Well bloggers I'm back! Sorry I've been missing in action but I've been just a little bit BUSY! If you live outside of Australia you won't know that my home state of Queensland has been caught up in election fever for more than a month. I've had the great privilege and responsibility of being involved in campaigning for Penny Toland, the local Labor candidate standing for the seat of Broadwater here on the Gold Coast. So if you're a conservative voter, best look away now :)
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| The beautiful Broadwater area of the Gold Coast shot from Harley Park in Labrador |
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| It's kinda fun seeing your photos plastered everywhere! |
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| A headshot of Penny layered on a photo of the Broadwater, part of her electorate |
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| Penny speaking at a Public Health Forum hosted by Labor in August of 2014 |
I've always believed in social justice. Not in a welfare state, or a socialist state, but a true system of government supporting society's most vulnerable and redistributing accumulated wealth, be it accumulated by government or individuals. It will never happen, because people will always be people. Even those of us who strongly hold these ideals are well flawed, but unless we have an ideal to strive for what tends to happen is we don't strive for anything at all. We settle, and we lead boring little inward-focused lives.
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| Another shot of the Broadwater looking back at Broadwater Parklands in Southport |
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| The Brashness and I stumbling across Penny at a Multicultural Festival |
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Penny, Gail Hislop and Melissa McMahon speaking at a luncheon
to address issues in education with guest speaker The Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP |
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Penny Toland Labor Candidate for Broadwater, The Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP,
Gail Hislop Labor Candidate for Burleigh, and Melissa McMahon Labor
Candidate for Albert (look at all that girl power!!!) |
It started through the viewfinder for me, as have many relationships in my life. In August of 2014 I was invited to shoot a series of images of Penny Toland, a newly endorsed candidate, starting with headshots for her campaign. I'd been a Labor Party member for a long time, but I'd never been this close to a politician, even a potential one. It was exciting. What was more exciting was the exposure to like-minded people that this experience then brought about, and the refinement of what I actually believed in down to a set of principles.
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AH MAH GERD I got to meet Tanya Plibersek!
I almost passed out. |
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The life of a photographer is such that you are
rarely in any shots yourself. Here's some proof I took these! |
Things escalated quickly after that. I found myself not only shooting for Penny's campaign but for neighbouring candidates, also attending and shooting at almost every public event or rally with an aligning cause. The big cause and source of many rallies for Broadwater was opposition to the planned development of the Broadwater itself,
about which I have blogged before. Just for the record, I was not paid nor asked for payment for any of this work - all of the photography and other work I have done for the Party was totally voluntary, as it was from every other person who helped on the campaign.
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Nurses and midwives from NSW come to Queensland to rally for taxation
changes supporting public health |
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| Penny addresses the faithful at her campaign launch |
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| Penny's campaign launch in November 2014 |
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| The Brashness and I get our pinko on at Penny's campaign launch |
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| Members of Young Labor at Penny's campaign launch |
Then in November of 2014 I had an opportunity to become part of Penny's campaign team as they planned strategy for the upcoming election. I jumped at the chance and became (to my surprise and consternation at the time) the Volunteer Coordinator. For someone who doesn't like people all that much this seemed a surprising appointment but as it turns out I was actually quite competent at it. Mainly because I had no choice but to rise to the challenge and I am spectacularly good at making things up as I go along.
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| Out meeting people in the electorate with Penny and Campaign Manager Richard |
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This and following images showing the Labor presence at a
community rally to save the Broadwater area |
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| See I was actually there! |
As it stood we knew the election could be held anytime until June. When it was called on 6th January 2015, throwing us into a mere 24 day campaign, we hit the ground running and I headed into what would be the most hectic, exciting, intense and fulfilling 3 weeks of my life. Over those few weeks until election day I used every skill I'd ever mastered and all the accumulated knowledge of my education and experience.
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One of my headshots for Surfer's Paradise Labor
candidate Josh Blundell-Thornton (watch this face!) |
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| I love seeing my photos on things lol (my headshot, stock background image) |
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| Penny, Josh and myself at Josh's campaign launch |
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| More things with my photos on them! |
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This was a raffle prize. Sadly, though I bought SO
many tickets, I didn't win (sigh) |
I learnt something new every day and found myself honing my problem-solving skills to a razor-sharp point.
I learnt to deal with calls and emails as they came in, there and then, and then put them to bed.
I learnt to put out fires as they happened before they could escalate.
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| Setting up a marquee at pre-polling (early voting prior to election day) |
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| Penny with some dedicated volunteers at pre-polling |
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Senator Chris Ketter, myself and Penny hitting the streets (well I was there
to take photos, Penny and the Senator hit the streets to talk to voters) |
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| AH MAH GERD!!!! Meeting Labor legend Anthony Albanese at an afternoon tea |
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This one went straight to the pool room. Anthony Albanese, a Labor hero and
all round totally good guy |
I learnt to effectively delegate, stick to a role description, and let go of things outside my role or my control.
I learnt that sometimes silence and taking a step back is as effective as batting on.
I learnt that deep down inside me I really
do have what it takes to be an awesome team player. Even if sometimes I have to take that step back.
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Michael Riordan, Labor Candidate for Gaven, our
own electorate. This was the day we went to vote |
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Penny addressing the community with other Gold Coast Labor Candidates at a
forum to discuss plans for the Broadwater area. Candidates from all political
parties were invited to this forum and many attended |
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| I wish I had recorded Penny's inspiring speech here she held the crowd in her hand |
I learnt to get my point across in 25 words or less in a way that the other party could not misinterpret my meaning.
I learnt that sometimes you have to pick your battles.
I learnt that the best way to not get seasick is to be concentrating on something else, like maybe trying to photograph politicians in another boat speeding away from you.
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Harley Park where we had a marquee set up daily to engage and talk with locals
about issues |
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Campaign committee members ready for QLD Labor leader Annastacia Palaszczuk's
arrival at Harley Park |
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| A demonstration on Wavebreak Island in the centre of the Broadwater protesting proposed development and reclaiming Wavebreak for the people. Annastacia Palaszczuk and Penny (and a bunch of the campaign committee members!) travelled across to the island to address the crowds |
I learnt that some people will always choose to be limited by their own beliefs system.
I learnt that sometimes you have to stand up for yourself and make yourself heard over the white noise.
I learnt that politicians are people, just like you and me (mind you knowing that didn't stop me acting like a groupie at a Rod Stewart concert when I met some of them).
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| The view from the tiny tinny I was in looking back toward the coast as I sped across to Wavebreak Island |
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| Annastacia and Penny travel across to Wavebreak Island |
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This looks like such an easy shot but taken as it was from one bouncing, speeding
boat of another, thank goodness for big zoom lenses and high shutter speeds |
I knew that no matter what, you can always dig down inside and find a little bit more of something, be it energy, resourcefulness, time, patience, or courage. I'd already learnt this from my mother.
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Annastacia addressing the community gathered on Wavebreak promising no
development of the area by a Labor state government |
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| Penny and Steve Gration, head of Save Our Spit |
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| Heading back to the mainland |
Election day has come and gone but it's not over yet; counting is incomplete, there is no clear state winner in sight and the threat of returning to the polls is still in the air. No matter what the outcome I know that myself and the rest of the campaign team did our absolute utmost to get our candidate and the Party over the line, and our efforts did not go unnoticed.
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| The Broadwater campaign team ready to take the fight into the future |
I think the most important thing I learnt from this experience is that being part of something much bigger than I am is maybe, just maybe, the reason I'm actually here.
