This book has had a long gestation and many midwives.
As the central, auto-ethnographic chapter in my PhD dissertation in environmental ethics at Australia’s Murdoch University (1996), its genesis was nurtured by two brilliant and caring academics, Professor Peter Newman AO and Dr. Patsy Hallen of the Institute for Sustainability and Technology Policy (ISTP). I bow in gratitude for their many hours’ work, gentle direction, sensitive tutoring, and skilled advice. Both modeled an ethic of caring in the most profound sense and guided me away from foolish errors.
Patsy, in particular, encouraged my foolishness, echoing words I later heard in 1994 from Jungian analyst, Jean Shinoda Bolen, at a conference in Ireland: “Only by being innocent and risking being foolish will we heal those parts of us and help to heal the Earth.”
Peter and Patsy respected my need to proceed in my way and to speak with my voice. They ensouled this process for me and with me. I honor the green heart in each of them.
In 1994, as I am reading Patsy an early draft of the Creeksong story, I look up to find her weeping. Every student dreams of such a supervisor.
For his part, Peter has been urging me to write this book for 30 years. Here it is, finally, Peter.
The astute observations and huge practical assistance of my husband and research assistant, Karl- Heinz Langheinrich, guided and supported my early research, analysis of survey materials, and writing.
I was blessed with Aidan Davison as my Murdoch office mate for four years and he is a cherished friend. I thank Aidan for decades of warm friendship and for helping me understand the relationships between cities and sustainability.
During 1992, my field research in the Northern Territory was guided by the late Professor David Lea, formerly Director of the North Australia Research Unit (NARU), Australian National University, Darwin. David’s help included the logistical support required by my “Deep Creek” rural circumstances. His commitment to sustainable development and reform encouraged me during tough times. David made available NARU’s excellent research support services, as well as providing astute professional guidance, and warm friendship when I dearly needed it (with his generous wife, musician and composer, the late Beverley Lea).
In the School of Architecture at the University of British Columbia, from 1995 to 1996, the late Shelagh Lindsey, philosopher and sociologist, undertook to be my overseas supervisor, supporting my research with countless acts of generosity, love, scholarship, and encouragement, reading, and providing detailed comments on drafts of several chapters. Thank you, Shelagh.
My initial research was funded for four years by an Australian Postgraduate Research Award, by the Dorothy Davidson Fellowship from the Australian Federation of University Women (AFUW), Queensland Branch, and a postgraduate student travel grant from Murdoch University, Western Australia. I thank these bodies, especially the gracious women of AFUW in Brisbane.
As I was about to commence this research, a colleague who was completing her PhD advised me that I must forego my former (and naïve) collaborative ways to ensure that nobody stole my ideas. I completely ignored her advice. How glad I am for that. Throughout my dissertation and this book are woven strands of information, insight, wisdom, and encouragement from scores of friends and colleagues who have read this work in progress or contributed in other ways. I acknowledge all those people with deepest thanks.
I acknowledge individually some to whom I am incredibly grateful: the professional and administrative staff of the North Australia Research Unit (NARU), especially Colleen Pyne and Sally Roberts Bailey of the incomparably cool NARU Library; the adults and children of the “Deep Creek” community at Humpty Doo; and these friends, scholars, and supporters: Juergen Schmidt, Ann Cross, Susan Ball, Evelyn Martin, Dr. Timothy Beatley, Dr. Leonie Sandercock, Dr. Ann Forsyth, Professor Emerita Clare Cooper Marcus, the late Professor Robert Zehner, Dr. Jean Hillier, Dr. Aidan Davison, Joc Schmiechen, Paul Josif, Henry Koops, Owen Peake, Helen Buchanan, Jenny Longley, Susan Davidson, Roselina Stone, Jan Kapetas, Dr. Vanda Rounsefell, Karen Assumption, Bonnie Schoenberger, Rae Fry, Linda Wirf, Wolfgang Wirf, Amanda Rutherford, Carol Bacci Hartley, Kelvin Walsh, Kristin Stewart, Anna Puttner, Brian Richards, Dr Andrea Cook, Linda Butcher, Christine Jones, Dr. David Wilmoth, Dr. Don Perlgut, Dr. Chamlong Poboon, Che Poboon, and Dr. Sandra Taylor.
