Queensland Small Towns Documentary Project 2017: Chinchilla

Artist statement : "Why we live here" 

Since 1917 the Davis family has been farming over 800 acres east of Chinchilla on the banks of the Charlie creek. Cole’s grandfather established the original dairy farm, one of the first dairy farmers in the area.  As dairy farming became outsourced closer to Brisbane, the Davis farm suffered major losses and would have to adapt. Taking over the farm at 22 years old, Cole and his wife, Marcia would fight to meet the challenges of 21st century farming. Meeting when they were just 18, when Cole happened to call into a local church in Toowoomba where some of his pals were, entering the church he spotted a pretty girl in the corner and immediately asked his buddies who she was. Two years later they were married, Marcia moving to the farm the day after their ceremony. 

Unable to survive on the meagre profits from the Dairy, the Coles decided to purchase more property and the first piggery was built. Diversifying further, the land was opened up to other farmers so that their cattle could come feed and be looked after until slaughter time. Since moving onto the farm, Marcia takes care of all the paperwork and books, as well as bringing the farm into the 21 century with agricultural technology and a GPS tracking livestock system. 

Like many of the farms around Chinchilla, the Davis farm continues to have its challenges. The Coles deal with the issues of the gas wells, changing weather patterns, finding water sources, the price of the meat industry plummeting and the daily challenges of broken equipment. But Marcia states plainly, it is all the things out of your control—weather, water and big companies, you can choose to stress about it, or move forward. Her unwavering optimism for the work that they do, continues to drive them. The farm now works like a well-oiled machine, the team of caretakers as well as Cole and Marcia work together in unity to ensure the legacy of this land.

Artist statement : "Locals" 

I met a lot of different types of people on my journey through Chinchilla. Each person no matter where they are from have a unique character. Character that is built from different experiences such as, conflict, hard work, solving problems, parenting, managing, leading and loving. Each of these builds character. We know it when we see it. Maybe more importantly, we know it when it is missing. No different than you, just different activities at different times. I wanted to document the people of Chinchilla by photographing them in their homes. Placing them on a white studio backdrop removed them from the Chinchilla environment and brought out the uniqueness of each of these individuals. I photographed in three different locations to get a wider diversity of the locals. At the homes of two different families I captured character portraits of people I had sourced out and asked if they would like to share with me an insight to their lifestyles, and thirdly I chose to set up a studio at the local pub to have a chance to capture portraits of people, people who came to me and inquired as to what I was doing there in their town. Getting to know the locals was a very fun and exciting opportunity, but to have the privilege of capturing the essence of their character was a big step forward in my photographic learning.

Artist statement : "A caring palette"

Jan Ferguson’s art is shaped by the arid country landscape of Chinchilla in West Queensland. This dry and sunburnt landscape is inherent to her sculptural paintings. She hand paints these saws using acrylic paint and resin, transforming these objects into sculptural paintings and clocks that are sold at local shops and the monthly country shows in Chinchilla and Dalby.

Jan is a charming, hardworking, resilient and altruistic woman. In addition to painting, Jan works ceaselessly as an art therapist and carer in and around Chinchilla. Most of her work as an art therapist and carer is completed voluntarily to encourage, nurture and support members of the community with severe mental illness and disabilities. Many of her clients are marginalised and socially isolated. In addition to running monthly art therapy sessions, Jan organises exhibitions to showcase the achievements of her students.

Her hand painted saws are popular within the community as the depicted landscapes appeal to the sensibilities of country residents. She receives  several commissions. She paints specifically for the local market so to  generate a modest income that help her cover living expenses in addition to covering material and rental costs for her work as an art therapist.

Time to herself at home is a luxury. Her home is her studio in a country property on the outskirts of Chinchilla. It is a place of ceaseless movement and work. 

Jan Ferguson is well respected in Chinchilla. She has received recognition for her work within the community. She won Cultural award for Chinchilla and Dalby in 2014.

