One Street Back

As we have indicated previously, we are working on our new film "One Street Back". This represents change from our main surfing theme and change is........you know that thing we all fear, well maybe not all fear. As a matter of fact the world is living in constant change and many people love the excitement, not the trepidation.

We will always have surfing somewhere in our content, but due to change, ironically, we can no longer dedicate our whole content to surfing. We are contending with a reduction in the Indy film maker surf movies and the increase in short 3 minute bursts of unbelievable surfing footage from Drones and equipment that would see us being the equivalent of silent movies.....extinct.

No problem - we adapt. Hence our slight change in direction. We will do our 3 minute bursts of surfing footage through our vimeo site and You Tube and hope we get 5 million hits...............

This week we are having about 20 underprivileged kids that come from "one street back" at our working art studio - Banyandah Studio. For those people following us from overseas, Australia has its share of "one street backers" or street kids. We are living in a wealthy country, however, for no particular reason , some people fall through the cracks of life and end up homeless. Even worse if they are children or very young adults.

In a previous blog I explained what we meant by using the term "One street back". It is the term we use when we travel, we observe the streets behind the tourist attractions and towns and cities, the real streets.

By no means do we want this to be a negative statement on the world, we have found many one street backers very happy and content with their lives, even more so then the "rich people".

Much to our amazement, most of these kids have never seen the ocean!!! That can happen in Australia if you live in the outback, thousands of kilometres away from the ocean, but these kids live 20 kilomtetres from the ocean.....20 minutes by car.

We will be showing them how surf films are made and how surfers ride waves. Imagine their faces when they see that........dude. After that we are taking them to the beach.......now that will be interesting. 

So I guess you may be able to see how we are heading with our lives. Not bleeding hearts, just observing and writing about an interesting topic, BUT ........ including surfing somewhere in there. 

We needed to adapt because DVDs in 1 hour formats are too long for the supersonic generation to take in. Our DVD shop (at side of blog) will soon be taken down and we hope to present some great 3 minute action to replace it.

Our work on "one street back" is keeping us busy, actually, very busy as we immerse ourselves further into the world of happiness.  

We leave these 6Ps photos with you to imagine your footprints and your spirit being amongst these great scenes.

Aloha

The scale is tipping - or is it?

The gratifying thing about travelling is you get a chance to see how insignificant our troubles are compared to other countries, or how similar they are depending upon your view. Specifically, I refer to Australia as that is my home country. Of course ,if you are from the USA the whole world is your country, or if you are from China, and by some miracle you missed out on the "all people are equal" concept, you are currently buying up Countries.

6Ps photography - The ocean has no boundaries

We are currently working on a combination of Photography, film and writing about the observations we make as we travel. titled "One street back" we hope to convey the truth behind the tourist facade of many popular places on this earth.

The role of the eyes becomes frustrating when the mention of Bali is included in observations. It seems with little or no understanding, a judgement has been passed, by some, that it is the land of Australian bogans, cheap shit and food that regurgitates itself. Not to mention Bintang and singlets.

6Ps, at great expense, has been on a quest to discover every inch of Bali, including it's rich culture and history. We have also visited Lombok and immersed ourselves in their world.

At this point we should give a sincere thanks to Phil Jarrett who has recently published a book "Bali heaven and hell". This book details a rich history and understanding of the Balinese mind.It includes the Dutch involvement in Bali and the influence surfing has had on Indonesia in general.

Of course it would be a very narrow view of the world if we only observed Indonesia and for that reason we are travelling to Spain and Portugal to see what happened to their world. Now a basket case economically, but what about their culture?

The one thing we are discovering is the influence that money seems to have over most things. Maybe it always has, of course we all like to be comfortable with our lot. But with this comes an enormous imbalance between happiness, the earth and long term understanding of "what has been". If we take Bali for instance we have the following scenario:

1. Farmer (grows rice) hacks out a living to provide for his family, but in general very poor.

2. Tourism becomes a huge part of the economic engine room.

3. Speculation grows by those willing to invest and who also have the capital that villas are required to accommodate the growing tourism.

4. As a huge number of rice fields surround the tourist centres, farmers are approached to purchase their land.

5. Farmer sells and has a one off "lottery win". 

6. Rice field levelled villas built.

Only those that have the money can afford to buy and only those poor enough are willing to sell. Nothing unusual about that scenario, except the land becomes unbalanced, the production of rice creates moisture and space. This space is now a villa (s) producing nothing for the land, but takes away a lot.

