New Bush Telegraph

19/08/2026

Sharing this for Shoalhaven First Nations Film Festival.
A selection of storytelling, truth telling and sharing from indigenous creatives to be seen here at our Huskisson Cinema on the 19th of September 2026. Not to be missed.

Dear SFNFF supporters,

Thanks to your support and encouragement over the past three years, the 3rd annual festival of films by First Nations storytellers and filmmakers will be held on Saturday afternoon 19 September at Huskisson Pictures.

This year, the festival is built around the theme Caring for Country, Caring for People and showcases the work of young filmmakers.

The 7 films that we will be screening all reflect, in different ways, the complexity of truth telling and reckoning with the past. Some of the filmmakers use archival footage, including clips from the first films recorded about First Nations People as well as, many years later, the first films made by First Nations filmmakers. In selecting the clips, these filmmakers pulled no punches - doing what Uncle Gerry has always encouraged us to do: telling it as it is...the impact of colonisation leading to loss of culture and intergenerational trauma.

Uncle Gerry will give the Welcome to Country and introduce the film Booderee Handback 30 Years On. This is a documentary about the 30th anniversary celebrations of the 1995 return of the land to the Traditional Owners. This film was made by SFNFF and BE Studios in association with the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community Council and Booderee National Park management.

This will be followed by two films that explore the ways in which Country, language and culture are entwined and how the work of First Nations Communities protects Country for the generations to come: in Marlikka Perdrisat’s film Babanil, through knowing Country and creating memories; and in Keeping Country Strong, a film by Country Needs People, through the work of Indigenous Rangers in caring for Country and maintaining culture.

In Bringing His Spirit Home Dylan Nicholls traces a journey across the world to return the spirit of an Aboriginal WWI soldier to his family and traditional lands.

The second half of the program begins with The Secret Waterhole, filmed on the South Coast, followed by a discussion about the questions raised by the film led by writer and co-director, Elias Rees, and the young stars of the film.

The final two films reckon most directly with the past: in Echoes of Dissent, Dylan Nicholls reveals the story of an Aboriginal man who, over a century ago, protested for the rights of his People, leaving an Australia that would not listen and taking his message to Europe; in Winhanganha, Jazz Money examines how archives and the legacies of collection - horrors, joys and beauties - affect First Nations People and wider Australia.

Full details of the program are available on the sfnff website - please click here. Many thanks to Yolande Hyde (Rising Sun Media) for her brilliant and creative work in preparing the program for the website. Yolande’s design is also used on the Festival poster and postcards.

Tickets are $20 per person, covering all sessions and including afternoon tea, and can be booked through Trybooking: https://www.trybooking.com/DOWHB

The low ticket price reflects our longstanding view that these films, like those screened in previous Festivals, are too important to have access limited by high ticket prices. We are very fortunate to have the ongoing support of the Community Bank Sanctuary Point & Districts - Bendigo Bank as well as assistance from Veolia Mulwaree Trust in helping to bring filmmakers to the Festival. We also gratefully acknowledge assistance from community members.

We hope that you can join us on 19 September – to quote Richard Frankland, whose thought-provoking film, No Way To Forget, was screened at the 2nd annual SFNFF, “…you’ve got a chance as an audience to share a sacred journey, not just one but many sacred journeys... come along … and share a sacred journey with all of these wonderful artists that have created and given a part of themselves to you.”



Julienne McKay

Secretary

Shoalhaven First Nations Film Festival

SFNFF website

Caring for Country, Caring for people: showcasing work of young First Nations storytellers and filmmakers

11/03/2026

Giving voice through film - this is well worth looking at.

Take a look at what the FNFF team has been working on. We’re inviting you to assist us in the the very exciting venture of making the film The Rock. Any donation large or small will be much appreciated. Let’s help bring this story to life in film. Continued in the comments
Please use the links below:

To access the donation page directly from our website (https://sfnff.wpcomstaging.com)

If you would like to see how your money will be spent

https://sfnff.wpcomstaging.com/filming-the-rock/

11/03/2026

Miss you dear Pat Thompson,
can't believe it has been 6 years. You would be so engaged (and enraged) in world news and events, as always, on the true and peaceful side. 💙💙

08/02/2026

Take a look at this speech delivered at Friday’s protest in Nowra, held in response to the Herzog visit and the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

The speech was read by Kaye Gartner, whose moving delivery captured the emotion and urgency felt by those gathered. While Kaye presented the speech, the author is credited below.