Artist statement : "Beneath Chinchilla's Soils"

Brian and Eleanor are fossicking enthusiasts. Brian  explains their unusual love of stones, “It’s funny how some people can just get into rocks, like if you had told me I would have been doing this a few years back, I would have said you had rocks in your head. “Married for 50 years, they have been collecting  fossils, precious stones and gems together for the last 18 months. Both retired, they spend 3 months of the year on the road. Describing their process Eleanor states, “We walk along and kick stuff, like we wouldn’t know. If I saw a dirty old looking potato like that, I’d just kick it.” 

Pulling out a variety of plastic bags and buckets filled with Lemon quartz, opal and smoky quartz, Brian and Eleanor show off what they have collected on their 6-week trip. 

After a day of fossicking, they return to their caravan to wash and dry their new treasures. They cut and craft their treasures at the lapidary club in Newcastle near their home. Eleanor answers, “Petrified wood I bought from our club comes up beautifully, you can do a nice pendant and you can see the nice woodgrain. It’s  beautiful, so that’s what got us interested into the wood, so I thought we would come up here and have a look. I’m really pleased.”

They will be on the road again in the morning to  continue their journey to the next fossicking site. Brian jokes, “All we have to do now is go to the Gemfields and pick up the odd sapphire, but I won’t hold my breath.” Everything Brian creates he gifts to his daughters  or granddaughters.

When asked if they planned to take their adventures overseas, Eleanor states simply, “We don’t want to… There are so many magical places to see.”

Artist statement : "Polished stones"

Peter Jeffery explains the sheer chance involved in his 15-year hobby, collecting and crafting fossils into beautifully polished pieces.  Surrounded by his personal collection of petrified wood from all over Australia, the retired 85-year-old describes, “I retired and this was going to be my hobby, I used to have a property out here and it had petrified wood on it. When I retired I got machinery together and this is the result.”

Living in Chinchilla for his whole life, everyone in town knows he is the man to see to turn a stone into a piece of unique hand crafted jewellery like a pendant or cross, polished ornamentation, or beautiful shiny coasters. Peter has his work on display in exhibitions, shows and museums in and around Chinchilla.
 
Showing off some prized pieces, “It takes about 20 hours to get a  mirror shine.” 

On Fridays Peter can be found tutoring  others at Chinchilla’s lapidary club, he shares his passion and wealth of knowledge with other enthusiastic members and hopes to see younger people show interest in fossicking. 

“It’s an interesting hobby, I get a lot of people come in just to have a look. I like to see people go away happy, people come back here  year after year”

Digital video by David Street.

Artist statement : "Chinchilla and its Museum"

The Chinchilla Historical Museum is dedicated to educating the public about the social, cultural and natural history of the Chinchilla. Offering a historical glimpse into farming and local industry, the displays explore how the natural resources of the area have been used since white settlement. 

The Chinchilla Museum has a diverse collection of artefacts, including a working replica of a 1910 steam sawmill, donated by the Emerson Family. Norman and Kathleen Emmerson established 7 timber mills, a brickwork factory, and a hardware store in Chinchilla from the 1930s –1970s. The Cypress Pine Centre was built at the museum to tell the story of the saw milling industry, which provided economic stability to chinchilla and beyond. 

At the heart of the museum is the Wongongera Cottage, built out of ironbark and cypress pine. The cottage was the family home of Mr. and Mrs. Jas Rider from 1888 – 1889. Sitting behind the Cottage is the relocated old jail. Trish Henningsen, a volunteer historian explains the singed walls of one cell, “One night an inmate was so cold that he lit a fire inside the cell but the fire spread which burnt out the cell. If not for his sergeant’s wife the jail would have burnt down and the inmate would not survive.” Tricia Henningsen maintains the records of all the artifacts donated to the museum, she enjoys uncovering the stories of the items donated from the community.

Cath Brandon, who has volunteered for over 20 years, runs the Museum and enjoys adding other events to the site in order to keep the past alive. The first Sunday of every month (except January), the volunteers offer rides on the miniature steam engine. The colorful gang of volunteers bringing new life to the objects of the past. 
 