The five jewels of my Adelaide-based Accountability Group brightened this process with their love, encouragement, practical assistance, professional wisdom, and good humor. They read every word of my thesis and commented on it. What a blessing! I honor the memory of the late Malcolm Challen and extend warmest thanks to Shelagh Noble, Janet Gould, Angela Hazebroek OAM, LFPIA, and Dr. Iris Iwanicki LFPIA.
I thank my friends who visited me at Humpty Doo and supported me there: Susan Ball, Dr. Vanda Rounsefell, Shelagh Noble, Janet Gould, Joc Schmiechen, Clare Cooper Marcus, Lucy Marcus, and my late, marvelous friend, Barbara Boden (B2). I also thank Barbara for many generous interludes of hospitality in Darwin, for helping me concrete my “office” floor, and for supporting me to develop an unswerving devotion to Merlot.
I thank the late Roy Pallant of North Vancouver for valuable insights into the early history of Norgate Park.
I bow in gratitude to my great friend and teacher, talented healer and clairvoyant, the late Carol Bacci Hartley, and I thank her and her husband, Grant Hartley, for their love, hospitality, support, and healing.
In a similar vein, my new Canadian friend, Sandra Wagman, of Unique Insight: Readings with a Twist, helped me on several occasions to delve more deeply into family dynamics by journeying with me into my past. My childhood reminiscences were enormously strengthened by my close collaboration with this skilled intuitive psychic medium. Thank you, Sandra. To learn about Sandra, see: https://www.uniqueinsightreadings.com/
Through Sandra, I also bless the memory and deeply thank Rachel Harutine Sarkissian and Hosannah Harutine Sarkissian.
I am exceptionally grateful to my dear friend of 68 years, Canadian artist, writer, and broadcaster, Carol Munro, for permission to use the beautiful encaustic painting, “Root and Blossom,” which graces this book. Carol also spent many hours editing earlier versions of this book and providing warm hospitality, a shoulder to cry on, and astute editorial guidance. Carol’s spectacular artwork can be found at carolmunro.ca. Thank you again, Carol.
Carol’s granddaughter, my excellent friend, Molly Rose Vincent, can read very well and also read parts of this story. I bless this glorious seven-and-three-quarters-year-old for her generous feedback. Thank you, Molly!
I thank another dear friend of 66 years, esteemed Canadian poet, Dr. Jane Munro, for permission to use her beautiful poem, “Flax,” and for decades of deep and nourishing friendship.
I thank my friend Jennifer Matthews and bless our friendship and her patient reading of my manuscript over several years.
I thank Dr. Julian Louey of Vancouver for his generous gift of a writer’s retreat in March 2021.
I thank my cousin, Raffi R. Berberian, for his generous help and gifts over many years, and his sister, my cousin, Dr. Cynthia Berberian Hale, for a huge amount of archival assistance most generously and graciously offered to help me better understand my Armenian heritage and its effects on my life and work.
I am indebted to musician, composer, singer and engagement practitioner, Rachel Colella of South Australia, for arranging, playing, and singing my composition, “My Creeksong.” (And for encouraging me that it was a song.) I wrote that song 30 years ago! Rachel also prepared an instrumental version of “My Creeksong” and shared some of her other compositions that we are using in the Creeksong audiobook. Our collaboration, extending far beyond our shared identities as community engagement practitioners, has been richly rewarding. Thank you so much, Rachel! You brought my song to life.
