17th Biennale of Sydney

The Cockatoo Island ferry - 20 minute free shuttle service
Inopportune : Stage One by Cai Guo-Qiang

Arriving at Cockatoo Island - a catalogue and map are essential

Pier 2/3 Walsh Bay - adjunct Biennale site

Sculpture by Louise Bougoise shown at MCA Biennale venue - ECHO 2007

It was Sunday and the storms were holding off Sydney down the south coast. With a break in the weather the kids and I took off for Biennale on Cockatoo Island. Remembering from last year how crowded the ferry gets later in the day we were on the 10.30am shuttle from the MCA steps at Circular Quay. This year travel is by an old timber ferry and it sets the scene for travelling back in time to Cockatoo Island with its naval and convict history.

The aim of a Sydney Biennale is to showcase diverse works that explore many issues that we face. Themes of dipossession, the past, post colonialism, kitsch, the Asian Pacific region, politics, and terror, beauty and materialism are all explored.

It takes a certain visual verve to tackle the Cockatoo Island exhibits. They are placed in surprising positions throughout the islands old infrastructure and even with a map the terrain is unknown and requires an explorative mind. We covered the main areas in an hour. There are also two tunnels on the island that contain sound scapes from the Japanese invasion of Sydney Harbour when they were used as bomb shelters by the workers. Coincidentally today is the anniversary of that happening.

Its been ten years now since we took a very young Thomas to Cockatoo Island for Biennale. On that occasion we found a house full of white balloons that one was invited to walk through. He remembers this and said - "You took me to that house full of balloons that you had blown up for me."

Even on Sunday it was interesting to watch the different ways children interact with art. They tilt at its components running to and from details that are only surface to us. The politics are unimportant they see the colour and the form.

Take your own group to Cockatoo Island for Biennale it will change the way you see art.

Nick learns to swim

Nick is learning how to swim. He has had ten swimming lessons so far. He has gone from holding on to the swim instructor like a limpet to floating on his back and a type of backstroke and freestyle. His is still to master the forward motion of kicking and swimming forward between the ends of the lane, but I am sure this will come to him soon. Go Nick!

Another Teaching Block Finished

It's tough being on the barricades of a High School holding someone's job together while they are on secondment or leave. It takes the classes a long time to get to know you and to start to share parts of their learning with your teaching. I can't imagine what it will be really like to have a permanent teaching job because I haven't had one yet. Nevertheless I know that when the last bell rings on Wednesday I will wave farewell with just a small amount of emotion.
Here's some of what I learnt on this block -

• the laptop initiative is great for bright classes
• when you have to be on the bus for sport you need to get there quickly
• NAPLAN tests are good but being misused for league tables
• there is a difference between teaching English and teaching English Literature

Happy 13th Birthday Tom

Ten things about Tom

1. he loves surfing

2. he is a sailor

3. he is a sea scout

4. he is good at photography

5. he has size 7 feet

6. he cares about native animals

7. he likes to eat chocolate

8. he has curly hair

9. he likes to play Laser Tag

10. his favourite soccer team is 'Australia'

Go the socceroos!

Mount Tomah Photos

The three boys
Alex

Jon and I

It was only 10' degrees colder than in Sydney however I always take a jacket with me to walk around in when I am here at Mount Tomah. Currently they are renovating the main building which houses the restaurant and the information centre/shop. We also found that the tree seat was gone that we used to take photos at. Lots of wolemi pine specimens are growing rapidly in the garden. Next time we go it will be Spring.

Joyce Florence Batterham

Joyce Batterham (ne Dean)

Castlecrag Elder, community activist, now with her own commemorative traffic island, planted with natives and the beautiful towering flowering gum trees. Opened 2nd May 2010.

Today we attended the unveiling of the black but seat with its commemorative plate by Lindy Batterham. It was a sunny 25 degrees C. We planted 25 new native plants around the seat.