“Stories of Our Town” Newcastle Documentary Series – Scott Sister’s of Ash Island

Special Collections

6 years ago

By Glenn Dormand

This week Tony and I were all over the place working on 3 films at once. We filmed drones on Ash Island, interviewed an Aboriginal Linguist in Lake Munmorah, a Heritage Architect at Toronto as well as a full afternoon at the University of Newcastle’s School of Creative Industries at University House. Under the guidance of lecturer Dr Bernadette Drabsch, students study the techniques pioneered by the Scott Sisters 170 years ago and solve real world problems now. One of the students Rachel Klyve, a fabulous artist who has just won the 2020 Australian Scholarship that honours the Scott Legacy. Check her on Instagram @klyvealive. This week we finally start the edit.

Natural History Illustrator and UON student Rachel Klyve with Glenn Dormand

UON’s Creative Industries students at University House, June 2020

Taxidermy animals at display at UON, June 2020

Hanging out on Ash Island today for our Scott Sisters film. Beautiful sunshine for a drone shoot with the king David Bennell from Airhunter.com who fitted us in before a surf. Park ranger Jo Erskine told us all about the regeneration that’s happened on the island using the 170 year old images the Sisters created. We saw two eagles fighting, pristine landscape and what can only be described as a butterfly orgy and folks you know the ecosystem is on track when butterflies start to orgy. This film will be ready and available for free in three weeks at storiesofourtown.com.