Around 75 people attended the protest outside Fiona Phillips’ office — a small gathering, but a deeply committed and passionate one.

Author credit: Aine Ni Fhoughlu, from Shoalhaven Friends of Palestine.

Friends, neighbours, and members of our community,

We gather here today because Australia is about to make a decision with profound moral, legal, and social consequences.

Our government intends to welcome Isaac Herzog, President of Israel, to Australian soil.

This visit is being framed as diplomacy, even as “healing.”

But when we examine the facts, it becomes clear that welcoming Isaac Herzog at this moment is not a neutral courtesy.

It is a political statement.

And it risks aligning Australia with grave violations of international law, deepening division within our society, and normalising extraordinary human suffering.

Let us begin with what President Herzog has said.

After the attacks of October 7, 2023, Herzog declared:

“It is an entire nation that is responsible.”

Not armed groups.
Not militants.

An entire civilian population.In international law this is called collective punishment, and it is a war crime.

More than that, the United Nations later cited Herzog’s words as evidence of incitement, language that helped justify the mass targeting of civilians in Gaza.

History teaches us a hard truth: atrocities always begin with dehumanisation. When leaders such as Herzog, Hi**er, Stalin, Pol Pot turn people into a collective enemy, violence always follows.

Herzog’s role did not stop at words.

He was publicly photographed signing artillery shells destined for Gaza messages of encouragement written on weapons stating, “I rely on you”. Shells that would kill and maim Men, women and Children, that would strike homes, schools and hospitals.

This was not symbolic.

It was endorsement.

It was celebration of destruction.

Now let us look at what has unfolded in Gaza according to independent journalists, humanitarian organisations, and the United Nations.

In September 2025, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry concluded that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza.

The Commission found four of the five legal acts of genocide were met:
• mass killing
• starvation through siege
• destruction of healthcare and education
• conditions calculated to bring about the destruction of a people

Hospitals were dismantled.
Aid blocked.
Children directly targeted.

And crucially the UN named senior Israeli leaders, including Isaac Herzog, as having incited the commission of genocide.

This is not rhetoric.

This is international law.

This is the world’s highest human rights body.

Swiss prosecutors have since examined criminal complaints against Herzog alleging incitement to genocide and crimes against humanity, based on his public erasing of the distinction between civilians and combatants.

When a head of state is under international legal scrutiny for such allegations, welcoming him as an honoured guest is not diplomacy.

It is political endorsement.

Now let us turn to the deeper harm of this visit, because the government is not even presenting it as geopolitics.

It is being sold as “healing.”

And that framing is itself dangerous.

As journalist Andrew Brown explains in a detailed analysis republished by Michael West Media, Australians are being asked to accept something extraordinary as if it were normal-

a foreign head of state imported into an Australian tragedy as a symbolic consoler.

Not an Australian civic leader.
Not faith leaders from within our communities.
Not our own institutions.
But a foreign political figure.

And that matters.

Because for years Australians have been told Judaism is a faith. Israel is a state. Keep them separate.

Yet at the very moment symbolism matters most, that separation is abandoned by the government itself.

An Israeli president is elevated as the emotional guarantor of Jewish safety in Australia.

This does more than blur lines, it erases them.

It quietly rewrites citizenship.

It implies that Australian grief requires foreign political authority.

And that is exactly how division is manufactured.

Here is the truth:

You cannot demand separation when critics speak, then collapse it when power needs a stage.

You cannot claim unity while importing foreign state symbolism into Australian tragedy.

That is not healing.

That is narrative manipulation.

And it tears communities apart.

Jewish Australian organisations themselves have warned against this visit.

Coalitions of Jewish groups have urged the government to cancel it, saying Herzog’s presence risks provoking mass protests and fuelling antisemitism by falsely tying Jewish identity to the actions of the Israeli state.

They have said clearly:

Herzog does not represent all Jewish people.

And honouring him risks unfairly associating Jewish Australians with war crimes they oppose.

At the same time, Palestinian Australians are watching their families starve, be bombed, displaced, and buried, while Australia honours a leader linked to that suffering.

This is not cohesion.

It is trauma layered upon trauma.

True social cohesion is not built by ignoring injustice.

