The Australian Bite

Gum trees & an alphabet book of African stories

6 January 2011

Listen and download: MP3

it’s all about books on this week’s Australian Bite.  Michael Cathcart chats to the author of a fascinating book on the Australian eucalypt, or gum tree.  And we meet two of the women behind A is for Aunty and Z is for Zigni – an alphabet book of of stories written by a group of refugee and migrant women from the horn of Africa, who now live in Flemington – an inner suburb of Melbourne.

Celebrating an iconic Australian tree

You’d be hard pressed to find anything more Australian than a gum, or eucalyptus tree. In war time, eucalyptus leaves were sent to Australian troops overseas as a reminder of home; however the trees were treated with contempt by early European settlers who ring-barked as many as possible to clear the land for agriculture. Indigenous Australians meanwhile have a long history of respecting gum trees, using them for all sorts of things, including food, shelter, making canoes, even finding a way to get a drink out of them. Murray Fagg is a tree expert, but even he’s been amazed at how much there is to learn about gum trees, in the course of writing a book simply called Eucalypts: A Celebration. He speaks to Michael Cathcart.

Picture book brings stories of homelands to life

A is for Aunty and Z is for Zigni is an alphabet book of stories written by a group of refugee and migrant women from the horn of Africa, who now live in Flemington – an inner suburb of Melbourne. The book, written by the women with their children in mind, began as a community project as part of the Sharing Women’s Lives program, run by Jesuit Social Services in Melbourne. And it’s all about reminding the children of their heritage. Lindy Burns had the pleasure of talking to two of the women involved in the creation of the book -Samira – one of the women who told her story, and Nancy Sugarman, the project director.

You can download part 1 and part 2 of the book at the Jesuit Social Services website

Music: Boy and Bear

Boy and bear are a five piece outfit from Sydney, who are inspired by the sounds of 1970′s folk rock. This is the third single from their debut e.p. With Emperor Antarctica.

Artist: Boy and Bear

Track: Blood to Gold

Album: With Emperor Antarctica E.P. (2010)

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