Vica Bayley MR
Lead singer of multi-award winning Australian band Borne, Tasmanian Cameron Tapp, helped to launch the compilation CD ‘Forests Forever’ by playing today in the threatened forests of the Upper Florentine. The CD, recently produced by the Huon Valley Environment Centre and The Wilderness Society (Tasmania), is a fundraiser for Tasmanian forest protection campaigns.
MEDIA RELEASE – Saturday 19th April 2008
AWARD WINNING TASMANIAN SINGER/SONGWRITER PLAYS IN THE UPPER FLORENTINE
Lead singer of multi-award winning Australian band Borne, Tasmanian Cameron Tapp, helped to launch the compilation CD ‘Forests Forever’ by playing today in the threatened forests of the Upper Florentine. The CD, recently produced by the Huon Valley Environment Centre and The Wilderness Society (Tasmania), is a fundraiser for Tasmanian forest protection campaigns.
Now based in Melbourne with his band, Cameron has received numerous awards, including Artist of the Year and Best Singer / Songwriter at the 2007 Independent Australian Musicoz Awards. Their song ‘The Guide’ was an international hit on iTunes and the U.S. Billboard charts. As a contribution to the campaign to protect Tasmania’s threatened forests Cameron has contributed a moving song about the Huon Pine to the ‘Forests Forever’ CD.
“Dacrydium Franklinii, was written as a poem at the time of the mass harvesting of Huon Pine in the flooded Gordon River valley,” says Cam. “Even though the Huon pine is protected, its wholesale harvesting in the aggressive hydro-electric years was a symptom of rampant development at all costs.”
“Tasmania has got to move in new directions… away from the clearfelling of world class forests like the Upper Florentine and destructive industrial projects like Gunns pulp mill.”
Tourism is worth $85 billion a year to this country and can rival any new industry for income earning. But monoculture plantations are stealing our roadside views, log trucks frighten the hell out of tourists and giant mills on beautiful rivers just don’t slot into tourism values.”
“I’m a Tassie boy with a right to speak or sing for the Tasmania that’s right for me and my future children…and its not giant industrial projects.”
“The song I have contributed to the CD has at its essence the folly of mankind over the lifetime of one tree. It’s like a time-machine that travels from the death of Christ through ignorance, to the birth of the chainsaw and the death of forests through ignorance.”
“I have forever been transfixed at the power of the silence of ancient forests and this song got into my head at a very early age and has stayed with me. Unfortunately, its relevance remains today.”
“It became a sort of lullaby and I believe that people who hear it will drift as I did into the magic of our forests and be induced into a passion to speak out and protect them from over exploitation. The Forests Forever CD gives me an opportunity to make my contribution to the forest protection movement,” Cam said. “Anyone who loves Tassie should find a way to contribute.”
‘Forests Forever’ is a powerful compilation CD featuring some of Australia’s top acts – John Butler Trio, Xavier Rudd, Mia Dyson, Cameron Tapp, Bomba, The Herd and many more. They are joined by international acts such as Thievery Corporation, Pitch Black, Dana Lyons and Mihirangi. The beautiful cover art work was donated by acclaimed Australian artist Reg Mambossa, who also contributed a song from his band Dog Trumpet. All funds raised from the sales of ‘Forests Forever’ go towards continuing the campaign to protect Tasmania’s high conservation value forests, including the Blue Tier, Styx, Upper Florentine and Lower Weld Valleys.
Mia Dyson, one of Australia’s most acclaimed blues artists, also contributed towards ‘Forests Forever’ because of her strong feelings about forest protection.
“As a citizen of the world I feel strongly compelled to support the ongoing work of conservationists, protecting Tasmania’s forests from further destruction. Our forests are essential to our survival and the survival of the planet and it’s past time that this is recognised and enacted in legislation,” said Mia Dyson.
The song Dacrydium Franklinii can be heard with accompanying visuals on You Tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mMb3X6LElU
Vica Bayley
Senior Forest Campaigner
The Wilderness Society (Tasmania) Inc
130 Davey St, Hobart TAS 7000
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.wilderness.org.au
