Darwin Kalymnian Woman Water Bearer and Child
A Darwin born Kalymnian woman and her child reenacts her mother's journey across seas from Greece to Australia. A journey from Australia to the birth place of her ancestors to return with her own child. Towards a better future Anastasia follows her mother along the walk on iconic Lee Point beach in Darwin displaying strength, courage and an eternal bond. The mother carries a clay pot much like the one held by the statue of the Kalymnian woman water bearer. She portrays an ancestral woman's shepherd's life in Telendos and Astimenia growing and storing produce, and water in the clay pots, symbolising the cycle of life fresh clean water provides and comparing environmental woes of two worlds apart yet so close Darwin and Kalymnos.
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Grujicic Evangelistria GrujicicDirector
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Grujicic Evangelistria MariaWriter
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Grujicic Evangelistria MariaProducer
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Grujicic Maria (mother) and Anastasia (child)Key Cast
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Justine GloverPhotographer
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Date Taken:October 14, 2021
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Country of Origin:Australia
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Camera:Nikon P1000
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Lens:4.3-539mm 1:2.8-8
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Focal Length:125X wide optical zoom ED VR
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Student Project:No
Distribution Information
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Grujicic Maria
Greek Australian Maria Grujicic was born and bred in Darwin. A nature lover and an artist at heart she romanced her way around the world creating dance experiences and writing poetry as she lived and worked as an early childhood teacher abroad. Maria Grujicic self-published several poetry books inspired by life, love and travel, especially impressions of Europe. Most of her poems were written in Greece, Paris and Germany. She developed an interest in film making whilst exploring the bushblock neighbouring her house in Ludmilla. She published The Hidden Beauty of Darwin book, illustrating the unique native flora and fauna. She aspires to one day create a children's musical based on one of her picture books. Maria Grujicic now lives in Darwin, Australia and is a proud and devoted mother
As I interpret my mother's story my own life eventuates. A clay pot left on the bush block next to our house in Ludmilla found and scrubbed clean by my mother is the feature of my own interpretative reenaction of her life story. A story which takes us to the rocky mountains, land of the shepherds Telendos and Astimenia in Greece. Where shepherds make cheese and grow olives and figs, and keep them in these clay pots, and store oil in the much bigger ones for up to two years For if in the mountains natural disasters destroyed the crop the people turned to produce they stored to keep them going. They’d take a couple of dried figs and be on their way to herd the sheep. There were no such things as shops. ‘Koumbania’ was the work family did and had stored to have enough food. Of course these clay pots like the one the Kalymnian woman water bearer holds, carries the precious water. There was a stream of fresh water on the island of Telendos, Greece where my mother grew up and water was collected. The bronze statue of the claypot woman water bearer in the mall Darwin commemorates the founding of a ‘sister' city. She also stands in prominent locations in Kalymnos, reminding us of the hard work of the Greek Kalymnian mother in support of her family. Though the streams of water are now gone and the island buys bottled water and Kalymnians collect water in plastic bottles from community taps. So I now ask, what does this statue represent in modern times when we continuously deny mother nature’s hard work? Fracking the NT, destroying Green corridors, polluting our waters, littering our beaches, single use plastic. How is any of this helping? I again ask to look at the statue and what it represents because answers can be found in history but not if politics change the symbolic meaning to suit monetary gains. As I hear my mother’s story, I link this to my own journey and my own existence, and that of my child. For if it weren’t for my ancestors before me, where and what would I be? Where
would she be? I observe changes in the world and I wonder about consultation. Consultation for the plight of our future generations and what we are in turn leaving behind for them. Because as I see how far we’ve come, I also observe how far behind we are. I walk on the sands of Lee Point Coastal Reserve Beach. I nestle within the rocks and I sense the wind, the smells of clean air and free spaces, surrounded by shorebirds. I walk with my child in hope that in 10 years time when I am 60 years old our journey will be just as beautiful as it is now.