Presented as part of NSN’s 2022 Earth Up Conference
With Kiran Shah, Jo Henwood, Jillian Webster
Australian storytellers bring a blend of story and history to show how one person (or wombat!) can influence a neighbourhood, a community, or a whole country. Kiran Shah, Jo Henwood and Jill Webster aim to entertain, educate, and renew your spirit of hope with a varied programme of stories.
The Bishnoi community of Rajasthan, India live in harmony with Mother Nature. 300 years ago, Amrita Devi, along with other villagers hugged the precious Khejri trees to protect them from being felled. Their efforts then were in vain but there is hope now. Their sacrifice became the inspiration behind the Chipko Movement led by women to hug trees to save and conserve them from commercial felling.
Kiran Shah started her storytelling journey in Singapore where she was instrumental in reviving oral storytelling more than 20 years ago. She was the founder president of the Storytelling Association, Singapore in 2006. She is particularly interested in promoting Asian folktales which she loves to share with her (now) worldwide audience to build bridges and make connections. She’s performed in various festivals and also conducted storytelling workshops in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Australia and Iran. She is currently the secretary of the Australian Storytelling Guild (NSW) and hosts the Blue Mountains Story Circle in her local area.
The Rain Catcher: Young Tilly battles dodgy ladders and even dodgier neighbours to install her new rain harvesting system. When a dust storm threatens her safety, the community must forget their differences and help. Tilly’s courage and commitment inspires the neighbourhood to save rain and grow hope in this contemporary rural tale.
The Wombat, the Butterfly and the Bushfire: Butterfly seeks safety in the burrow of grumpy Wombat. He lets her in, but what about the others who are trying to flee the flames? Will he let them in? “Not by the hairs on my furry behind!” This musical tale was inspired by the catastrophic bushfires of 2019/20
Jill is an experienced storyteller who has worked extensively in Australia and Scotland. She has a degree in theatre and further studies in puppetry, bringing a colourful theatricality to her work. She has returned to Australia to start her company “Story Bubble”, running workshops and performing with Australian Storytellers NSW.
The British spurned the advice of local Aboriginal man, Yarri, when he warned them the Murrumbidgee would flood but that didn’t stop him saving their lives.
Jo Henwood is an Accredited Storyteller with Australian Storytellers, and accredited Professional Guide with the Institute of Australian Tour Guides, and Secretary of the Australian Fairy Tale Society. She is a museum theatre creative, workshop leader on literature, history, creative writing, folklore, and storytelling, Tour Guide and Education Officer (formerly of the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney) and is currently a FEAST mentor to Storytellers performing in heritage sites. Her qualifications include BA (Libr Sci), Tourism III, Grad Dip Museum Studies, Grad Cert Gifted Ed, Master of Cultural Heritage.
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