For more about Rachel Colella and her music, please visit:
I am very grateful to gifted voice coach and master teacher of vocal technique, Spencer Welch, Vancouver, for helping me to turn my lyrics and a tune that had been rattling around in my head for 26 years into music that Rachel could work with and produce “My Creeksong.” See: https://spencerwelch.com/
The other song in the audiobook is by Melbourne singer, songwriter and guitarist, Dominic (Dom) Brinkley. It’s called “Climate Blues.” Written in 2020, it’s cry of despair and a call to action to Australians—and their right-wing federal government—regarding climate change issues. Dom generously provided his song to support this book (and its messages). You can also hear his instrumental version throughout the audiobook. Thank you, again, Dom!
You can listen to Dom’s song on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/2n8nh92d/
And here is a link to his website: https://dombrinkleymusic.bandcamp.com/
For great audio recording assistance to me and Chris Baudat, I thank Rajesh Gunaskaran.
I thank the indomitable Brett Nielsen of Big Toe Productions for his generosity and for explaining the exigencies of recording and mastering bush sounds. Especially decades ago. And with no hands! See: https://brettnielsen.com/breakfast-at-kakadu/
Over the past three decades, many friends and colleagues have read, edited, and commented on this book in its many forms. I acknowledged a joyful debt of gratitude to them: Sharon Butala, Dr. Aidan Davison, Dr. Andrea Cook, Andrew Curthoys, Angela Hazebroek OAM LFPIA, Anna Brassard, Anne Dunn AM, Anne Gorman, Barry Murphy, Becky Hirst, Brendan Hurley, Brian Hinton, Carol Munro, Prof. Emerita Clare Cooper Marcus, Colette Meunier, Cynthia Berberian Hale, David Dacus, David Hunter, David Vaisbord, Dr. David Wilmoth, Desley Renton, the late Douglas Coomes, Heather Webster, Howard Bartlett, Dr. James O’Callaghan, Dr. Jane Munro, Jean Millar, Jennifer Matthews, Jenny Bennett, Joc Schmiechen, John Bevelander, Justin Ray, Dr Leonie Sandercock, Leonie Shore, Dr. Lori Mooren, Margaret Wilson, Maxine Schleger, Michael Collie, Michael Kerry, Dr. Mike Mouritz, Molly Rose Vincent, Monica Sidhu, Dr. Noel Wilson, Dr. Norman Etherington, AO, D. Patrick Miller, Dr. Peter Hayes, Peter Leask KC, Prof. Peter Newman AO, Petrea King, Wendie Batho, Phil Durston, Rachel Colella, Raffi Berberian, Dr. Rebecca Bateman, Robyn Schmiechen, Steph Vajda, Tammi Mann, Tandy Solomon, Dr. Vanda Rounsefell, Wiwik Bunjamin-Mau, and Yollana Shore.
I single out for gratitude my precious friend of 44 years, Colette Meunier, also an urban planner. I marvel again at her incredibly insightful and precise editing assistance, and delight in her loving care. Thank you, again, Colette.
In that vein, I extend my deep gratitude to two former PhD students who studied with me at Murdoch University in the 1990s. I thank Dr. Mike Mouritz, of Curtin University, Perth, for many blessings, including reviewing almost every page of this manuscript. Dr. Aidan Davison of the University of Tasmania has similarly helped me by generously reading and commenting on almost every page of this book. Both these collaborations have enriched me personally, as well as improving this book.
I bless my dear friend of 60 years, Peter Leask KC, for his unswerving support of the Creeksong project and his generous gift of structural editing advice on this, our second book together.
As I was completing this book, I found the world’s best editor, Anderson S. García. In Venezuela! Anderson is a skilled professional editor and a psychologist. His psychological insights now permeate this book. What a blessing to receive this remarkable help in the last stages of book production. Thank you, again, Anderson!
I thank my editor, Erin Stalcup, for her challenging, generous, perceptive, and thoughtful editing and support. This book is so much better for Erin’s astute editing.
Christopher Baudat and I acknowledge the generous and warm support and assistance of Carl Craig and Carlyn Craig of Post Hypnotic Press in Vancouver, in the design and production of the Creeksong audiobook.
