Zoo to breed endangered bird
LOCAL elder Lewis Burns has travelled the world in recent years, but his first overseas jaunt was with a delegation from Dubbo to Minokamo, our Sister City in Japan.
Two weeks ago he was thrilled to catch up with the man he calls “Papa San”, Mr Kazanuri Kawamura.
It was an emotional scene with the ochre-clad world-renowned artist and musician from Dubbo locked in an embrace with the elderly fruit and vegetable gardener from Japan at the Rhino Lodge welcome dinner.
“I stayed with Papa San and his wife Kieko on my first trip to our Sister City and we’ve kept in touch ever since,” Lewis smiled.
That trip was in 1999 when a group of businessmen and then Dubbo Mayor Tom Slattery offered to take some of Lewis’ artworks to Minokamo.
“Why don’t I come with you,” he fired back.
That started a wonderful friendship, evidenced by the warm welcoming embrace.
On our recent visit with the Dubbo Delegation for the 30th Anniversary celebrations, Bridget and I stayed with the Kawamuras in their neat home with its traditional feel and lush gardens. The first thing that struck us was a Lewis Burns original in the foyer.
“I gifted my Japanese family as a thank-you and to seal our bonds across the waters,” Lewis recalled with a glint.
“I also left a couple of didges and a boomerang I painted to share the culture of my people.”
Lewis says he is proud to have his works displayed around the world.
“Some people say it must be good to sell so many of your pieces. I don’t see it that way. I tell them, I just adopt them out,” he smiled.
The gifted storyteller had Kazun and the entire Japanese delegation and locals enthralled by his haunting tales told through song, dance and an uplifting rendition using the didgeridoo to paint a colourful aural picture.
Lewis is a proud Wiradjuri man, a Tubbagah elder who takes great pride in his role as ambassador for his people.
“It’s always an honour to welcome people who respect culture. It’s not something I take for granted. The Japanese are an ancient people like us and they really know how to show their appreciation for those who have gone before,” he said sincerely.
Lewis is delighted to see so many young Aboriginals learning the languages and becoming increasingly inquisitive about their land.
“It’s reassuring to see all these different groups from all over the place now that are coming together, revitalising the local dances and songs and all that.
“A lot of people think our culture died but it was kept alive in the whispers through our elders and we’re lucky for that. We’ve got a job to do now and sing our songs and dance our dances as much as possible and teach ‘em to the young ones.”
To witness two men from different countries, different generations – Kazun is in his early 70s – sharing mutual love of country was something very special.
From Papa San some small gifts of love to the man he calls his Aussie Son!
Taronga Western Plains Zoo has built a special habitat to house four pairs of endangered Regent Honeyeaters.
Above:
Lewis Burns with the man he calls “Papa San”, Mr Kazanuri Kawamura.
Right:
Geoff and Bridget Mann with Mr Kawamura
TARONGA Western Plains Zoo has received four breeding pairs of Regent Honeyeaters, one of Australia’s most endangered birds, to house in a new facility.
“The next breeding season for the Regent Honeyeaters will be spring 2020, so we are hopeful that these birds will produce chicks in their first breeding season in Dubbo next year,” Taronga Conservation and Recovery Programs manager Andrew Elphinstone said.
The Regent Honeyeater is seventh on a list of 20 Australian bird species most likely to become extinct in the next 20 years, according to the National Threatened Species Recovery Hub.
The Regent Honeyeater is a priority species under the Australian Government’s Threatened Species Strategy and the recovery plan identifies that all breeding and foraging habitat as critical to its survival.
The decline of the Regent Honeyeater is due to the clearing, fragmentation and degradation of its habitat, according to the Australian Government Department of Environment (AGDE).
“The species relies on a range of different food resources and is particularly vulnerable to the removal of large mature trees which are important feeding and breeding habitat. “Woodlands have been widely cleared for agriculture and development, or replaced by silviculture [i.e. logging], resulting in a fragmented landscape,” an AGDE report said.
The $1 million Regent Honeyeater breeding program is part of the NSW Government’s Saving Our Species initiative which addresses plants and animals in NSW facing extinction.
The NSW Government is also rezoning old-growth forest, opening reserves to logging, and some of those areas include habitat considered essential to the Regent Honeyeater’s survival in the wild.