 Xavier Xue - Prix de Lausanne 2025 Candidate / Photo Courtesy - Prix de Lausanne 2025  Rhyan Foerster - Prix de Lausanne 2025 Candidate / Photo Courtesy - Prix de Lausanne 2025 A dancer’s life is always one of struggle, resilience, patience, pain, agony and shear brut guts and determination. There is not one athlete~artist on the planet that goes through more heart-breaking, enduring loss and then reshaping of mind, body and soul. They are loved for their beauty of line, ridiculed for their style of perservance, envied for their form and athleticism. They are often given the cold shoulder by educators; schools-family-society persuade children not to follow this path of artistic learning in their senior years - because it is not a ‘real job’ - much like the condemnation of most artists in the world. But do you know what? ‘Artists’ are not fickle creatures and are the ones who truly shape this world 🌎 They are the dreamers, the believers, the givers, the doers and are the ones who set the standards for reaching goals; for seeking the pinacle of excellence; for giving up their entire life - shelter, sustenance, spending time with others for the solitary existence they pour their heart into. They live penniless most of their lives, but they are the beings who will be remembered for their selflessness to their art form. They are the names that fill the history books; who inspire the young to dream of magic, princesses and unicorns 🦄. Their art form is what you seek in design, music 🎶 theatre, books; everything you see to live, love and enjoy your life - you can thank that creative - dreamer called - the ‘Artist’.  Hanxi Wang - Prix de Lausanne 2025 Candidate / Photo Courtesy - Prix de Lausanne 2025 The ‘artist’ has shaped this planet beyond our wildest dreams.
Give thanks and gratitude to these givers - you owe them your mental well-being, your love of life, inspiration - past, present and future. You owe them belief in miracles, snails 🐌 fairies 🧚♀️ and the ‘’I’m Possible”. !!! ALERT !!!
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 Photo - Sketa Oz |  Photo - Sketa Oz |
I have to say, I was totally blown away by the number of statues available at the Scented Garden. I counted over 30 statues, but these were my favourites. The attention to detail is just superb and proportionally, each statue stands about three quarters the actual size of a female figure. Centrally place among the falling autumn leaves, these little ladies are very much worth viewing, on a crisp winter morning. The lighting is just great, then!
Photo - Sketa Oz
Among the ladies however, this one really captured my attention as the statue sort of grows out of the dead of leaves.
 Photo - Sketa Oz |  Photo - Sketa Oz |
I don't know how old or how long these statues have existed at the gardens, but I do know they have been here for many years. I remember as a kid, dad would bring me to the parks on various photo shoots and I'd be in my element tossing the leaves about the winter fog. Those were the days when the rains came in the winter months - not much of that happening lately.
 Photo - Sketa Oz |  Photo - Sketa Oz |
This young fellow stands beneath a huge growth of trees, as you enter the Gardens - not far from the tiered iron sculptures that house beds of hanging flowers in the summer months. Yes, they are pretty empty at the moment, but come summer, he'll be in his element among the blossoms. For the time being, this fellow is rugged up for the winter and I don't see him going anywhere fast. :)
Every day we wake to a new day - full of infinite possibilities, opportunities and sights to marvel upon. We push forth through life with determination to bring about change; be it in our own immediate sphere or further abroad, in hope someone like-minded will agree or listen to our plea.
Whether we realise it or not, each of us searches for recognition - of our existence, that we matter, that we are appreciated, that our lives have been sufficiently significant, so that we will be remembered by others because of how we lived our lives, how we have interacted with family, friends, society, the planet and the expectations life places upon us all.
Whether we realise it or not, each of us searches for recognition - of our existence, that we matter, that we are appreciated, that our lives have been sufficiently significant, so that we will be remembered by others because of how we lived our lives, how we have interacted with family, friends, society, the planet and the expectations life places upon us all.
 Photo - Sketa Oz | Sometimes, in that search for significance, life in all its complexities becomes so overwhelming one takes on board every last problem the world has to offer - as if it is one’s own responsibility to resurrect them. Highly sensitive people find it extremely difficult to switch off and will spend every waking and sleeping moment, worrying about the world’s issues and how to come up with a plan to fix them. However, such problems are usually problems every human being on the planet should be thinking about; formulating ideas to solve because one human being alone, is just not enough. The coined phrase – ‘your circle of influence’, eagerly suggested in conversation with a family member has helped me realise one can not move mountains or change the landscape of such a mountain, until there is reach enough to go around the mountain. So this is my enigma… |
Each morning, I leave fresh for work and on my travels to school - I sight dozens of mutilated, native animal carcasses, freshly killed from the night before. In the 50 minutes or so to my final destination, this horrible sight beholds me each morning. It makes me think, how many of these deaths could have been avoided, if one considered to slow down in areas of prolific wildlife?
Photo - Sketa Oz
I do believe that although our animals take a back burner in the eyes of many Australians - as worthy creatures to preserve, I am of the belief all creatures great and small, intelligent or dory – have the right to life, an existence. Each too, has equal rights to a dignified death. We are no more or less worthy of life, but yet we are the only species on the planet that continues to eradicate those in our way.
The creatures of which I speak, are struggling to find water, struggling to find food on the drought-stricken lands of South East Queensland. For the most part, these creatures venture to the sides of the road to nibble on fresh grass shoots that have managed to spring up with the settling of early morning dew.
The creatures of which I speak, are struggling to find water, struggling to find food on the drought-stricken lands of South East Queensland. For the most part, these creatures venture to the sides of the road to nibble on fresh grass shoots that have managed to spring up with the settling of early morning dew.
Photo - Sketa Oz
Yes, such creatures will be startled suddenly; yes, it is a problem to you as a driver. Though if you remember these gentle creatures want nothing from us, except the right to life and the right to feed to sustain that life – you will be considerate enough to slow down at dawn and dusk. We do this for our children going to school in a school zone; we do this for our fellow pedestrians at the crossing; we slow down for bird wildlife around nature reserves and yes, I’m sure we can all slow down for our protected native, iconic Australian wildlife.
These creatures have families as we do, feel pain and are at a loss at the death of a family member – just like us.
Please consider our wildlife and maybe your example will help tourists respect our wildlife, too. For if we can’t show just cause to respect such creatures, why will tourists or immigrants even bother?
These creatures have families as we do, feel pain and are at a loss at the death of a family member – just like us.
Please consider our wildlife and maybe your example will help tourists respect our wildlife, too. For if we can’t show just cause to respect such creatures, why will tourists or immigrants even bother?