As for the Farmer, he now can afford to buy a car to transport tourists around. this of course adds to the already thick air and congestion.

According to Phil Jarret, there is now an oversupply of vehicles (taxis) and accommodation, and to top it off an imbalance in Bali between all Hindu principles.

6Ps will be making many more observations about the countries it travels to and also Australia in comparison. To conclude todays report, we do make the observation that Australia is not far removed from the Bali scenario.

Australia has condensed living areas in it's cities and property prices are all on millionaires row......  Agriculture is becoming "owned" by foreign investors. We have no balance, particularly if you live in county towns or regional centres, where basic resources are expensive or not in reach at all.

This is not a doomsday article, it is observation. Somehow, this world seems to keep going around and crisis comes and goes.

But one word that best describes the imbalance is:

Greed.

Cultural Experiences - Surfing and People

One of the great things about living in a place like Crescent Head is the unique experiences of having the world come to you. (although on our other blog EarthSeaTravel we do like to find new places).

If we can describe the sights and surf that has been here since December, you may very well think we are describing the book "A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens.

The one thing that has been reasonably consistent is reasonable surf with the ever present summer wind...... the good 'ol nor easter. This week however all things aligned and the surf was epic. Locals and visitors alike enjoyed the swell delivered by cyclone Winston, our thoughts go to the Fijians, who caught the full force.

To get back to the description of a Tale of Two Cities, December began as is usual for the tourist season, with the town abuzz with activity, locals disappearing into the background, and the surf being ok.
A good vibe for a great little town - Crescent Head - not much more than 1000 people in the winter, mostly permanent residents.
With the ever increasing popularity of surfing and the cashed up retirees and more affluent society, most people can get in the surf on some sort of craft and have some fun..........as long as there is respect for everyone in the water. Sometimes it turns sour when people think they are Kelly Slater or for the old guys Midget Farrelly, then not only is it embarrassing, but it is very annoying. We like to be laid back here.

The one thing you learn living in a place like this is how people change very quickly when they are focused on themselves and what it is that gratifies them. We had a hell of a problem with parking. No one would share, people set up their vans to "camp in" therefore completely choking not only the surf but the access to others for a surf. Now, apparently, in some places like Europe this is accepted camping behaviour. Free camping, in a van anywhere safe.
Other people were the "old surfers".......you know the ones that used to surf, then became corporate giants, then retired, then became experts in everything surfing........including but not limited to......."we used to camp in our vans back in the 60s here mate, whats happened to this place? " Well its 2016 and corporate giants managed to put a price on everything to make profits. Everything now has a price even for the bastards with more money than the lattes they consume.

Hang on this article is getting a bit dark......well it is a Tale of Two cities...right?

Anyway all this parking stuff is getting sorted out by our local council.......so in God we trust.......

So if we can move on from this peak season uncomfortableness? Most surfers were pretty good to each other and a lot went home to wherever that is. ( Betya can't leave rubbish lying around wherever they came from or piss next to the car).

The beauty of all this is that we still have friends across the entire world that when met one on one blow you away. I am yet to meet anyone who is not exactly the same as you or I in terms of there wants and needs. Especially surfers, they have very simple needs and only want for good surf, travel and good times. Thats about it. They all have their homeland cultures ,unique to their part of the world. Great things we can all learn from and share.

We had the second half of our "Tale of Two cities" this week (FEB). The surf had built to a border line big and surfers were getting both smashed and bombs. As part of a tour by a Peruvian contingent, they visit Surfing Reserves of which Crescent Head is one. These guys were humble, great surfers, and the cultural demonstration of their traditional surf(craft) board making was like a spiritual experience.

As people came and watched this craft being made, somehow there was a communal focus on the beauty of the craft and the way in which it was being patiently constructed. Even the local school brought their students to The Point to watch how this reed craft was made. Not one bored look came across any of the students faces and they were invited to help build this wonderful water craft.

The surf was pumping the crowd large but all were fascinated by this cultural experience.

The craft was built in about one and a half hours and then was taken out for a ride. All class, and dignity.

So there we have it within 2 months of December and we had 2 tales of a small coastal town, filled with culture both visiting and existing.

