Galleries
Balunjali
The Saltwater Story is about an epic 70km three-day sea journey of Gold Coast author Benjamin Allmon, Bundjalung-Yugambeh canoe-maker Kyle Slabb, veteran paddler Mark Matthews, and the Indigenous youth of the Saltwater People, from the Nerang River on the Gold Coast to North Stradbroke Island, following an ancient First Nations maritime trade route. Benjamin collaborated with award-winning filmmaker Jeff Licence and renowned photographer David Kelly to document the experience in a film, a book, and an exhibit of amazing photographs.
“While working on a magazine story together, Ben mentioned a canoe journey he’d been planning,” remembers David. “I thought it was a little ‘out there’, which, by the way, is what I really enjoy. I pictured in my head lovely sea kayaks filled with drinking water, supplies and comfy air mattresses for a good night’s sleep in mozzie-proof tents. Yep! We could get some nice photos, I thought. Well, it ended up being 100 times better and a life-changing experience. Who needs mozzie-proof tents anyhow?”
Ben writes about the balunjali in the book as being a ‘place of transition’. “It’s where fish of all shapes and sizes grow to maturity in the protective embrace of the roots. This could be symbolic of the boys’ transition during their journey. It’s a magical world, the balunjali. It’s very peaceful and quiet and allows you to soak in your surroundings. The boys were spotting turtle, sting rays and crabs in the shallows and as the morning sun broke through early storm clouds, gave me beautiful light to play with.”
David Kelly says about the photo:
“When I took this photo, it was the only time I joined the boys in the canoe on the trip. Here, among the balunjali mangroves is where the two worlds meet – land and sea. It was high tide, the water was deep enough for our support boat to draw close enough to the three man canoe for me to swap to become the middle man. I hadn’t seen the boys fall in for a day or so, so I felt relatively safe. I took my oldest camera-lens combination with me just in case.
“Banahm is the dominant figure in the image, but your eye jumps between him and the figures in the smaller canoe. There you notice Ben and Bijangs’ attention are elsewhere. It raises the question, “What are they looking at?” Banahm’s focus is directing the canoe through tight openings among the mangroves. Thankfully, he was occasionally telling me to duck out of the way of danger. I like the play between the two figures – Banahm and the rear boat.”
This photo was taken using a Canon 5d mklll with Canon 24-70mm f2.8.
About the photographer:
David Kelly has travelled extensively throughout Australia, the Pacific, and Asia on assignment, and immersed himself in the culture and stories of Indigenous Australia, a world he has entered with care, respect, and a soft footprint. With over twenty years working for a news organisation, David has been lucky to experience some pretty amazing on-water assignments, from kayaking Gloucester Island in the Whitsundays, to photographing yellow fin tuna off Port Lincoln, to shooting a Birdsville character sailing a skiff along The Diamantina River. (davidkellyphotographer.com.au)
Image by David Kelly
Interview by Andy Kancachian