to take off pre dawn.

Images © Brian Cassey

Rural Press Awards …

… not a biggie – but gratifying nevertheless. Received the news that an image I made in the aftermath of Cyclone Yasi has been selected as the winner of the ‘People’ category of the “2012 Queensland Rural Press Photography Awards”. It will now be a Queensland representative in the Australian Council of Agricultural Journalists “2012 Australian Star Prize for Rural Photography” and if successful there it will be an Australian entry in the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists Photography Awards.

The image (below) of Atherton Tablelands farmer Shane O’Brien was made at the end of a day of clearing trees felled by Yasi’s power. Falling trees killed hundreds of head of Shane’s stock and the felled trunks made traversing and operating his cattle farm impossible. Despite the quick response to cyclone damage on the coastal strip of north Queensland, farmers inland from the coast on the Tablelands received little or no support.

It was published in The Australian newspaper on February 14th 2011 … full text of the story here.

Image © Brian Cassey 2011