Artist statement : "Home"

The home of Marc and Michelle Spall consisting of shipping containers, found in the middle of their large property under the night sky. Photographed by Dylan Crawford/ARGUS 07/06/2017 - Tara, Queensland.

Home is where the heart is, where the hat is hung, your slice of the world. For Marc and Michelle Spall, several shipping containers in the Australian outback is where they plot their future. After meeting through a dating site, they have been happily married for 6 years, their bond is the most important part of living off the grid. The original idea stems from a zombie apocalypse joke that the family took on and expanded it to the point where they finally asked themselves “why don't we actually do it?” When things go wrong, your partner has to have your back. From home renovation accidents to trips to the hospital, things can be stressful out there. Unfortunately their biggest concern is their property remaining unfinished because of a lack of funds. They have been unable to sell their previous property because of a chemical spill incident by the Australian Airforce that spread over the land during recent flooding. Though their land was not effected by the chemicals, the area has now lost its value as a result of the bad publicity. Despite these setbacks they move forward and are beginning to feel like they are finally home. Their paradise has everything they require: solar power, fresh drinking water, rich soil and plenty of room for their family. They dream of growing old together on their slice of paradise in complete self sufficiency. Not just for themselves, they share this with four daughters and grandkids, as somewhere that they can escape their fast paced lives and enjoy celebrations and holidays together in the serenity of their family home.

Artist statement : "Chinchilla Potters and Painters Inc."

Established in 1999, Chinchilla Potters and Painters Inc. has been holding community art classes every Friday since its beginning, only stopping for Christmas and the annual Chinchilla Show. Held in the Chinchilla Creative Centre on Mutch Street, locals gather from 9-12pm every Friday morning for weekly painting and drawing classes which are occasionally taken by well-known or established practising artists. For some it is a time to experiment and refine skills but for others it is just “socialising with a bit of painting thrown in somewhere inbetween”, says one member Joan Braithwaite.

Artist statement : "Wieambilla" 

On the outskirts of Chinchilla lies Wieambilla – a cattle feedlot property owned by the Lloyd family. For tens of thousands of cattle each year it is where they spend their last days. The cattle are sheltered in outdoor pens and fed grain before being taken to slaughter for export to Woolworths and international importers such as Korea and Japan. 

Cattle arrive at the station from farms across the east coast. Before they enter the feed lots the Lloyd’s make the cattle spend at least two weeks ‘backgrounding’. This is so they can de-stress after their transportation and acclimatise to the environment. Daily life for backgrounding cattle consists of grazing freely over paddocks, eating hay, drinking water and laying around wherever they please. For the cattle in the feed lots each day starts at 6am with staff ‘walking the pens’, talking to the cattle and making every beast stand up to ensure they are well, checking for any injuries. Injured cattle are taken to the ‘hospital pen’ to be examined and are held in the pen until they have recovered. By 10am the feed truck is loaded up at the mill and travels back up the dirt road to the feed lots, delivering the feed (consisting of hay, sorghum, millet and almond husks). The truck then drives slowly up and down the dusty aisles delivering feed to the troughs through a chute on the side as hundreds of eyes watching on from other pens. 

Throughout the day Katie, Scott and their 10 staff muster cattle across their 9000 acres, maintain fields of oat, oversee numerous deliveries of feed, check arriving cattle, fill out endless paperwork and still manage to pick up and drop off their kids at school. While feedlots have been a controversial issue in the media, it is evident that to Katie Lloyd - one half of the managing team at the station - that the well-being and comfort of the cattle at Wieambilla is paramount. 
 

Artist statement : "Hopeland" 

The Australian Government controls the right to minerals beneath the Earths surface. However, the Government is able to sell the rights of these minerals to large overseas and local companies such as Link Energy, Origin, Arrow and QCG to extract them. A chinchilla resident described the Chinchilla district as a sacrifice zone, the Government willing to risk the livelihood of local farmers in order to extract the profitable gas. Without proper education and support the situation leaves farmers, like the Bender family, open to bullying, intimidation and corruption.

