Internationally-renowned musician William Crighton will perform at Cessnock's inaugural Our Bushland festival.
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Crighton joins accomplished singer-songwriter Ben Leece and activist and fiddle-player Steel City Sue on the lineup for the free festival, which will be held at Poppethead Park, Kitchener on Sunday, September 11.
A Cessnock resident, Crighton is a passionate environmentalist - his song Your Country was shortlisted for the Environmental Music Prize this year.
The Our Bushland festival will celebrate the unique and important biodiversity and cultural heritage of the Cessnock district.
The festival will kick off on the Saturday night with a spotlighting event that is already booked out.
Along with live music by the aforementioned artists, highlights of the Sunday program will include a Welcome to Country with a Wonnarua Elder; local walking tours focusing on bushland, biodiversity and cultural heritage; meet-and-greets with Tasmanian Devil joeys from Aussie Ark (which are also booked out); kids activities, food and artisan market stalls.
Our Bushland coincides with Biodiversity Month, which promotes the importance of protecting, conserving and improving biodiversity.
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Cessnock is recognised internationally as a Key Biodiversity Area, with more than 65 threatened entities, including nine ecological communities, 46 animal species and 10 plant species (including the critically-endangered Regent Honeyeater and migratory Swift Parrot).
The local bushland is also an important place for the local Aboriginal community, the Wonnarua people, who have strong spiritual connection to the land and country that is rich with cultural heritage.
The festival is a collaboration between several local, state and federal government, educational, environmental and cultural organisations, including BirdLife Australia with funding and support from Cessnock City Council, and Hunter Local Land Services through the Australian Government's National Landcare Program.
"Our Bushland aims to empower the community to value and protect some of Australia's most unique bushland, plants, animals and cultural heritage, right in their own backyard," BirdLife Australia's NSW woodland bird program manager Mick Roderick said.
"We call it 'Our Bushland' as we all have an important role to take positive actions to protect it now, and conserve it for our future generations."
Speakers include historian Ed Tonks, ecologist George Madani (on koalas) and Kristy Peters from BirdLife Australia (on the often-misunderstood native mistletoe).
The festival will run from 9am to 3pm. Register for the walks program at ourbushland.com.
IN THE NEWS
Krystal Sellars
Krystal Sellars is the Senior Journalist at the Cessnock Advertiser. Born and raised in Cessnock, she started her journalism career at the Advertiser in 2006 after completing a Bachelor of Communication at the University of Newcastle. Contact her on krystal.sellars@cessnockadvertiser.com.au.
Krystal Sellars is the Senior Journalist at the Cessnock Advertiser. Born and raised in Cessnock, she started her journalism career at the Advertiser in 2006 after completing a Bachelor of Communication at the University of Newcastle. Contact her on krystal.sellars@cessnockadvertiser.com.au.