It is built by standing for human dignity equally.

You do not unite communities by honouring leaders accused of mass civilian harm.

You unite them by upholding law, ethics, and humanity.

And this brings us to the responsibility of our elected representative here in Gilmore Fiona Phillips.

Members of Parliament are not elected to stay silent when conscience is tested.

They are elected to represent their constituents.

We have written respectfully.
We have presented evidence.
We have asked for engagement.
And we have been met with silence.

But silence in moments of injustice is not neutrality.

Silence enables harm.

Leadership means speaking when it is difficult.

Representation means advocating when it is uncomfortable.

History does not remember kindly those who stayed quiet.

So what does welcoming Isaac Herzog tell the world?

That genocide findings can be ignored.
That civilian suffering is negotiable.
That international law applies selectively.
That political alliances outweigh human life.

That is not the Australia we believe in.

We are not here in hatred.

We are not here against Jewish people.

We are here because every life has equal value.

We are here because genocide must never be normalised.

We are here because Australia must not honour leaders implicated in mass suffering.

And so our message today is clear:

Cancel the visit.

Stand for international law.

Protect social cohesion.

Uphold the values Australia claims to represent.

And to our MP, represent the people who elected you.

Because one day our children will ask:

When Gaza burned…
When justice was tested…
When humanity cried out…
Where did Australia stand?

With convenience, or with conscience?
With silence, or with courage?
With power, or with people?

Let us make sure the answer is clear.

Let it be said that ordinary Australians stood up when it mattered. That communities refused to normalise genocide.
That we chose humanity over politics.
That we chose justice over fear.

Let it be said that we spoke when leaders stayed silent.
That we acted when institutions hesitated.
That we defended human life without condition or exception.

And let it be said — loudly and proudly — that Australia belongs on the side of human rights, not mass suffering.

So today we say:

No to collective punishment.

No to genocide.

No to honouring those who justify it.

And yes, yes to justice.

Yes to dignity.

Yes to peace.

Cancel the visit.

Stand for humanity.

Stand for international law.

Stand with the innocent, wherever they live, whatever their background, whatever their faith.

Because justice is not radical.

Justice is the foundation of peace.

And so we say “From the River to the Sea Palestine will be Free”

06/01/2026

Fireworks: Why the Bad Outweighs the Good - And How the Shoalhaven Can Lead the Way

An article from Bradley Stanton

Fireworks have long been part of how we mark celebrations - from New Year's Eve to community festivals. For many, they symbolise joy and togetherness. But in communities like the Shoalhaven, where we live close to bushland, wildlife and waterways, it's worth asking a hard but necessary question: do fireworks still make sense?

When we look honestly at their impact - on animals, people, public safety and bushfire risk - it becomes clear that the harms increasingly outweigh the benefits. The good news is that we now have safer, inclusive alternatives that allow us to celebrate without putting others at risk.

The Hidden Cost to Animals and Wildlife

Fireworks may last minutes, but for animals the effects can be severe and long-lasting. Pets experience acute fear from loud, unpredictable explosions, often leading to trembling, panic, escape attempts and
injury. Many develop long-term anxiety associated with future celebrations.

For the Shoalhaven's native wildlife, the consequences are even more serious. Birds are forced into sudden flight at night, expending vital energy and colliding with obstacles. Kangaroos, wallabies and other animals can bolt onto roads or through fencing, resulting in injury or death. Firework debris and chemical residue can also enter waterways, threatening fish and marine life along our coast and estuaries.

These impacts aren't hypothetical - they happen every year, and they are entirely preventable.

Bushfire Risk: A Reality We Know Too Well

In the Shoal haven, bushfire risk is not an abstract concern. Many residents still carry vivid memories of the Currowan Fire, which burned for months, destroyed homes, devastated wildlife and forever changed our region. That experience underscored a simple truth: in dry, fireprone landscapes, even a small ignition source can have catastrophic consequences.

Fireworks involve sparks, embers and burning debris - often launched into the air and carried unpredictably by wind. Even professionally managed displays are not immune to changing conditions. With hotter, drier summers becoming more common, continuing to rely on fireworks as a centrepiece of celebration is increasingly difficult to justify.

Reducing preventable fire risks should be a shared responsibility. Choosing safer alternatives is a practical step that reflects lessons already learned at great cost.

