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This song, although written from the forest, is mainly a portrait of city
activist life. In the nineties in inner Sydney, people sometimes got together to rent old warehouses (vacated when manufacturing moved offshore) to offset the high rent in the area. For awhile, 252 Abercrombie St, Chippendale, set up by a group of city-based forest activists, served as a space and resource centre for environment activists from around the state.

This song is dedicated to the members of the Wingham Forest Action
group who in August '94 took the National Parks and Wildlife Service to
court to appeal the decision by its Director-general to issue a licence to
NSW State Forests to take and kill endangered wildlife. This licence would have covered 33 different endangered species in the remnant old-growth forest in the Wingham Management area. Although they didn't win outright, the court agreed to place more stringent conditions on the licence in order to minimise the impact on endangered species. They were also ordered to pay roughly $35,000 in court costs. This song describes one of many warehouse parties that was run in order to raise money for this group.

Daishowa is a 100% Japanese-owned woodchipping company that exported 893,521 tonnes of woodchips from Australia to Japan in
1994. At the time the song was written Daishowa exported 80% of NSW woodchips.

credits

from Returning on Foot, released January 7, 1995
Vocals, Mandolin, Octave Mandolin - Penelope Swales.
Congas - Erin Sulman.
Didjeridoo - David Alderson.
Bass - Mal Webb.
Drums, Shakers - Gavin Gray.

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Penelope Swales Boolarra, Australia

Penelope Swales has been articulating the human condition with passion and humour for 30+ years. She sings about politics, love, friendship, the unbreakable bond between us and dogs and the impact of the Internet on society. She won the 2019 Alistair Hulett Songs for Social Justice Award with “Cambridge Analytica”. “The Ides of March in Christchurch" was short-listed for the same award in 2020. ... more

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