Bush to Belly
A$16,455
of $15,000 targetyrs ago
Successful on 24th Jan 2014 at 12:00PM.
Picture an Italian espresso machine on the back of a four-wheel drive trundling through the Kimberley. Enthusiastic and skillful indigenous kids - budding baristas and chefs - make lattes, machiatos, and piccolos for grey nomads and lycra-clad city cyclists who value their crafted caffeine.
Our goal is to produce a documentary film to be screened on national television, that captures the life-affirming adventure of 'Bush to Belly' on the Gibb River Road in the Australian outback.
Yiyili school students engage with busloads of tourists during the dry season, who stop to browse local art at the Laari Gallery. The Bush to Belly kids go mobile as well - transporting their espresso machine along the Kimberley’s ‘super highway’, making the best coffee for hundreds of kilometres in any direction for adventurous, caffeine-loving cyclists. It's one of the gnarliest mountain bike rides on the planet - the 700 km Gibb River Challenge, and in May 2014, we’ll be there to film the highs and lows of mobile café life; bulldust, bikes and rich cultural exchange. It’s a story of engagement through laughter and lattes, that’s empowering one of the most remote communities on earth.
About Yiyili and YACS
The Yiyili community is 170 kms south east of Fitzroy Crossing in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. The Yiyili Aboriginal Community School was established as an alternative to the hostel located in Halls Creek. The school operates a bus which transports children from 6 different out-station communities in the area. It’s one of several Aboriginal Independent Community Schools in Western Australia, and is governed by a board made up of the principal and elected community members.
About Bush to Belly
Bush to Belly began as a project where Yiyili students learn how to source and prepare a wide range of foods - using both blackfella and whitefella methods - from the bush to the belly.
Hospitality teacher at Hamilton District Skills Centre in Victoria, Anthony ‘Gilly’ MacGillivray, travelled to Yiyili to train students in nutrition and barista and food preparation skills. Equipped with their new skills, students set up a successful café for tourists.
Word of the young baristas making ‘city coffee’ spread through tour companies, and Bush to Belly became a regular stop-off that enriches the experiences of tourists and the students alike. The Yiyili youngsters develop workplace skills in a supportive environment, build confidence and self-esteem and engage with people from around Australia and the world.
We are really happy and grateful to have Genovese and KeepCup supporting our project - donating rewards for our wonderful pozible donors!
Apart from the fun and characters that this story will bring to the screen, there are some very sobering reasons we think enabling projects like this one are important. Indigenous Australians continue to experience devastating affects of colonisation:
- Life expectancy is 17 years less than that of non-indigenous Australians
- Unemployment rate is three times higher
- Indigenous students are half as likely to complete high school.
- The infant mortality rate is triple than that of non-indigenous Australians and
- Indigenous Australians have significantly higher rates of mental health problems, chronic diseases and disabilities.
Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people still live on their traditional country. Forced migration into urban areas has proved to be detrimental to health, education and cultural identity. This is why it's important to support grassroots projects that provide educational and employment opportunities and allow communities to have the choice to remain on country.
About The Gibb Challenge
The annual Gibb Challenge is a mountain bike relay along 700%20 kilometres of the unforgiving Gibb River Road through the Kimberley. Participants ride in teams, taking turns to each ride a stretch of the rough road. The principal aim of the event is to raise community awareness and money for charity. In 2013 the Gibb Challenge raised over $310,000 for The Royal Flying Doctors Association. Riders embark on this grueling journey at the port town of Derby, heading up through the guts of The Kimberley and finishing at the world acclaimed El Questro Wilderness Park.
Our goal is to produce a documentary film to be screened on national television, that captures the life-affirming adventure of 'Bush to Belly' on the Gibb River Road in the Australian outback.
Yiyili school students engage with busloads of tourists during the dry season, who stop to browse local art at the Laari Gallery. The Bush to Belly kids go mobile as well - transporting their espresso machine along the Kimberley’s ‘super highway’, making the best coffee for hundreds of kilometres in any direction for adventurous, caffeine-loving cyclists. It's one of the gnarliest mountain bike rides on the planet - the 700 km Gibb River Challenge, and in May 2014, we’ll be there to film the highs and lows of mobile café life; bulldust, bikes and rich cultural exchange. It’s a story of engagement through laughter and lattes, that’s empowering one of the most remote communities on earth.
About Yiyili and YACS
The Yiyili community is 170 kms south east of Fitzroy Crossing in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. The Yiyili Aboriginal Community School was established as an alternative to the hostel located in Halls Creek. The school operates a bus which transports children from 6 different out-station communities in the area. It’s one of several Aboriginal Independent Community Schools in Western Australia, and is governed by a board made up of the principal and elected community members.
About Bush to Belly
Bush to Belly began as a project where Yiyili students learn how to source and prepare a wide range of foods - using both blackfella and whitefella methods - from the bush to the belly.
