Community flocks together
The Mission Beach community has joined together to help cassowary conservation by making posters and cane sculptures to educate people about the creature’s plight.
THE Mission Beach community has joined together to help cassowary conservation by making dozens of colourful posters and cane sculptures aimed at educating people about the creature’s plight.
Before certain local events, special permission is granted by the Department of Transport and Main Roads to install signs made by schoolchildren at roads into Mission Beach, alerting drivers to cassowaries.
Sunday’s Mission Beach Community Cassowary Festival will be the sixth event to feature the signs.
Festival co-ordinator Liz Gallie said, when an event was held, traffic increased and Mission Beach school kids sprang into action.
“The first year we did this was in 2010 for the Mission Beach Film Festival,” she said.
“It is somewhat of a tradition now.”
She said it was a fitting approach for a tourism town that wanted more visitors but also had to deal with road deaths being the major threat to one of its biggest drawcards.
“It is crucially important for the kids to be engaged in understanding the importance of the cassowary and our natural environment.
“They are the ones who will be the future custodians, so the more they understand, the more opportunity there is for Mission Beach to become an ecologically sustainable tourist destination,” she said.
Julie Tait’s daughter Henna Cali has been making life-sized cassowary sculptures for the festival. It is the second year the 12-year-old has created them.
Ms Tait said being around like-minded people was the highlight of the Cassowary Festival.
“When it was advertised she was keen to participate again,” she said.
“It’s a good experience to learn some craft as well as (experience) the friendships between people who are participating in the art.
“Henna did a painting on her cassowary and added bits and pieces. In the past, she took part in making posters.”
Brisbane artist Trevor Proud has designed posters specifically for the cassowary festival and signed, limitededition prints are available for purchase. A percentage of sales will be donated to the festival.
Mr Proud will join local Gidgee Guitar maker John Brown in a performance on the day. Mr Proud’s prints are available from cassowaryfestival.com