Back to the Garden - Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock, Media release 2

[Harsha Prabhu]

The Goddess Dancing @ Durrumbul Hall, Sat 15th Aug
Pic: Hisashi Isogai
Back to the Garden
Media Release 2

The 40th Anniversary of Woodstock was celebrated with ceremony, pomp and passion at Durrumbul Hall, in the rainbow region of NSW, Australia, on Sat 15th August.

The evening began with Mandala and Gina leading all in an earth-honouring circle.
Then the Rainbow Drum Circle carried the message of peace and goodwill from the heart of the rainbow region to the green hills of Woodstock. A statement from Benny Zable, Nimbin’s ambassador now in Woodstock, was read out: “The Woodstock 40th anniversary is taking place at the crossroads of history. The mainstream wakes up to the reality of a collapsing ecosystem brought on by its own doings. With every end there is a new beginning. The Rainbow Dreaming exhibition is a Rainbow Bridge, a way to love and peace, a world of earthly stewardship. Let us celebrate and dance the dream into reality with each other and with the world.”

And celebrate and dance they did, regaled by some of the region’s best musicians and performers who served up a smorgasbord of Irish, Flamenco, Gypsy, Roots Reggae, Bellydance and Inspirational music. The peace flags of the Rainbow Chai Tent, Jerry Cooke’s mandalas, Squiffy Vision’s light show and Adam Pippin’s sound provided a magnificent setting for the magic to unfold. The Goddess was dancing that night, with all the gopis of the region!

The event was also a focus for community opposition to the Repco Rally Australia. The No Rally Group spoke about the desecration of the green caldera by the rally and issued a call to people of the region to act to protect this biodiversity hot spot. Further information and details are available on the No Rally group website www.norallygroup.org or by phoning 0438 357 452.

Organisers would like to thank all those who helped with this event, especially the artists and volunteer team. Over $1600 was collected towards helping Rainbow Dreaming on its Woodstock/USA tour (see www.rainbowdreaming.org). Co-curator of the exhibit, Harsha Prabhu, said: “ We are now able to pay for the Woodstock exhibit. For this, we have to thank the good folk of the rainbow region who supported this project. We still have additional set up costs with other venues, as our dream is to showcase this exhibit as a stand-alone spiral inside a geodesic dome. So we’re still looking for corporate sponsors to help with these costs.We have shown, with community support, we can do anything we set our heart to..”

Organisers would also like to apologise to Durrumbul Hall neighbours, as the music carried into the wee hours. Said Harsha: “In our defence, it was a trifecta of a night: the Assumption of the Virgin Mary; Krishna’s birthday; and the Woodstock 40th anniversary, bringing everyone together to celebrate the power of community. On the positive side: no traffic gridlock, mud slides or bad (brown) acid. We ODed on Peace & Love & Music instead!”

Thanks to Byron Shire Echo & Bay FM for help with getting the word out. And the word is: all things hippie and green are alive and flourishing in the rainbow region, thanks to the sustainability movement that’s flowered in them there green hills and valleys.

All enquiries: [e-mail]
www.rainbowdreaming.org