YAAMA NGUNNA BAAKA “SAVE THE RIVERS”
Featuring: Marcia Howard, Nadia Sunde, ZardiContributors: Eleanor Clapham, John Sutton, Liam Gubbins, Isaac Barter
Background to “Save The Rivers” – The Ruby Hunter LegacyIn September 2019 The Mothers Milk Bank Charity -Founder/ Director was honored to be invited to the Yaama Ngunna Baaka Corroborees Festival. The role of the arts and music to reflect the needs of the society we live in has been and integral part of the Mothers Milk Bank Charity since its inception in 2005. Sales of the Gift A Women’s Song cd provided the income to build and purpose designed milk bank.
Marea gathered together the Mothers Milk Bank ambassadors Marcia Howard, Nadia Sunde, Zardi O’Connell and John Sutton in order to take a message of hope, to the First Nation community through song/stories.
We listened to the stories expressed through talks, music and dance as we joined with community at Dubbo, Walgett, Brewarrina and Bourke. Together we were given the opportunity to inform the elders and the First Nation midwives that in 2020, we would be able to provide powdered breast milk (a world first) to mothers in remote communities anywhere.
While on country at the Corroboree it was devastating and heartbreaking to see for ourselves the dire state of the rivers and the threat to food security for our First Nation people. We did come away feeling inspired to find a way to return the water to the rivers and to make other Australians aware of the real struggle remote communities are experiencing.
The MMBC ambassadors wrote a song “Save The Rivers” in response the hardship and the sadness seeing the dying of a community without any water. The Elders of the Barkindji, Kamilaroi, Ngemba, Wailwan, Wongaibon and Wiljaali nations, asked for the proceeds of the song to go towards the Ruby Hunter Project in order to provide breast milk for the babies in their community.
READ MORE HERE https://www.mothersmilkbank.com.au/save-the-rivers-song
Musicians
Thank you to the musicians who have generously donated their time and talent:
- Marcia Howard: Lead vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, keyboards, and percussion.
- Nadia Sunde: Vocals
- Zardi: Vocals
- John Sutton: Nylon string guitar
- Eleanor Clapham: Vocals
- Liam Gubbins: Electric Guitar
- Isaac Barter: Bass Guitar and Drums
- Produced by: Marcia Howard
- Engineered and mixed by: Isaac Barter, GeelongJeff Lovejoy, at Black Box studios in BrisbaneLiam Gubbins, House of Song GeelongEleanor Clapham, Sydney
- Graphic Design: Kelly Simpson, www.stardustgraphics.com.au
- Publicist: Blanche De Winter, Pure Communications
- Film clip: Jessica Maurer
Save The Rivers Song
“Mother Earth is speaking, so our voices have got to be heard, not just here but right across the world.”
Bruce Shillingsworth, YAAMA NGUNNA BAAKA, Corroboree Festival, Brewarrina 2019.
Acknowledgement written by Marcia Howard on behalf of Nadia Sunde, Zardi and John Sutton
Marea Ryan CEO MMBC
The Ruby Hunter Project: Australian artists continue Ruby Hunter’s legacy of bringing all communities together through music/songs/stories in order to spread the word, to mothers that the extra breast milk their babies will need as protection from the effects of this disease diabetes, will now reach all Australians in 2020.
The song writing artists who have supported the Mothers Milk Bank Charity since its inception are donating proceeds from the sale of the song “Save the Rivers” (YAAMA NGUNNA BAAKA), to the Ruby Hunter Diabetes Project
Thank you everyone
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