Cloudcatchers Spring Ginko No. 75

7 November 2024

Cloudcatchers’ Spring Ginko was held at Victoria Park, Dalwood NSW (near Alstonville). This was the group’s tenth visit to this magical location on the far north coast. It is a remnant of sub-tropical jungle, part of the Big Scrub, and once home of the Widjabul people of the Bundjalung nation. Here there is a vast array of forest flora and a great variety of insect and birdlife. Some of us did hear a distant thud-thud of a pademelon, but none were sighted. We viewed a giant scrub turkey nest extending over the boardwalk, and spied a yellow robin and its nest, believed to be an indicator of a healthy forest environment.

The four of us shared, around a picnic table, haiku which we had recorded recently from observations during the ‘spring’ season, before offering first drafts responding to our present experience. As there had been nine previous visits of the group to this site, we were able to look back to records of some of our previous images recoded by haiku. As all ginko are followed by a Round Robin, we found many that John Bird had attended, and we were able to wallow in listening once more to his words that responded to observations we had made, years ago, at this spot, in his presence. Wonderful!

Lunch followed at Summerland House … a charming complex comprising a farm, plant nursery and restaurant, with emphasis on the employment of people with disabilities.

Quendryth Young