Streets of Your Town

While many people have heard of the Torres Strait Islands at the northern tip of Australia, not as many know the fascinating history and influence this archipelago paradise has played in Australia's history and future.

From the tip of Cape York to the borders of Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, the Torres Strait—or now increasingly known as Zenadth Kes—covers an area of more 200 islands over 48 thousand square kilometres.

The Queensland Museum is bringing a touch of this beauty and complexity to Brisbane until the end of April 2022, giving city people a rare glimpse of these remote islands in the exhibition: Island Futures: What lies ahead for Zenadth Kes?

This episode of Streets of Your Town podcast takes you on a behind the scenes tour of that exhibition with co-curator, renowned broadcaster and proud Torres Strait Islander Rhianna Patrick.

She explains how hard it is to capture such a complex society of interwoven stories—the interconnectedness between people, place and knowledge which is the foundation of their identity.

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Today we're going to North Stradbroke Island in the sparkling jewel that is Moreton Bay in Queensland’s south-east. It’s known as "Straddie" to some. But to the Quandamooka Aboriginal people, who have a connection to the island going back more than 20,000 years, it is known it as Minjerribah, meaning “island in the sun”.

Delvene Cockatoo-Collins is a First Nations artist based here, like generations of her family before her. Her works are now sold around the world and were featured in her designs for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games medals, and her representation of the white whale Migaloo floating high above the audience in the opening ceremony. 

Today Delvene takes us on a walking tour of the island, which she does regularly for day trippers keen to get a First Nations perspective of the important artistic and cultural sites on this patch of paradise. We start our conversation for Streets of Your Town under the trees on the beach near Dunwich, or Goompi, where Delvene finds many of the materials she uses in her evolving arts practice.

Streets of your Town podcast would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians on whose land this story was gathered.
I acknowledge that for tens of thousand of years Our First Nations people have walked this country and shared stories on this great land down under, and I walk in their footsteps today.  
I pay my respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging.

Read more about Delvene’s work, see the back catalogue of episodes and learn more about my work as The Wandering Journo at the Streets of Your Town website at https://soyt.substack.com

https://cockatoocollins.com

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"Tucked away in the hustle and relentless movement of Cairns’ famous Rusty’s Markets on Sheridan Street, is a local institution. 
Billy’s coffee has its own loyal gathering of locals every market day, and behind the coffee machine coordinating the barista symphony is the ever smiling Billy Hoade.
He’s been serving up coffee from his beloved Papua New Guinea for more than 15 years, expanding now to running his own roastery. And today, on Streets of Your Town, we’re going to find out from Billy himself, what keeps the locals coming back."

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This episode of Streets of Your Town straddles two continents on opposite sides of the world - Ireland and Australia.
Where the wild Atlantic ocean whips the rocky cliffs of Ireland’s west coast, the people of the small county of Mayo are contemplating whether they can overcome a hoo doo of 70 years.
Is it a Coincidence or a curse? I delve into the mystery of how this county has not won an All Ireland Gaelic Football Final since 1951, despite making it to the finals of arguably Ireland’s most important sporting contest, ten times. 
Some blame an infamous curse apparently placed on the entire football team by an angry priest. 
But as our guest Stephen O’Grady so eloquently explains, Gaelic football is more than just a sport. It’s about identify, about Irish emigrants and the longing for what was left behind, and about where we call home. Is it our memories, or where we live presently?
Stephen O’Grady grew up in Mayo, with the imprint of his county’s woes in Gaelic football finals a constant companion while growing up. 
He says Gaelic football is more than just a sport, it’s a crucial part of life in Ireland. He tells us how he hopes this is the year that Mayo overcomes the weight of expectation from the entire county, and wins the All Ireland final against Tyrone on September 11."

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Across the sparkling Trinity Inlet that separates Cairns from the southern beaches beyond, is a small Indigenous community that’s successfully renewed its sacred country from years of degradation, and is now on the cusp of great success.
Mandingalbay Yidinji country straddles two great world heritage areas in far north Queensland, the Wet Tropics and the Great Barrier Reef, stretching out to the Coral Sea.
In this episode of Streets of Your Town Executive Director Dale Mundraby tells us stories that have been handed down through the generations, including how his ancestors met Captain Cook.
Dale Mundraby explains how his people have been part of this land for many thousands of years and are now eager to show it to others who come to visit and take part in their Ancient Indigenous Tours.
He invites us to come and visit, and tells how it’s a great privilege to show guests where the salty water of the sea meets the freshwater flowing from the surrounding mountains, and introduce visitors to the bush pharmacy of food and medicinal plants in the surrounding rainforest.