Their lives changed in 2005 when the Coal Seam Gas (CSG) companies first started to invade their small town. George Bender spent the next decade fighting for the rights to his land against multiple companies, and in the end could not take the bullying any longer. In the words of his daughter, Helen Bender; ‘George Bender died from a broken heart’. He witnessed first hand the tragedy unfolding around him and fought to protect the land, water and air from the damage that this industry has caused.

After the passing of her husband, Pam Bender took charge of 5700 acres of hope spread across Chinchilla with help from three of her sons; Neil, Brian and Tony. Pam hopes to retire one day soon but is unsure if this is possible without the support of her husband during her ongoing battle to protect the land she loves.
 

Artist statement : "The family tree"

After discovering distant family in Chinchilla, I was intrigued to explore a side of my family I had never met. Having never been to acreage as a child, I wanted to know more and found myself fascinated by the unfamiliarity of farm life. 

My family story starts in the small town called Wallumbilla. In the 1880’s, Sam York and Augusta Langer both migrated from Europe. Working as a butcher in Ipswich, Sam met Augusta and they were soon to be married. The happy couple as free settlers were granted allotted acreage by the government in Wallumbilla. My own great grandmother, Clara, their seventh child was born on this farm. Her stories passed down through generations. Her daughter, my grandmother, Patricia explained to me the layers of history and the branches of my family tree began to intertwine. I met my grandmother’s cousins, Phillip and Val York, in Chinchilla where they now live, travelling with them to visit our communal family history Wallumbilla. 
 

Artist statement : "Ravyn's paradise"

Waking up among her 6 sisters in the family caravan, which has been transformed into a bedroom, she springs out of bed and runs outside to catch the sunrise. She relishes in a moment of serenity before the family of eleven wakes and fills their small off-the-grid home with noise and excitement.  
 
Now comes the rush of six children getting ready for school.  Ravyn sits cosy by the fireplace while her siblings pack lunches, braid each other’s hair, tie their shoe laces and get permission notes signed by Mum. The kids are ready and hurry off to school, leaving Ravyn to her daily routine.  
 
Twigs and leaves crunch under Ravyn’s bare feet as she darts and weaves through the thick bushland. Native birds whistle and sing in the tall iron bark trees, which soar into the sky above her. She sings her own tune about faeries, giants, treasure and magic. The shiny swirl of pink and purple catches Ravyn’s eye as she rummages through the rubble of rocks in search of treasure to add to her rock collection.   
 
She licks the left-over cake batter off the spoon while her Mum bakes, while rehearsing knock knock jokes on Mum and Dad to ensure they are fool proof by the time her siblings come home from school.  
 
Then, finally, her playmates return.  
 
With the company of her brothers and sisters, Ravyn digs clay out of the dam to create clay creatures and collects splinters on her hands as she climbs the giant pile of timber to collect firewood. Her hands grip the sides of the ute as Dad drives around the farm to feed the animals, and she giggles uncontrollably over the success of her knock knock jokes.  
 
It is evening time. Ravyn snuggles up to her siblings, enthralled by the magic of Harry Potter on the TV with a stomach full of Grandma’s famous tuna bake. It has been another successful day on Ravyn’s infinite playground and personal paradise. 

Artist statement : "Under the tree"

Rope and shade cloth intersect between trees forming a large green bunker that teeters on the edge of being swallowed by the long grass surrounding it. Items seemingly spew from the inside of John Quinlan’s home onto the patches of dirt. As he emerges, he is quick to invite us in for a chat. 

“I can speak 22 Languages, I’m learning Russian now” grinning he proudly belts out a “nasdarovya.” Looking around for approval his focus quickly turns within.

A jack of all trades, his career has seen him work in 12 different professions from a qualified massage therapist to a communications technician. Much like his working career John has a myriad of hobbies that keep him occupied. As he sifts through a rock collection stored in his kitchen, he easily rattles off the type of stone or mineral in his hand. Showing a picture of a kookaburra on the back of his camera, he talks about his knowledge of photography. “Shoot and delete later,” retorts John after hearing the clunk of our cameras loud shutter, “I used to always tell that to the students when I taught photography.” 

