Ms O’CONNOR (Hobart) – I seek your indulgence to make a short contribution which is not in my words; it is in the words of Gracie Kuylaars. Gracie gave a speech at the Forest Rally on the lawns of Parliament on 3 November. I was so moved by her wisdom and empathy, insight and deep love of the natural world that I asked Gracie and her mum, Eleanor, if I could read her speech to my colleagues in this place.
Gracie said to hundreds of people on the lawns:
Hello, my name is Gracie. To listen is to care. So, bare your soul to the swishing trees that carry secrets in the breeze.
Hello, my name is Gracie. I’m 12 years old and an environmental activist. I love taking inspiration from my time in the forests to write poetry and to paint masked owls and the other wonderful creatures that call lutruwita home. I love nature. I love every aspect of the forests. I love being able to look for a scat or tracks on the ground and search for Tasmanian masked owls in the trees. I love the smell of the forest and the feel of the dewdrops falling on my head. I love big things like the trees and tree ferns. I love the small things like the fungi and the shiny filmy ferns. I love camping overnight and listening to the forest come alive. My favourite place to be is the forest and my favourite thing to be doing is exploring it. I feel the happiest, calmest and the most like me in the forest.
The following poem I wrote after an amazing day in takayna.
Dewdrops falling from the branches of the tree that tower high. Moss creeping up the trunk. Fungi like confetti, adding colour where it can. Spiders dance in the trees, weaving webs as they please. Birds fluttering among the green crayfish drinking Burrows. Why is humans’ vision narrow, only seeing profit, income, MMG, STT, never what is really there. If only they just looked and cared. [line breaks TBC]
Gracie goes on:
To all the families out there, I urge you to take your kids to the forests. Please join in on a citizen science project soon, maybe the Takayna BioBlitz, or for one of our endangered birds. My personal favourite is looking for Tasmanian masked owls. They are fascinating. When we go looking for them, we put out recorders to capture their calls. We look for hollow or broken‑topped trees where the owls might be roosting. We also look for pellets, which is when the owls regurgitate the fur and bones from their prey. As they do not make a sound when they fly, we have to listen out for their screeches, and if we hear them, we use a spotlight to try to see them. [TBC]
She writes a short section here:
The day’s masked owls flourish and fly free
land in the branches of the old growth trees
and though we may not hear them as they are stealthy as a thief,
I hope they do fly over and make their ghastly screech.
Gracie concludes with this:
Tasmanian masked owls are endangered and need our help. It is up to us to defend their habitat, and of course all the other animals that call the forest home. You do not have to go on direct actions to make a stand. I mean it is not like I can, but I know I can still help defending our amazing forests by helping collect important data. I hope to see in the forest soon. Now, on the count of three, repeat after me: native forests for the future, one, two, three native forests for the future.
I just want to thank Gracie and her mum Eleanor for giving me the great honour of reading to my honourable colleagues Gracie’s beautiful ode to our extraordinary wild forests and the rich variety of life they sustain.