Hospitality teacher at Hamilton District Skills Centre in Victoria, Anthony ‘Gilly’ MacGillivray, travelled to Yiyili to train students in nutrition and barista and food preparation skills. Equipped with their new skills, students set up a successful café for tourists.
Word of the young baristas making ‘city coffee’ spread through tour companies, and Bush to Belly became a regular stop-off that enriches the experiences of tourists and the students alike. The Yiyili youngsters develop workplace skills in a supportive environment, build confidence and self-esteem and engage with people from around Australia and the world.
We are really happy and grateful to have Genovese and KeepCup supporting our project - donating rewards for our wonderful pozible donors!
Apart from the fun and characters that this story will bring to the screen, there are some very sobering reasons we think enabling projects like this one are important. Indigenous Australians continue to experience devastating affects of colonisation:
- Life expectancy is 17 years less than that of non-indigenous Australians
- Unemployment rate is three times higher
- Indigenous students are half as likely to complete high school.
- The infant mortality rate is triple than that of non-indigenous Australians and
- Indigenous Australians have significantly higher rates of mental health problems, chronic diseases and disabilities.
Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people still live on their traditional country. Forced migration into urban areas has proved to be detrimental to health, education and cultural identity. This is why it's important to support grassroots projects that provide educational and employment opportunities and allow communities to have the choice to remain on country.
About The Gibb Challenge
The annual Gibb Challenge is a mountain bike relay along 700%20 kilometres of the unforgiving Gibb River Road through the Kimberley. Participants ride in teams, taking turns to each ride a stretch of the rough road. The principal aim of the event is to raise community awareness and money for charity. In 2013 the Gibb Challenge raised over $310,000 for The Royal Flying Doctors Association. Riders embark on this grueling journey at the port town of Derby, heading up through the guts of The Kimberley and finishing at the world acclaimed El Questro Wilderness Park.
Outcomes
Producing an engaging, entertaining and ultimately joyous documentary will enable Bush to Belly’s remarkable achievements in student engagement and community empowerment to reach a wide audience, showcasing the value of a collaborative, experiential approach to indigenous education. This will help Bush to Belly to continue to grow at Yiyili and into other communities, changing lives and cross-cultural understanding for the better.
Having the Bush to Belly documentary screened on national television will bring exposure to a positive model of social development. It will also bring joy to people who love a good yarn, amazing scenery and inspiring characters!
Having the Bush to Belly documentary screened on national television will bring exposure to a positive model of social development. It will also bring joy to people who love a good yarn, amazing scenery and inspiring characters!
A bit about us...
The Production Company
REDgum Communications was founded by James Freemantle in 2008. Based in Moscow during 2007/08 James was an international anchor for 24-hour TV News channel Russia Today, broadcasting globally. REDgum is a charity partner of Ladder – tackling youth homelessness, and the Entrust Foundation and REDgum’s Entrust documentary – Wise philanthropy in the developing world – which James filmed, wrote and produced in Cambodia and Thailand, has been screened on pay TV multiple times in 2013.
The Team
Anthony ‘Gilly’ MacGillivray
A successful restaurateur for 35 years, Gilly is an inducted member of the Southern Grampians Business Hall of Fame. He now passes on his extensive knowledge of hospitality to students at the Hamilton District Skills Centre, and the Yiyili school in Western Australia, and has a deep commitment to indigenous culture and people.
James Freemantle
James was born and bred in Hamilton, Victoria. He’s travelled extensively (working as a prawn-fisherman, windsurf instructor, opal miner, actor and jackaroo) and is a mental health advocate for SANE Australia. He is well known for his exuberant TV work circa 1998 - 2007 when he wrote, produced and presented over 300 stories for Australian television - on Coxy's Big Break, Postcards, Talk to the Animals and Bread. In 2005 James was the writer and producer of the Coxy's Big Break Marine Parks Special which was awarded a Victorian Coastal Award for Excellence in Media. His short film Invincible Summer was runner up Best Documentary in the Hope Awards 2006, and in 2007 Farmarama was shortlisted in Tropfest.
Nell Reidy
Nell completed her undergraduate degree last year at Monash University with a major in Anthropology, specializing in Australian Indigenous Studies. In 2010 she spent several weeks volunteering at Warlukulangu Arts Centre in Yuendumu, Northern Territory, where she assisted artists within the arts centre and also spent a little time helping with community liaison. In 2011 she volunteered as a mentor with the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME), an organisation that works to provide Indigenous high school students with the skills, confidence and opportunities to complete school at the same rate as non indigenous students.
Peter Reidy
With 3 decades’ experience as a television camera operator, in every genre of TV from news and current affairs to magazine, live variety and documentary, Peter knows what it takes to create a great image, and get the best from on-camera talent.
