C Y C L O N E   N A T H A N 

The best thing about cyclones are the graphics - I am loving the graphics ...

The worst part is when they come on the weekend! But I am not complaining since I am more than happy to sit on the edge of a cyclone on a Sunday and be able to return to work and school the next day than sit for a week with no power no water no roof ...

this is one crazy path !

Cyclone Nathan hit the Queensland Coast then blew across to the Gulf of Carpentaria and made a quick beeline for Yirrkala and Nhulunbuy on Sunday morning. We decided to stay at the house and it was OK, a bit windy - a few great gusts - but we were on the edge of the destructive inner circle of the cyclone - the eye passed about 80 kms below us.  The major wind died down after about 7 hours and soon everyone was out moving flying branches off the street and we had power back by 6 pm. We were lucky, again.  Poor Elcho Island who just got hit by Category 5 Cyclone Lam only 3 weeks ago had to dismantle their emergency tent city and bunker down again. Poor things.

The inner red is the destructive core

The pink circle is the reach of the wind gusts and gales 

The blue is the current time and location of the cyclone

Since Ol Nathan has swung past we have had SO MUCH RAIN it is unbelievable !  Torrential downpour. Everything is so so wet and flooded - its quite phenomenal.  

Cyclone Nathan is still going - its now just hitting Gunbalanya and Jabiru before turing into a Low just under Darwin.  My feeling is it will spit out again past Darwin and reform - then hit the WA coast ...  but we will see ... 

B I G  congratulations to Will Stubbs - our esteem Art Centre Coordinator, colleague and friend who was the recipient of the Arts Advocate Award from the Australian Council.  He has just returned today from a triumphant week in Sydney with his family after managing to miss the cyclone and the building of his pond in the courtyard!

Here in his new pond are some of the art centre crew Wanapa, Wukun, Nyapanyapa, Joseph, me, Philip and Mitta with the worlds smallest congratulations sign....

Will is a passionate advocate for the Yolngu and the recognition of his ongoing contribution is well-deserved. For some more information you can have a read about the award here, and here, and here
From the Australia Council website -

' The Australia Council Awards acknowledge the significant achievements and contribution an artist has made to the vibrancy of Australian arts.

Bringing individual art form awards together for the first time, the inaugural 2015 Australia Council Awards combine long-standing lifetime and significant achievement awards in music, literature, community partnerships and visual arts, with new awards in theatre, dance, and emerging and experimental arts.'

He also did an amazing acceptance speech in which he praised Kade as being the BEST art centre coordinator ever - which has been making me and his family feel very proud all week. 

You can read his speech here