Having lived under the tree for 3 years, he tells us of plans to move on. “My last payment for this is on Monday,” he gestures towards his car, “after that I’m saving to buy a property behind the silo, I’m going to make an offer on the 24th of December (Christmas eve).” 

Artist statement : "Discipline's a dirty word"

Iven Hewett is a man of commitment who has held the titles of pilot, farmer, scout master, and minister. Now as a retiree in Chinchilla he holds the title of Champion Weight Lifter at 72 years old.

He has embraced each role as a new discipline. As a farmer he was a slave to the land. As a scout master he guided fellow scouts through their goals. And as a minister he lifted the spirit of the Chinchilla community by attending to their faith. “If you go to embrace a faith of a sort, I’ve embraced a Christian faith and the teachings of Christ, so that becomes a discipline in my life. I’ve embraced eating properly, that’s become a discipline in my life. I’ve embraced the discipline of exercising regularly,” he said.

Exercise is the backbone that supports his lifestyle of dedication. After fostering this capacity over decades of hard work, he explains his philosophy. “Move on. And that’s the secret to a lot of those things if we have issues that we come across in our life. Even the very very difficult issues is that we must move on. We must move on. If we remain with that situation we will destroy ourselves or it will destroy us.”

Artist statement : "The Lithgows" 

Siblings Grace and John Lithgow, 91 and 89 respectively, have resided in Windmill Gardens Retirement Village for the past five years, but have lived in Chinchilla their entire lives. Knocking on their screen door I hear a faint female voice ask “Is our visitor here?” as John’s face emerges from behind the wooden door. The mood is warm, gentle and calm. 

As I suggest they sit in front Grace’s art cabinet for a photograph, Grace notices John’s hair is unmade and points this out with no hesitation, to which John quickly complies and slowly shuffles off to comb it.

In an effort to tell me about her micro sculptures, Grace pours an enormous bag of nuts and seed pods onto the floor, and just as she realises her fault John takes a knee to help her sort through them. The air swirls around as we stand on the porch of their quaint home, and the birds chatter just as we do. The two know each other’s stories so well that they can finish one another’s sentences as if they were scripted. 

Artist statement : "Chinchilla Vet Services"

An eye removal, the de-sexing of a giant malamute, microchipping six 6-week-old puppies, grooming a blind dog, and various cyst removals... and that was just between 10 and 3. Each day at the Chinchilla Vet Service a roster of thirteen female staff members give advice to the pet owners of Chinchilla about how to best care for their animals. The wealth of knowledge and confidence of the staff is obvious and reassuring to worried furry patients and owners alike. The repetitiveness of some procedures may desensitise them to the blood, but the burden of a loved creature’s life in their hands keep them alert and attentive. Despite the stressful environment the staff remain passionate and caring in the face of mounting pressure. The staff know what to look for in the animals, they have lived these moments many times over.

Artist statement : "Faith in sisterhood"

The CWA is a social group for women unified by their shared morals, values, interests and hobbies. Talking to the women in charge of the CWA in Chinchilla, Glynis Stevenson and Patsy Carroll revealed just how impactful this group is. Most notably for the older women in the community, as everybody is kept accountable for checking up on each other.
 
Warm, friendly and welcoming, Glynis and Patsy passionately expressed how the CWA has introduced them to some of their lifelong friends and been responsible for keeping them active and motivated on a daily basis, rather than slipping into habits of dormancy and boredom. 

While the CWA is still responsible for organizing many events and supporting charities within Chinchilla, Glynis and Patsy conveyed the essence of the CWA as a support network for an aging generation. 

This series explores their dedication to tradition, while merging with the modern world. These women stay loyal to their Motto and Creed which notes their devotion towards the royal family and their catholic faith: “Honour to God, Loyalty to the throne…”

Once a young group of isolated country women, this new generation of CWA members fights the isolation of old age, staying true to their faith in sisterhood.
 