I have been a huge fan of Chellis Glendinning’s writing for many decades. I am honored that she agreed to write the Foreword to this book, and I thank her for her generous contribution.
I thank my great friend, Doug Swanson, who died many years ago, for encouraging me to visit Camp Concern in 1976. I honor Doug’s dream of the “subversive science” of ecology in this, my book about ecology.
I honor the memory of my indefatigable friend, “Mica,” the Green Man, who graciously agreed for me to build a house and live for a year on his “Deep Creek” property in Australia’s Northern Territory at Humpty Doo. I offer gratitude for your deep green heart, your prodigious mind, your wild literacy, spacious generosity, our long friendship, your passionate loving, and your brilliant mentoring. I also offer my sincere respect for your privacy. While I know that you disagreed strongly with many of my characterizations and interpretations in earlier versions, you also generously helped me in innumerable ways: logistical, philosophical, educational, spiritual, and personal. You have guided me in recent years to present a balanced version of our shared story.
In January 1991, Mica told me, “You have me for life as a friend.” Now I remind you, Mica, that you have me forever—through all lives—as your friend. You know better than anyone that I would not be the “green” and philosophical activist I am today without your fierce commitment to my conscientization, my education, and the strengthening of my courage. “Mica” died at Humpty Doo surrounded by those who loved him in December 2015. I bless your memory. I feel your love and support as I write about the many dimensions of our shared journey.
Here is my book about ecology, Mica.
My late husband, Karl-Heinz Langheinrich, a passionate deep ecologist, who died suddenly on 6 February 2016, was this book’s first cheerleader. From 1993 to 2016, he read every word and brought to this project the fire and insight of a man with his manhood, gender politics and environmental politics intact. How Karl loved the Earth! Karl’s partnership, love, and unconditional support nourished and uplifted my spirits over 23 years (and beyond). His wild philosophical mind, great cooking, tireless welding, subtle humor, patient proofreading, and tough fearlessness made creating this book with him glorious, even during the tough times.
It would be an understatement to say that this writing project has had a life of its own. Many lives, actually. It’s invited many wonderful people into my life over more than three decades.
My partner, Christopher André Baudat, is a recent and most welcome contributor to this book—and to my life. He has read every word and provided detailed editorial advice and insights, as well as photographs and generous support in innumerable ways over 18 months. Chris is also the producer of the Creeksong audiobook.
I bless Chris for his generosity, kindness, unconditional support, editing, proofreading, persistence, photography, shiatsu, gelati, technical support, and everything else. I thank him for learning how to create an inspirational audiobook and persisting with it. Mostly, I thank him for making a home for this book in his heart.
I honor the memory of my parents. I offer huge respect and gratitude to Mary Tudhope Cooke Sarkissian Miles, my mother (known as “Tud” to her family and friends). Now you are the blessing of a soothing, refreshing stream at the culmination of a long pilgrimage. Thank you for your invitation to our astonishing new conversation.
I honor Gordon Samuel Alexander Sarkissian, my father, puer aeternus, for your boundless, boyish enthusiasm and for teaching me to sing the brave songs that live in my heart. And for the one song you wrote:
It’s you
Every beat of my heart’s For you, only you
All the stars up above Whisper sweetly
It’s love, it’s love …
I bless the gift of flowing water: the Capilano River in North Vancouver, Horns Creek at Humpty Doo, and the Tweed River in Uki, Australia, that returned my life to me.
I bless the gift of trees. Honoring above all the abundant blessings and lessons that trees continue to shower upon me, I kneel in humility and gratitude before Tristia and the spirit of Alba, the White Gum. I bless my Nimbin tree with its colony of laughing kookaburras, and the remnant temperate coastal forests of Vancouver.
I bless the Earth. To Gaia, the Earth Mother, my Mother, protector, and guide: I bow deeply to reaffirm my servitude.
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