BOB SMITH
Bob Smith is a common english name especially around places like Crescent Head. Well this BOB Smith is by no means an ordinary man, he is a Dunghutti Elder from this part of Australia. An indigenous man, softly spoken, knowledgeable, and was our man to welcome the Peruvians in a traditional and cultural way. He explained where the Dunghutti people owned the land before english settlement, and to be honest ,it is the most amazing country you will ever find in Australia. Stretching from the coast to the escarpment that surrounds The Macleay Valley, Hastings Valley and Nambucca Valley where they once roamed proud and free.
I managed to find him standing alone after the welcoming and went and introduced myself. I am a typical white, blond haired, surfer looking dude and he shook my hand. After congratulating him on his welcoming speech, I wanted so desperately to ask him why his people could not do a similar thing as the Peruvians, surely living in this country there must have been ancient surf craft? After some time discussing where his people live, I raised the subject of Aboriginal surf craft. He looked at me with saddened eyes and a soft voice and simply said " We have nothing like that, our language was taken away by churches, our people were taken away by governments we had no way of passing on our history". I clinically asked "the churches took your language away?" Yes, he explained,  if any Indigenous person on a church mission spoke their native tongue they were punished badly. I then moved from clinical questions, like that of a newspaper reporter, and asked with deep compassion, Bob we must start to try and find the answers so we can start doing what the Peruvians are doing, and many other cultures?
While he seemed to agree, I for one found it it hard to answer my own question.

So in the end it is  a "Tale of Three Cities" 1. Disrespecting visitors (not all) 2. Centre of surfing culture 3. Dunghutti land.

Aloha

The Black Cows at The Little Red Kitchen

Saturday night 30th January 2016 and Bellingen in the beautiful Coffs coast region came alive with the sound of The Black Cows.

This band is an electric group of rather interesting characters each appearing to be totally absorbed in their unique style of music and almost, at times, becoming mesmerised by the groove they find themselves in.

We were lucky enough to be in the audience at The Little Red Kitchen in Bellingen on this rather hot night when The Cows came in from the paddock, a little bleary eyed and ready to invite us into their world. No barbed wire fences, ticks or indeed cow paddys to hinder the vibe.............

The obvious connection between the 4 members of the band are rewarded with great groove and slick changes of rhythm with the nod of a head or a look or glance of their eyes.

We used an iPhone 6 to take footage and a canon 7D for the stills. We were not planing to film so the iPhone 6 worked a treat given the sound cannot always be the best on this device. The stills were taken attempting to capture the feel and dizziness of the night.

Van Morrisons "Moondance" gets a typical Cows work out and is in the footage below. Try hard and you will recognise that it is Moondance, but somehow it is more like a Black Cows jam.....mooooo.




The Black Cows from Paul Hayllar on Vimeo.

We have more footage that we will release over further posts, But foe now, get in the groove with this and soon, like us, you will be feeling like a contented cow, and that is not an udder rubbish statement.

The venue for this great event was The Little Red Kitchen, a quaint little Pizza Restaurant at the top of the Bellingen township. Art work is strewn throughout the interior and the decor matches the feel of a welcoming community that is Bellingen.

The Black Cows come from the country side of the Bellingen district and the distinct layback, long rhythm riffs are reflective of the place they graze.

We highly recommend you keep an eye out for the next gig. They are on face book so look 'em up and get your moo going. We love 'em for their point of difference.

Fraymed in The Macleay

While 6Ps has had it's times filming local bands, one band we have been following since its inception is "FRAYMED".

Formerly known as 3 Blind Mice, the name change has brought with it a first release album.

The Macleay Valley is well known for its Country music, beautiful beaches and unique hinterland. The home of Slim Dusty and Amos Morris -  iconic country singers, well known in Australia - we now have a refreshing new addition to the talents of music in the area, full on Rock  in the form of FRAYMED!!

The Album title is "Out of the fire" and is a slick well produced album demonstrating the absolute talent these guys exude.

Well written music and lyrics accompany a professional production. The guitar work is faultless and is distinct when the guitarist Mark Johnson unleashes. Mark also shares vocals and keyboards.The base and drums solid sounds gives the band a launching pad for their original music.

Base/Keyboard and vocals is Pete Ball, this guy is way in front of his years musically. On drums is Gary Habgood, in 6ps opinion one of the best seen in live performances.