Artist statement : "Hit and run"

Driving along the Warrego highway there is a never-ending rotation of fresh corpses, bodies shattered across the pavement by vehicles in the night. This senseless killing of animals, an invasion of the human world into their space. 

Humans have invaded the lands of wildlife with the introduction of ever-expanding cities and roads, altering the natural environments and pushing animals out of their habitats and into rural areas, such as Chinchilla. This has created an increase in wildlife deaths, with the number of fatalities per day reaching the thousands all across Australia. 

As human beings continue to disconnect with the environments and animals that lay dead on the roads, the level ignorance on how to respect the environment and native wildlife continues to grow. The results of this have made the death toll involving animals killed by vehicles rise within the native population, and has been a big contributor to the declining population of threatened species. 

The constantly growing amount of road kill in rural towns inspired me to create a work that addressed this issue. This work is a reminder of the damage we cause to wildlife, and aims to evoke thought on the subject, perhaps inspire social and lawful change to reduce the impact our roads have. 

Artist statement : "Hair in Chinchilla"

Behind the simple modern décor and facade of the White Lotus salon, is the proprietor Leanne Kerr, a strong maternal business woman. Leanne runs a busy, vibrant, very social business filled with laughter and the colourful characters of the small township, Chinchilla. 
The salon was initially opened in 2011 as a beauty salon and in the last four years they have expanded into hairdressing. A hub in one of the main streets of Chinchilla, this salon has a diverse clientele from Hi-vis wearing gas or road workers, to farmers, to school children, to stay a home mums and professional people within the business district. 

The physical touch and lively conversation between clients and stylists creates a warm friendship, making the salon feel more like a family lounge room rather than a place of business. 

Working with the stylists, this project investigates style and fashion blending modernity and a strong sense of country tradition. These images provided the opportunity to explore the creative ambitions of these young stylists. 
 

Photographs of the Kogan Hotel at Kogan, 60 km south east of Chinchilla, taken by Nikki Brooks during the Small Towns project.

Artist statement : "Life is a pendulum" 

The sound of machinery grinding timber radiates from the shed hidden behind the Chinchilla Museum, the harmonious melody of timber and steel is momentarily broken by loud swearing and a chorus of ‘I told you so’. The band of characters that fill this space, reject the isolation of the solitary backyard man shed instead filling the communal shed with laughter and tall tales. 
 
At the heart of the Men’s Shed is immigrant Aldo Balletta, a young man of 70, who fills the room with his vibrance and jovial nature. 

”Wait till you meet Aldo” chuckles Richard Nickson, the President of the Men’s Shed, “he’s a character.” 

“He needs to have subtitles when he speaks” comments David Lilliman, the vice president of the club. 

Huddled around a table Aldo tells the tale of the American space race and like all great storytellers knows how to tread the fine line between truth and total outrageousness. Jumping up from his chair and talking with his hands and his body the other men look intently at his movements. Aldo pauses and exclaims in his thick Italian accent the punch line ‘big f&*king deal’, laughter erupts followed by quiet reflection. 

Slowly rolling his cigarette under the warm sun, he reflects on his theory of life, “Life is a Pendulum, you know a grandfather clock, tick-tock, tick-tock, it swings between the sorrow and the happiness... that’s the theory of life.”  For these well lived, unlikely friends, life has been exactly that, sorrow and happiness.

Artist statement : "Universal language of love"

Eighteen couples from Chinchilla were photographed. Each couple were asked to share their memories of their first encounter with each other and how long they have stayed together. Smiles and laughter brightened up the atmosphere as old memories were revisited. The stories were told with such resonating passion that one could instantly tell how dear and precious the relationship and these memories are to them. However, their voices began to quiver with coyness and their eyes turned glassy as they were asked to uncover the words that captured their feelings for their partner. The exchange brought to light the unsung words that they had buried over time by the distractions of life. It became a moment for them to remember why they fell in love and why they are still holding onto each other. It is said that love should be spoken with feeling and actions but sometimes those hidden words are needed to be heard to rekindle the old memories and ignite the old flame.