| Place of Birth and Joy |
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| Written by Harris Smart |
| Friday, 02 May 2008 14:02 |
CELEBRATING SICA AT EASTER 555 WORDSHarris Smart writes that SICA has been renewed at Gunnebah… Gunnebah is a new project in Australia. Six people have brought a rainforest retreat near the border of New South Wales and Queensland. It is an idyllic place on six acres of tropical rainforest bordered by a meandering creek. There is accommodation for about 25 people in chalets nestled amongst the trees. All the buildings are beautifully designed in natural materials. It is a “going concern” regularly booked by a variety of groups, but the new Subud owners are showing themselves to be very welcoming to Subud gatherings. Peter Jenkins, one of the owners, summed up the philosophy of the place as “doing well by doing good”. I attended a regional gathering there a few weeks ago which was a great success and then over Easter there was a SICA Gathering. SICA is enjoying a new lease of life in Australia since Sebastian Flynn became the chair. Sebastian is both an artist in his own right (a musician) and also an arts organiser. He organizes a big annual multi- cultural festival in Brisbane. Gunnebah which means “Place of Birth and Joy” seems to radiate healing and creativity. On the banks of the creek Aboriginal women once came to give birth and so there is a sacred association with the place which goes back for millennia. This spirit seems to have permeated the gatherings we have had there as there certainly has been a feeling of new life springing into being. Fun and FestiveThe SICA weekend combined a number of creative workshops – sculpture, movement, drawing, music - with impromptu performances, artists’ presentations, latihan, testing and discussions about future directions for SICA. It was festive, fun and even financially rewarding as some money was raised at a “SICA market” to begin to fill SICA’s empty coffers. A permanent reminder of the event will remain at Gunnebah in the forms of some sculptures created in workshop run by Brisbane artist Asariah Tellegen. Using natural material like stones from the creek, leaves, seed pods and branches, not just one sculpture, but a whole “sculpture garden” was created. Amongst them was one called “Mother and Child” created by Sebastian Flynn and Renée Goetz. Renée, also from Brisbane, is our Susila Dharma chair and the work symbolises the close co-operation that is developing between SICA and Susila Dharma, particularly in the plans that Renée has initiated to bring the International Child Development Program (ICDP) to Australia. Around the World in Half a Dozen MealsOnce again the Gunnebah people did a magnificent job of caring for the visitors and providing superb food. The food itself was a SICA experience. It might have been called “Cooking from Around the Globe” as we had everything from Sri Lankan curry, to Mexican tacos, to Lebanese kabobs, with a few other national cuisines thrown in. The open attitude of the owners is making Gunnebah an asset for all of Subud Australia. The next Subud meeting there is likely to be the Subud Australia Council. At both the meetings I have attended, there has been a real feeling of something new beginning to emerge. The intention is that this SICA gathering will not just vanish like vapour. Amongst other proposals, there are plans to create a permanent collection of Subud artists’ work, and to develop workshops and other events that can be offered to the general public. |
