I met this guy, he was fair enough, said; "why you white fellas got so much stuff?"

The nice gents from Hoodlum Shouts are kickin off their East coast tour at Transit Bar tonight.

This sure to be awesomely kick ass set of shows is to commemorate the launch of their LP; Young Man Old Man, whose cover features an image or two I put up here a while back. I can only reiterate how stoked I am to have my photography associated with a band of this calibre.
If you can make it to one of their shows in the coming weeks when they come to your town, I can only strongly recommend you do so, and if you live in my town, I can only say I better see your ass for a pint and a hell of a good time tonight!

Holy fuck, what a good record............

Halloween Poker Cat

This guy put on a super fun alley cat on Halloween this year. We all dressed up in ridiculous costumes, met up in an alley, drank some beers and threw in for a kitty. Then we pedaled our asses off around the city, collecting a poker hand from each checkpoint and almost getting hit by cars in the process. When we got back, the winner took half the kitty, and the person with the best hand (em bones) took the other. We then proceeded to drink some more beers, had some eats and hit the pub.

Put simply, it was one of the funnest Halloweens I've ever had.

Much love to the Death Cobras and the plastic fender brigade!

Lets do this shit again some time! X

You Are Here 2

YOU ARE HERE is on next weekend!

If you live in my town and you are not onto this, get ya' bloody head out from under a rock and get ready to get wild in an emerging arts sort of way.

Here are a few of my favourite shots from the whirlwind of crazy funness that was last years festival.

See you there!

Women of Letters

Recently had the pleasure of being asked to take photos for the WoL speaking tour (thanks Yolande!) at its stop at the National Library here in the berra.

Myself, and a sold out audience, were subsequently treated to a series of superbly orated letters written by the amazing women whose photographs are below. The subject matter of their words weaved an incredibly rich backdrop to the evening. A love letter, whose intended recipient died unexpectedly before it could ever be posted. A comment on the sometimes insurmountable obstacles of love, and the abrupt impersonality of facebook. A letter to a biological mother whom the author never knew. A cathartic goodbye to an abusive step father. A plea for humanity to a previous immigration minister, an ironic comment on the diminished value our society places on the (hand) written word, and the concurrent death of our democracy.

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to these women for their strength and courage in sharing these letters and for living the lives that they do, and my heartfelt thanks to Marieke Hardy and Michaela McGuire for curating such a splendid evening.

As if this speaking series wasn't already awesome enough, it simultaneously raises money for Edgars Mission, a not for profit sanctuary for rescued farm animals. Holy-smokes-batman-awesome-feminism-raising-money-for-awesome-stuff! =).




LORELEI VASHTI

LATIKA BOURKE

JULIE POSETTI

MELANIE TAIT

EVA COX

(I wish I could have photographed/hung out with Eva for hours. A writer, feminist, sociologist, social commentator and activist, she wryly told me while I was taking her photo that she knew us photographers and all of our tricks because she used to be married to one....and that she destroyed all his negatives when they split! What a formidably awesome lady! ;))

Sovereignty was never ceded: the 40th anniversary of the Aborigional Tent Embassy

I hope these images speak for what a truly joyous celebration of indigenous culture that was the 40th anniversary of the tent embassy here in Canberra. I don't really want to go into depth about the gross misrepresentation of the truth portrayed by mainstream media of the events that transpired later that day. If you are interested, you can read an excellent independent analysis of the events that transpired here and here. Suffice to say I hope you are a free enough thinker to realise that they were, in all likelihood, a deliberate ploy instigated by an insidious politician to eclipse the strength and pride shown by the indigenous people of this continent on the day. To detract from the fact that there is currently a death in custody rate of indigenous Australians that exceeds even that within South Africa under the apartheid regime, and that to this day, the policies of successive Australian governments continue to resemble those of an occupying colonial ruler.

Long live the indegenous homelands, and long live the indigenous activists who will not keep fighting until their sovereignty is finally recognised, and there human rights of self determination are restored.

"Close the Gap is a bunch of crap! That is why we take it back!"