Bellingen Readers & Writers Festival comes to the rainforest 10am Friday 6 June Dorrigo Rainforest Centre

The Bellingen Readers & Writers Festival takes to the road on its opening day, Friday 6 June, to present the Mary White Address at the Dorrigo Rainforest Centre “Falling in love outwards” featuring author Hadyn Washington.
National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) Dorrigo Rainforest Centre Assistant Manager, Ms Lea-Anne Parbery, said the Centre, nestled in the rainforest in Dorrigo National Park, is the perfect place to kick off the June long weekend festival.

“The acclaimed paleobotanist and author Dr Mary White delivered our first Bellingen Readers & Writers Festival event here in Dorrigo, and we’re thrilled she has agreed to lend her distinguished name to our annual slice of this popular local cultural experience,” Ms Parbery said.

“This year our speaker is Hadyn Washington, author of several books including ‘Human Dependence on Nature: How to Help Solve the Environmental Crisis’.

“Professor David Suzuki said of this book ‘Haydn Washington’s book [is] making a strong case for an urgent need to change direction and seek ways to live in balance with the factors that sustain us in the biosphere.’

“In his address at the Dorrigo Rainforest Centre, tantalisingly titled “Falling in love outwards”, Hayden Washington will investigate human dependence on nature and the need to rediscover our ‘sense of wonder’ at nature to help solve our environmental problems.

“Hadyn contends that our distant ancestors understood this, that they knew that a key part of being fully human was being able to ‘fall in love outwards’.” Ms Parbery said.

Please book in for this fascinating morning (10am to 12 noon) by phoning the Dorrigo Rainforest Centre on 6657 5913. The cost is $5 which includes morning tea on arrival. For more details visit Bellingen Readers and Writers Festival – Hadyn Washington talk at NSWNP.

Hayden Washington then returns to Bellingen to host an afternoon workshop called ‘Dealing with denial’ at 3pm to 5:30pm on Friday 6 June at St James Church, examining humanity’s tendency to ignore real problems and believe in delusion. Book online at www.bellingenwritersfestival.com.au. He is also appearing in conversation and on panels throughout the Festival weekend.