Following on from the successful exhibition of CARE (Concerned Artists Resisting Extinction) at the East Gippsland Art Gallery last year the show, or part thereof, has now moved to five other galleries in Gippsland – at Briagolong, Maffra, Gippsland (Sale), Orbost and Swifts Creek. Founder of the CARE movement, Dawn Stubbs of Munro, opened the exhibitions with a speech at Briagolong on 31 July. Brief extracts from her speech follow.
“The Orbost Exhibition is looking fantastic and is being extended …Without the steady direction of Ros Crisp who has taken on the Orbost Exhibition with gusto and enthusiasm this one just wouldn’t have turned out the way it has. And her right hand woman our dear Di Deppeler who is travelling somewhere in the great outdoors at the moment. Please fill your cars up and travel to see this exhibition at Orbost, especially to hear fire expert Phil Zylstra when he is allowed out of Sydney. We will update everyone as things unfold. All five exhibition spaces are really worth the visit. I will be at the Maffra Exhibition space on as many days as I can spare.”
“Right now what is needed is leadership, unfortunately it’s sadly lacking in nearly every tier of Government. We have crises on our hands our ecosystems are collapsing and Australia’s unique animals are on the brink. If I was overseas right now I would be ashamed to call myself Australian, not two weeks ago the same environment minister that met with us in Canberra fronted the media and was more concerned about tourism than what her portfolio represents the Environment in regards to the Great Barrier Reef one of the greatest wonders on our Planet. One can measure the greatness and the moral progress of a nation by looking at how it treats its animals.”
“Unbeknown to us over 10,000 of those years the average temperature never fluctuated more than one degree Celsius. Until now, it is no coincidence that deforesting our world and Climate breakdown are happening at the same time. I’m afraid the two go hand in hand what people may not realise is that the animals that also lived in these deforested areas are also contributors to the symbiotic relationship that is needed for a healthy ecosystem.”
Unfortunately the pandemic has delayed the original plan by 18 months and another Coronavirus lockdown has now intervened, but hopefully everyone will have the opportunity to visit and view at least one of the exhibitions.