There are 11 tracks on the album delivering the clear full sound of a group who has their proverbial @#^% together.

We are not going to tell you which track is our favourite , mainly because we can't decide between 3 that have taken our breath away.

Now here is even more exciting news! Their album is available on ITunes so easily downloaded and instantly available. Should you prefer a CD simply go to /www.cdbaby.com/cd/fraymed. They are also available at their live performances or via their website www.fraymed.com

This YouTube video was taken by 6Ps when FRAYMED were starting out.

Enjoy the next Macleay Valley produced musical talents!!

We introduce - change.

The new year has arrived and gone, and it is back to the mundane, for some.

We have taken a huge "think" pill over Christmas and decided to do a couple of things a little differently. We started out as purely a Surf film site and a narrow location on the mid north coast of Australia. As we progressed we went through to photographs, social "comments", political opinions, in a rather irreverent manner and some serious stuff thrown in as well.

As indépendant film makers we have found the platform to show film has changed dramatically since dvds have become less popular and limited in distribution.

As the world moves on to instant media, social media, and a pace that is super sonic, there is also a huge move toward the "limited attention span". Vimeo and Youtube show short sharp action packed content of high quality and is free to watch. It is up to the producers of the clip to have content that gets the "hits" to make money.

No whinging - that is the way it is for now, so we (6Ps) move on in the ever hopeful chance it will produce "the big one".

So, we are going to continue to bring you updates on our film exploits and most importantly our irreverence will continue to be a feature. We will also, continue to feature our very own photography of things we believe our readers will enjoy.

In order to keep you totally up to date we have also produced another blog www.earthseatravel.blog.com.au

This blog is a serious, more "formal" blog that will collaborate with other like minded people to bring the very best of interesting news, unusual places and events and first hand travel experiences. We know there are a lot of followers out there  that love Australian content in pictures and stories. These will be fed through earthseatravel along with worldwide content. We hope you will join us on that blog as well, we would love to have you onboard.

In keeping with the 6Ps site we would like to pass this pre election of the US President comment:
"If you are not in doubt about politicians integrity, credibility and intelligence after these kooks are battling it out, then please...please....don't migrate to another country and impose these ideals on us"

Aloha

Christmas wishes from Australia

The humble staff at 6Ps would like to wish all our viewers a very Merry Christmas and happy new year.

It has been a productive year for us here, and we are hoping to elevate our expertise to the next level and produce a great film for you.

On a study of our statistics and hit rates for our blog, we are heartened by the hits we get on purely Australian content.

Australian Sunset over Taylors Arms

On the other hand, we are also amazed at an experiment we conducted way back in 2012 to see what happened if we titled a blog post "surf sex and violence". You know, the old marketing trick.....sex sells, if that doesn't get 'em then violence will.

The post, in fact, is tasteful and quite informative and has no relationship with the topic. Maybe it does have a raunchy picture but hardly anything to get excited about.

To our absolute horror it also represents 9% of our total hit rate!! So Search Engine Optimization works. Now.......here is the telling factor........who is searching for surf, sex and violence? We can only view which countries hit our site.......which country do you think would search for these sort of headlines? It couldn't be anywhere that aspire to greatness. It could not be anywhere that is Christian correctness personified. It could not be anywhere that wants the world to follow its morals and democratic perfection.

Is anyone seeing where this is leading?

As most of you know we have a backhanded slap at America the good old US of A quite often on this site. Well to no ones surprise, because they are democratic, free and pervs they are the outstanding winners of the "who found the trap" award. Congratulations guys and gals, you have not let us down!!

Can't wait for Donald Trump to be president..........just when we thought George W was some sort of hiccup in the system, we may have someone to trump him (clearing throat).

Anyway this is not in the Christmas spirit and it is a time of joy. Family arguments, emotional breakdowns, police activity, double demerits, overpriced everything and eating fat. Not to mention some people taking spirit as some sort of meaning to drink until you hit someone. Credit cards maxed out, debt to the point of despair and little Billy getting more presents then little Jimmy that lives next door, just because.

May be it is just a good time to reflect, look up, and think that maybe, just maybe, we are insignificant in this whole world. We don't control it, it controls us. At anytime you can be gone........for good. Love and peace.

Aloha