22/02/2024
Last year I was commissioned by Australian Geographic to document the daily life of Terry Martin, a resident of French Island (pop 139 people) for a story on social isolation and remote living. Although itโs only 60km from Melbourne city, French Island is isolated and undeveloped with no water/electricity mains or medical services on the island which is only accessible by boat.
Before I share my favourite images from the story I really wanted to make a separate post for this portrait of Terry and the accompanying excerpt from my field notes:
๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐๐๐ซ ๐จ๐ ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ค ๐๐ฑ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง๐๐, ๐๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐จ๐ง๐๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ก๐๐ง๐๐๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐จ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ. ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ง๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ, ๐๐ฌ ๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฏ๐ ๐ฆ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ฒ, ๐ข๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ก๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ง ๐ก๐ข๐ฆ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ, ๐ ๐ญ๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐๐งโ๐ญ ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฐ๐๐ข๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฆ๐. ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐จ๐ ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ, ๐ฐ๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ญ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ฆ ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ข๐, โ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ๐ซ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ .โ ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ญ๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ฆ ๐ก๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ค๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ. ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ฐ๐๐ฒ, ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐จ๐ ๐ง๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ฑ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐๐ญ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ๐ฎ๐๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐ก๐จ๐ญ๐จ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐ก๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ซ. ๐โ๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ง ๐๐ฅ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฒ ๐จ๐ง ๐
๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ก ๐๐ฌ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ฒ.
More images to come or click the link below to see the full story written by Serena Cody and masterfully edited by Nicky Catley ๐๐ป
https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/history-culture/2024/02/life-in-trees-surrounded-by-water/
www.instagram.com/rowenameadowsphoto
www.rowenameadows.com.au