Athol Compton

Northern Rivers story lovers are invited to gather on Sunday, June 10 for ‘Stories in the Club: Drawn from Life’ on a theme of ‘Earth Love’, as it falls a week after World Environment Day. Ten minute oral stories will be shared by Athol Compton, Dr Eshana Bragg, Maximo Bottaro, Hanna Nevarra, Henry Coleman and event curator, Jenni Cargill-Strong.

Athol Compton is a Minyunbul traditional custodian and has also acted in several feature films. ‘Stories in the Club’ regulars have often heard Athol give Welcome to Country and as usual this month he will also share a story on the theme.

Dr Eshana Bragg, doctor of ecopsychology, is an energetic, passionate environmentalist and co-creator of ‘The Joyality Program for Empowering Conscious Changemakers’. Eshana is also director of the Sustainable Futures Australia and teaches university courses in social change at the School for International Training.  She will be telling her own version of an ancient Tibetan prophecy of the Shambhala Warriors, a tale that is close to her heart and central to her teaching.

Henry Coleman has been a change-maker since childhood – a passion which grew out of a deep love and concern for nature. He connected with the work of Local Futures at age 15, which he found provided a big-picture analysis of our global crises and offered genuine strategies to confront them. He has worked with Local Futures both within Australia and for extended periods in Ladakh,  India, since he left high school. In 2017, he was one of the core team that set up Mullumbimby’s ‘Wildspace’, where he has continued his work as a ‘big picture activist’.

Hanna Nevarra has been involved in frontline activism through film, media and non-violent direct action. She has supported the Stop Adani campaign, Pilliga Push, Close Pine Gap and Aboriginal Tent Embassy with physical presence and civil disobedience and continues to support these campaigns through ‘Front-line Unity.’ Currently, she is working on a creative and innovative industries project, which helps support community solar and hemp projects as viable industries to help transition Australia out of coal and gas.

Maximo Bottaro has been passionately engaged in ecology throughout life,having always been sensitive to nature. He has worked in rainforest restoration for 15 years. He will tell the story of The Byron Bay Reforestation Project and how over a decade of rainforest regeneration in the Big Scrub, replanting Cassowary habitat in the Daintree, working with volunteers and doing genetic diversity research on rainforest trees has led us to bring everything we’ve learned together for a large scale, fun and engaging project in Mullumbimby.

I will tell Jenni Cargill-Strong will tell an original environmental story with a folktale flavour.

‘Stories in the Club’ is supported by The Ngara Institute, Creative Mullumbimby, Toastmasters, The Story Tree Company and Stories on Foot.

WHEN: Sunday, June 10, 4.00- 5.30pm
WHERE: Mullum Ex-Services Club
ENTRY by suggested donation: $10.
WHO: 14 years and up