Not Everyone Experiences Fireworks as Celebration

Fireworks are also deeply distressing for many people. Loud, sudden noises can trigger severe stress responses in individuals living with post-traumatic stress disorder {PTSD), including veterans, survivors of violence, emergency service workers and others exposed to trauma.

Children, people with autism, anxiety disorders or sensory sensitivities can also find fireworks overwhelming rather than enjoyable. When public events exclude or harm sections of the community, it's worth asking whether we can do better.

Safer Alternatives Already Work - Including Here in NSW

Celebration does not need explosions to be spectacular. Sydney's Vivid Festival has shown what's possible. Each year, millions of people are drawn to immersive light installations, projections and creative displays that transform public spaces - without loud bangs, without distress to animals, and without bushfire risk. Vivid proves that light-based celebrations can be culturally significant, economically beneficial and widely loved.

Other alternatives - such as laser shows, projection mapping and drone light displays - are now being adopted worldwide. These technologies create stunning visual experiences, dramatically reduce injury risk, eliminate fire ignition sources, and are far more inclusive for people and animals alike.

A Chance for Shoalhaven to Lead

Celebrations matter. They bring people together, strengthen community identity and create shared memories. But how we celebrate should evolve with our understanding of risk, inclusion and environmental responsibility.

Shoalhaven has an opportunity to be a trendsetter, not a follower. By trialling non-firework alternatives at future events, consulting with animal welfare groups, mental health advocates and emergency services, and prioritising safety in a fire-prone region, our local council can demonstrate leadership that reflects community values and lived experience.

After lessons from the Currowan fire, there is no excuse not to seek safer options now readily available. The question is no longer whether we can change - but whether we're willing to lead.

We can celebrate joyfully, creatively and responsibly. The Shoalhaven can show how it's done.

Sources used:
RSPCA Australia - Fireworks and animal welfarehttps://www.rspca.org.au/what-we-do/our-role-caring-animals/animalwelfare/fireworks

Animal Care Australia - Effects of fireworks on pet
https://animalcareaustralia.org.au/pet-information/pets-and-fireworks/

SBS News - Impacts of fireworks on animals and Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife
https://www.sbs.com.au/ABC News

Australian Department of Veterans' Affairs - PTSD and noise triggers
https:/ /www.dva.gov.au

US Department of Veterans Affairs (widely cited clinical research) -Fireworks and PTSD
https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/what/fireworks_ptsd .asp

NSW Rural Fire Service/ CFA Victoria - Fire danger warnings and ignitionrisks

https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au
https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au

Vivid Sydney (NSW Government) - Light-based event success
https://www.vividsydney.com

RSPCA UK - Public support for fireworks alternatives
https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/fireworks/alternatives

28/12/2025

Thank you Stuart Rees and Margaret Reynolds

https://johnmenadue.com/post/2025/12/the-invitation-to-israels-president-should-be-withdrawn-immediately/?fbclid=IwZnRzaAO9adNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeMhg_xP0MIpwpta7Lu2l-s5MRiSitgYf3Bcx199RHRJfTrXOvmZ_75a9rF3Y_aem_z5h96bOp-HOjNgpqTAaeag

The Israel President cannot be welcomed in Australia. The government he represents has been found by the International Court of Justice to have breached international law: the Netanyahu regime has committed a range of international crimes against humanity including war crimes, apartheid, illegal occ...

30/08/2025

Not long to go until the second Shoalhaven First Nations Film Festival event for 2025. It’s all happening on Sept 13, 1-5 at Huskisson Pictures. Below is a comprehensive overview of the suite of films being shown and a link to Try booking to purchase the $15 tickets.

15/08/2025

Happy Birthday Pat. Thinking of you, missing you. Big hugs to Patrick Thompson xox

01/08/2025

It's been 2 years of missing you Bonnie Cassen. Your enthusiasm, knowledge & dedication to environmental issues, always believing in and encouraging the people around you, your big heart, your positive energy.... and so much more. I loved working with you and miss your kind friendship. Fly high Bonnie ###

29/07/2025

Purchase your tickets via this link. https://www.trybooking.com/DDMBI Hope to see you there!

Please go to graphic in the previous post, with the bar code to purchase tickets for the August 9, 2pm film screening. Or alternatively you can use the https://www.trybooking.com/DDMBI Hope to see you there!