Here in the Blue Mountains we went for a bush walk. To Govett's leap, then on to the valley of waters to the Empress water falls. They were fabulous. To get there we need to climb down some seriously steep steps, me JD and Kim.
Kim is from Parramatta, a western suburb, and is 'very good for Jean-Daniel' according to his sisters. I think so too. He's written a song about her which is beautiful. I wondered why one of his first questions to me was about my band, Harvey. I told him about it in suitably modest and truthful terms. In fact he's an accomplished musician. I asked him to play some of his stuff. It is seriously good, heart felt lyrics and I found myself hummimg the tunes. He's too modest about it, but he has a skill to be proud of. He also writes short stories, like Joss's husband Rob. JDs music is in the form of short stories. Kim, an avid reader, helps him with the stories.
So there we are at the top of this cliff looking down at a wonderful waterfall. Voices are rising up from below. Some school children are absailing down the falls. There's a mixture of excitement, anxiety and fear in their voices. They are having the time of their lives. The sun, after a bit of a poor start, is breaking through the trees, it's rays making the rocks glow gold. To get down there we're going to have to climb down some steep metal steps. 'I can't do it' says Kim. Oh dear, she has vertigo at the thought and sight of heights. 'Oh, come on' we exhort her. 'OK, but someone will have to go in front of me'. I rush forward to do my gallant best and start down. ' So what happens when this gets you, cos you seem to be doing fine' I try to jolly her along half way down. 'I vomit' she stutters, looking down at me. Pause to consider options. 'Oh well nearly there' I say encouragingly, 'best keep going then' and I turn to keep slightly further away for her than before. We do get to the falls without incident, and as the man half way down predicted, we didn't regret it.
Eventually, after some pausing and panting, and complaining about the aging process, and letting younger un-breathless people rush past, we get the the top again. Fortunately it was beer o'clock, so we had one. Then drive on to the three sisters. This is a sandstone rock formation, and is subject to erosion.
According the Gondungurra Dreaming, or legend, three beautiful sisters called Meehni, Wimlah and Gunnedoo fell in love with three brothers from the neighbouring Dharruk nation. Tribal law forbade marriage. So the boys, brave warriors, decided to take them by force. A war began and so the Kuradjuri (wise man) of the Gundungurra, to prevent further blood shed, turned them to stone. He was going to turn them back when things had settled. Unfortunately he was speared through the heart and died in one of the battles. To this day no one has been able to return the sisters to their natural form. At sunrise and sometimes at sunset you can see the sisters smiling at what might have been, and now never will. I put this last bit in myself to encourage you to go.The whole day was actually planned around going to see Goomblar. He is performing at (about) 5pm. We were phoned earlier as we are the only ones going to be there, but we'd still like to see it. Later we are told that it's still on and Goomblar is OK to perform. He's going to tell us about his dreaming. I'm excited to hear it. We are told that the show is an on-stage history of the Yidaki (Didjeridoo), and combines music, dance and story telling. It has been passed down to each successive generation for 40 thousand years.
We arrive on time. The show is on in a cinema and the stage is the bit at the front under the screen. There are some mixed race kids messing about in the foyer around the pool table, one of them looks to have learning difficulties but he's joining in with the fun. Egging them on is a big black man with a shaggy beard and long matted hair. There's white paint on his face. That's Goomblar says JD. No! the show is about to start. We take our seats in the dark auditorium at the front, and wait a few moments.
In comes the big black man with shaggy beard and long matted hair, followed by the rowdy kids. 'G'day' he says as he comes up to us and offers a hand shake. 'Where are you all from' he asks politely and with a slight lisp. The others say they're from Sydney. 'England' I reply meekly. 'Oh, England' he replies mock sinisterly. Then seriously 'Come on, we're on in five. Take as many pictures as you like guys' and the rowdy kids follow him out.
'Many years ago, in the Dreamtime the spirits got together and formed the heavens and the earth and the animals. They put humans in charge of it all and keep it in balance' booms out a big voice to a background of fast moving images of the sky, and land, and plants. Then in comes Goomblar, he is the booming voice, and he tells us about his dreaming.One of the stories is of the serpent who died, but as he died, he shed his shiny sparkling skin. As it's spirit left the skin went and became the milky way. The spirits are why the land is how it is and we should respect it.
One day Yidaki was walking in the bush when he came upon a hollowed out log. He liked the look of it, and blew out the termites nest from the middle of it. As he did so he notice that it made a sound. A sound of an animal he'd never heard before. Then he found he could immitate the sound of all the animals of the land. He perfected the sounds by being able to constantly breath into the log, by circular breathing. To this day the spirit of Yidaki lives on in the Didjeridoo that carries his name.
Then, quite suddenly, we are entertained to a brilliant, loud, stirring rumble of animal noises. The musician is one of the rowdy boy, now dressed in shorts and body paint. He looks about 16. The other boys come in dancing. The narrator explains the various animals that they are dancing. The flightless emu, the fluttering butterfly, the bouncing kangaroo and it goes on. How wonderful. The little learning difficulty boy joins in, only needing to be occasionally guided.The music stops. Scarily Goomblar approaches us. I am taken to the front of the stage and shown how to be a tree, while they swirl around me as stingless bees, the music getting louder and more frantic. I notice the flash bulbs going. and then the music stops. One of the boys gets JD and some other men out and we are shown how to do the dances. I don't think it matters if you don't get it exactly right. The rowdy boys though, do seem to have the steps more like the real animals. Then we are thanked and it's the women's turn.
I think this tops even the Barrier Reef or Whtehaven Sands. After the performance ends, Goomblar invites us all to the front for photos. He has set up a foundation to promote Aboriginal culture. This show has travelled all around the world. The whole thing is uplifting and wonderful.
What a brilliant way to remember and celebrate culture, history and family. A bit like our Christmas really, it's important for traditions to be handed down form one to the next, and for us to remember who we are and where we come from, and why we are here. I'm starting to look forward to my Christmas. Perhaps I'll start a story telling tradition for our family.
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