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This week in Bundaberg, on Queensland’s central Coast, a small but significant ceremony started to turn a long history of exploitation and shame around. And we bring it to you on this episode of Streets of Your Town. Bundaberg Mayor Jack Dempsey, took the step of becoming the first representative of any government in Australia, to say sorry for blackbirding, the practice where more than 62-thousand Pacific Islanders were brought to Australia from the 1860s to the turn of the 20th century. Many were forcibly removed from their Pacific Island homes to work in appalling conditions on cane fields in towns such as Bundaberg. You will hear from Australian South Sea Islanders in the audience on this special day, with many of them brought to tears, as the Vanuatu flag was raised outside the council chambers alongside the Australian flag and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flag. It was recognition some of them had waited a lifetime to see and hear.

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This week on Streets of Your Town we feature the extraordinary project, called Scattered People.

The documentary was a six year labour of love, following two young Iranian asylum seekers navigating Australia’s immigration detention system, and the unexpected connections they make through music.

Musicians such as John Butler, Missy Higgins, Dan Sultan, Archie Roach, Baker Boy, Michael Franti, and Katie Noonan all took part.

Scattered People is a heartfelt story about connection and the power of music to give people a voice. All proceeds from screenings in cinemas around the country go to local asylum seeker projects in each local area.

It takes enormous commitment to learn a new skill like filmmaking. But to see that project through to screenings around Australia six years later, with rolling screening dates around Covid lockdowns, takes that commitment to another level.

The documentary made filmmakers out of everyday Australians John and Lizzi Swatland. Lizzi joins us on the podcast today, along with choir mistress Yani Mills. 

https://www.scatteredpeoplefilm.org

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In efforts to bring you a little lock down cheer and hope in the world, in this episode of Streets of Your Town we’ll meet a group of people who cook home made meals for the homeless, rain, hail, or pandemic shine.

"Dig In" hasn’t missed a single service to the people who eagerly await their homely meal, with hundreds of volunteers on the roster to cook every Saturday since it was started by four school mates on October 28th 2017.

Come with me on this episode of Streets of Your Town to meet this joyous group of Dig In volunteers who gather to cook every Saturday, in a humble commercial kitchen at inner city Brisbane high school St James College.

The wholesome meals they’re creating are destined for homeless people living rough in the city, who often yearn for but cannot access a freshly cooked home made meal.

Co-founder Lucas Ryals and brand ambassador and fellow lawyer Brad Marland are now looking to expand Dig In to the next stage of providing home made meals in specially designed vending machines accessible by the homeless with a special code, in towns far beyond the organisation’s Brisbane beginnings.

They’re also looking to expand Dig In’s service into high schools.

Lucas tells me in this podcast how it was a shock to them to learn how extensive a problem homelessness and poverty is, and how some students go without food for days. He hopes that the nourishing meals provided by Dig In can help remedy that, and improve school grades and attendance as well.

https://www.digin.org.au

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It’s a giant grass that many Australians would be familiar with seeing, but not so familiar with eating.

When properly prepared, Bamboo is nutrient-rich, and is in fact a staple of many Asian country’s diets.

Big Heart Bamboo founder, farmer and entrepreneur Becky Dart is forging a new industry on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast - growing, cooking and preserving bamboo to eat.

We walk around her bamboo farm on this episode of Streets of Your Town, and Becky explains how Bamboo is the world’s largest grass, one of the remaining large species from the megafauna era and one of the oldest plants in the world. When prepared properly it is also highly nutritious, and is revered as a delicacy in many Asian countries.

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As part of Reconciliation Week in Australia, Streets of Your Town speaks to trailblazing Aboriginal entrepreneur and proud Wiradyuri man Birrunga Wiradyuri. His gallery and dining experience in the heart of Brisbane, aptly named Birrunga, has overcome the challenges of COVID to continue as the only Indigenous-owned and operated commercial Cultural hub in Meanjin, otherwise known as the Brisbane CBD. As well as being an accomplished artist of international renown, Birrunga is well known for his work inside prisons both pre and post release. He invites us all to visit his gallery during Reconcilation week and beyond, to come and listen to his stories and the stories of his people.

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