Once We Were Warriors . . .

To coin a phrase of a movie title... Once were Warriors..... Women once were Warriors, once something else once upon a time a long long time ago.  The next month will pass and we will be as close as it gets to being in an apocryphal tornado.  The signs have been in the sky for a year now.

 

Modern Day Warriors

Women were once fierce warrior women - Some women warriors are documented in the written record and as such form part of history (e.g. the Ancient Briton queen Boudica, who led the Iceni into battle against the Romans.  Blenda - Viking Woman Blenda is the heroine of a Swedish legend (Blendasägnen) from Småland. Blenda led the rural women of Värend in an attack on a pillaging Danish army and annihilated the invaders.

However, to be considered a warrior, the woman in question must have belonged to some sort of military, be it recognized, like an organized army, or unrecognized, like revolutionaries.

Female Snipers with 775 kills to speak of.

Today we have an Inana Army in the Knitting Nanna's who have regimented and formed chapters all over the country of Australia and some overseas as well.  Women standing up against the destruction of the environment by corporations and governments

Links to Warrior Women Clips.

Read here to see the women of renown through the ages on all of the continents of the world.
Wikipedia - Warrior Women.

Ancient Warriors.

My own daughter Matilda is named after the shield maiden of all shield maidens.  This name means "Mighty Battle Maiden, strength in strife".  I named her this name after my own grandmother Matilda Stella Peters (nee Butler) and because she was born in such a circumstance that she had to fight for her very life as did I when she was born.

A little Matilda Sunshine Katherine Baldwin aged four years old, photograph taken on the outdoor table (painted green) at Gleniffer NSW at our house called "Dellwood".

Images @ Eminpee Fotography-Nanas

The Nannas are on a Terrorist Alert ..

Well not quite, but it appears there are some cheeky haters out there willing to go to the trouble of posting threatening letters to some of the dye hard Knitting Nanna's from the Lismore region.

KNAGS at Casino

The Knitting Nanna's or as they are affectionately known as 'KNAGS'... the knitting Nannas against Gas are woman who knit as a protest measure against the unscrupulous gas industry in Australia.  Their methods are totally peaceful and non violent.

People still have the right of protest.  It is the letter writer who is well out of line along with the Gas industry.  These women are standing up for all of our grand children and for the future of water in this already arid country.

There have been three letters so far with the first arriving last Tuesday the 7th July.  Another on Wednesday and a third on Thursday.

Knitting while at Canberra

The letter I saw in the media was poorly spelled and was simply dreadful in its language content.  The details of the letter are as follows:

 “Smame  shame you knitting nanna fat slut go and do something decent”

The ladies were shocked to receive such offensive mail but are not letting this sort of immaturity dampen their enthusiasm to keep on knitting / protesting Coal Seam Gas when and where ever it is required.


Read More - The Daily Telegraph

Solastalgia Workshop in Bulga..

 

Such a strong contingent of support from the loop of The Gloucester Knitting Nannas .... They visited Bulga for the Solastalgia Art Workshops run by Jessica Harwood at the Bulga Recreation Ground.

Nannas doing the Solastagia workshop at Bulga

Solastalgia is a phenomenon recognised and identified, by Professor Glenn Albrecht, as a form of homesickness you have when you haven’t left home. It can arise from a variety of causes such as technology, ecological change, economic change, political decisions and changes to the community. People become 'disturbed' by solastalgia but because it is not sudden and traumatic, a 'problem' is not always recognised or treated.

There was a touring exhibition project back in 2013 that looked at the causes and effects of solastalgia.   They were identifying the  potential for  contemporary visual art, craft and design practices  to contribute to debate and healing.

Artists from across Australia were asked to consult and work with communities suffering from solastalgia to create works specifically for the exhibition.

A gallery project curated by Robyn Daw and toured by Museums and Galleries NSW with support from the Contemporary Touring Initiative.

Related Downloads
    Life in Your Hands - Education Resource Kit
    Life in Your Hands - Family Activity Sheet

Images via #Nanna Kathy

The Focus is on Gloucester in the Upper Hunter of NSW.

 ~ Meme from Under the Sun Creations ~

This is a special meme for the Downstream Knitting Nana's who are creating against the destruction AGL have planned with the government approval given for this company to Fracc four (4)wells on the Avon River flood plain as part of a 110 well project.

The Downstream KNAGS are woman from the Gloucester area who are a part of the world wide movement of woman who wish to calmly protest the ignorance of governments and corporations to the needs of our future children and the health of the land.

AGL's approval to fracc for coal seam gas in Gloucester is just a very short 300 metres from homes, AGL say this process is completely safe but there are volumes that say it isn't safe and in fact much is documented on the health impacts and the damage caused from contamination variables throughout the entire process.

Gloucester is also at the head of the Manning River, which supplies drinking water for 75,000 people. Fracking is not worth the risk to our water supplies and to the underground aquifers and basins of all of Australia.
 

We support the local community and communities across the nation standing up for our water.  We support the communities to stay SALT FREE and to see a stop to pouring salty toxic water straight onto the land.

Images @ Eminpee Fotography

Related articles

• Gloucester Valley prepares for CSG blockade
• AGL seeks permission to begin fracking CSG pilot wells near Gloucester in the NSW Hunter Valley
• Fracking approved for AGL wells near Gloucester
• AGL's secret donations come under scrutiny
• AGL gets go ahead for fracking

K.N.A.G.S.

The Knitting Nanna's out on the kerb in front of the METGASCO Office at Casino NSW.

The ladies and some of the gentleman gathered yarn and chairs in hand dressed in the tribal colours of yellow and black and we created and willed Metgasco to leave.

Today I see there shares have been dumped on the share market.

Images by Linda White

NSW GOVERNMENT SPOILED BRAT TACTICS - SYDNEY ACTION

Recently the residents of Bulga, in the Hunter Valley, together with the Environmental Defenders Office, won a landmark decision in the courts.
 

From Left to Right : Margaret, Mary-Ellen, Suzanne, Kathy, Jennifer. Knitting Nanas

   The Rio Tinto mine proposal was previously rejected by a NSW court, due to unacceptable impacts it would have on public health, threatened bushland, and the ongoing viability of the village of Bulga. 

But Rio Tinto and the NSW Government have refused to accept the umpire's decision and are now dragging the Bulga residents' group into the Supreme Court to get their way.

We woke at 4:00am to leave by 5am to get to Gloucester in plenty of time for the bus.  We picked up Jennifer and so Kathy, myself and Jennifer and Suzanne in the rear we headed for the bus with all of our knitting on board to go today in the capacity of the "Knitting Nanas Against Gas."

The trip was wonderful down and back and the time while were were in Sydney was very productive, at least that is my feeling with this.  There was a lot of interest generated by our action and we were the subject of many questions and photographs.

Alan Jones spoke on the dais and his words were very moving indeed and I was excited to see him and rushed to shake his hand and have my photo taken with him.  I am a radio presenter on Fridays each week and he has been someone who I think I wish I could be like where radio is concerned.  He speaks very eloquently and I love that.

Alan Jones and Myself - Sydney August 2013

 We got home that evening feeling tired but happy that we all made the journey there to be apart of the massive support that the BULGA Residents received.

Venue: NSW Supreme Court, Queen's Square, 184 Philip St, Sydney. 
Time: Rally commences at 11.30am.

Images @ Eminpee Fotography