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One Farewell
Album: The World Seems Happy...
This is a story that's close to my heart. Of course all my songs are close to my heart – but this one more than most due to my burning passion for our natural environment, Australia's rich cultural heritage, the stories of its people and the strong cultural connections I have experienced whilst wandering this big brown land.
Other than doing the usual things that muso's do mainly on weekends, I fill my weekdays with activities like planting, fossicking and exploring Aussie plants, propagating and harvesting bush foods and medicines sharing my knowledge with others and cooking delicious Aussie cuisine. I've spent the last 20 years playing and working amongst the Aussie bush and a lot of that time within many different indigenous communities all over Australia. I've learned so much from the environment and from the descendants of the Original people who shared their stories with me and taught me to listen to the Spirit of the land for a different learning.
In 1999 a beautiful woman came into my life... my soul mate and life partner. And even though she was a nomadic kinda girl, our common desire to wander started to reduce not long after we headed north from the hustle and bustle of life in the city and found ourselves frolicing and discovering and growing and learning and expanding and playing on the 100 acre sanctuary we moved to in beautiful northern New South Wales. The lush environment that surrounded us refuelled my environmental and cultural passions and urged me to make contact with the local Bundjalung elders.
I first met Bundjalung elder Uncle Kevin and his son Kyle in 2002 after I sang at the Wollumbin Festival. An event to raise awareness about the Bundjalung people and the importance of their sacred mountain -Wollumbin (Mt Warning). Since then a beautiful friendship has developed as we work together to establish a cultural and environmental education centre in Mt Burrell. Being one of the traditional owners of our land, Uncle Kev gave us permission to start our project and gave us the name Ganngjalah meaning Place Of Learning (or more simply – 'look, listen, learn') after he learned of our passion to establish a environmental and cultural reserve so we could replant the bush where land had been cleared, bring back the bush foods and medicines and share the land with community for health, recreation and educational purposes. As our friendship strengthens, Uncle Kev and his family continue to share many stories with us about the Bundjalung history, the protocols, laws and customs of the Original northern New South Wales / southern Queensland people.
We have learned that although our indigenous elders pass on, this is only one farewell - as their Spirit remains present. If we take the time to listen, if we connect with nature and most importantly - show respect, we will receive the powerful messages from our ancestors.
The story of Ganngjalah is a rare positive story of true reconciliation at work, which has unfolded from honouring indigenous protocol, listening to the Spirit of the land and respecting the guidance.
The message Kyle and myself express in this song poured from our heart and soul so effortlessly in the studio as we felt the energy of our ancestors, our friendship and our common desire to share this ancient message with the rest of the world, bringing this unrehearsed sacred song to life.
To learn more about Ganngjalah visit www.culturalgardens.org.au or www.treelovers.org.au
One Farewell :: Lyrics
Lyrics by John McCarthy & Chris Driscoll, Music by Johnnie McCarthy (April 1998) Copyright. Bundjalung Lyrics by Kyle Slabb.
I hear in Spirit talking
The stories from your walking
All the stories you have sung to us
Are the ones that we will tell
And though you chose to leave us now,
Oh this, is only one farewell
Land that you have walked upon
Was never to be kept
Land cannot be stolen when anointed by the wept
Land that once was taken is sacred by the tears
And flags and boats in foreign lands...
Remembered in the years
As only one farewell
Oh this is only one farewell
Bundjalung walking, Bundjalung talking
[REPEAT X 3]
The stories you have sung to us
Are the ones that we will tell
This grieving from your leaving softens.... knowing
This is only one farewell
Fires burning, soul’s returning
You have left us with the learning
Fires burning, soul’s returning
You have left us with the learning
Oh fires burning, soul’s returning
You have left us with the learning
Oh fires burning, soul’s returning
You have left us with the learning
This is only one farewell
[REPEAT X 2]
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