We’ve been in the bushfires and although all of Old Bar and Wallabi townships were saved there isn’t much left around us and many others have lost their homes in our area. Wildlife loss has also been immense. In the nearly 40 years I’ve been in Old Bar nothing like this or even near this has happened previously. Fortunately or unfortunately I was in Japan on the worst day and just worried from afar. But was spared some of the intensity of the smoke and affects. A time to see the very best and very worst in humans.

It is with deep appreciation we thank the Rural Fire Service who volunteer their time and risk their lives to save people and properties in our area, under very difficult conditions.

Strangely the landscape has an eerie almost armageddon feel about it and the colours have a beauty but makes you crave greenness, clear air and water.

In a workshop this weekend Lauren and Tim also saw an inspiration to weave with the colours and imagery of this terrible beauty within the landscape. Here is Lauren’s work within the destroyed Saltwater National Park.

Lauren is a devoted weaver and she really immerses herself into the entwinement of the yarns, exploring on the loom. She stays with the technique, experimenting and using the time to develop ideas that work for her. She doesn’t leave a technique or way of working until she can resolve it in some way. Tim too had great ideas about what he wanted to achieve in the workshop and solved lots of design problems along the way. What a great way to share a creative weekend and forget about fires!