He’s shot world leaders, models, sportspeople, criminals and actors for a multitude of shows including Sixty Minutes, Wide World of Sport, Australian Idol and Postcards, and has been at the coal face of breaking news, capturing the drama of such events as the Beaconsfield mine rescue.
Luke McDade
Luke’s a creative, conscientious and talented editor with great technical knowledge and extensive experience in commercial and dramatic multimedia production.
A dynamo in the edit suite: from the catwalks at Melbourne Spring Fashion Week, to the mountains of Garriwerd, Luke provides a complete production resource as both camera operator and editor.
Justin Brady
Justin Brady is well known to Australian music industry as an electrifying harmonica player. He is most well known as a multi-instrumentalist for one of Australia’s favourite ARIA Award winning bands, Things of Stone and Wood, and the winner of the Golden Harmonica award at the Tamworth Country Music Festival in 2006. Over the years Justin has toured Australia, Europe, the UK and Canada with Things of Stone and Wood and performed in the US with blues legend Guitar Shorty.
**Many thanks to Justin for the use of his original track Chickenchase for the Bush to Belly promotional video.
REDgum Communications was founded by James Freemantle in 2008. Based in Moscow during 2007/08 James was an international anchor for 24-hour TV News channel Russia Today, broadcasting globally. REDgum is a charity partner of Ladder – tackling youth homelessness, and the Entrust Foundation and REDgum’s Entrust documentary – Wise philanthropy in the developing world – which James filmed, wrote and produced in Cambodia and Thailand, has been screened on pay TV multiple times in 2013.
The Team
Anthony ‘Gilly’ MacGillivray
A successful restaurateur for 35 years, Gilly is an inducted member of the Southern Grampians Business Hall of Fame. He now passes on his extensive knowledge of hospitality to students at the Hamilton District Skills Centre, and the Yiyili school in Western Australia, and has a deep commitment to indigenous culture and people.
James Freemantle
James was born and bred in Hamilton, Victoria. He’s travelled extensively (working as a prawn-fisherman, windsurf instructor, opal miner, actor and jackaroo) and is a mental health advocate for SANE Australia. He is well known for his exuberant TV work circa 1998 - 2007 when he wrote, produced and presented over 300 stories for Australian television - on Coxy's Big Break, Postcards, Talk to the Animals and Bread. In 2005 James was the writer and producer of the Coxy's Big Break Marine Parks Special which was awarded a Victorian Coastal Award for Excellence in Media. His short film Invincible Summer was runner up Best Documentary in the Hope Awards 2006, and in 2007 Farmarama was shortlisted in Tropfest.
Nell Reidy
Nell completed her undergraduate degree last year at Monash University with a major in Anthropology, specializing in Australian Indigenous Studies. In 2010 she spent several weeks volunteering at Warlukulangu Arts Centre in Yuendumu, Northern Territory, where she assisted artists within the arts centre and also spent a little time helping with community liaison. In 2011 she volunteered as a mentor with the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME), an organisation that works to provide Indigenous high school students with the skills, confidence and opportunities to complete school at the same rate as non indigenous students.
Peter Reidy
With 3 decades’ experience as a television camera operator, in every genre of TV from news and current affairs to magazine, live variety and documentary, Peter knows what it takes to create a great image, and get the best from on-camera talent.
He’s shot world leaders, models, sportspeople, criminals and actors for a multitude of shows including Sixty Minutes, Wide World of Sport, Australian Idol and Postcards, and has been at the coal face of breaking news, capturing the drama of such events as the Beaconsfield mine rescue.
Luke McDade
Luke’s a creative, conscientious and talented editor with great technical knowledge and extensive experience in commercial and dramatic multimedia production.
A dynamo in the edit suite: from the catwalks at Melbourne Spring Fashion Week, to the mountains of Garriwerd, Luke provides a complete production resource as both camera operator and editor.
Justin Brady
Justin Brady is well known to Australian music industry as an electrifying harmonica player. He is most well known as a multi-instrumentalist for one of Australia’s favourite ARIA Award winning bands, Things of Stone and Wood, and the winner of the Golden Harmonica award at the Tamworth Country Music Festival in 2006. Over the years Justin has toured Australia, Europe, the UK and Canada with Things of Stone and Wood and performed in the US with blues legend Guitar Shorty.
**Many thanks to Justin for the use of his original track Chickenchase for the Bush to Belly promotional video.
The Challenges
With any outdoor filming project, we're at the mercy of the elements, which brings some risk. Our distance from Yiyili presents communications and logistical challenges, however all communications, permissions, arrangements and plans have so far progressed smoothly, and we are tremendously motivated to make this production entertaining, insightful and useful. There's a risk that networks might not screen the film, but if we plan, shoot, edit, score and promote the production to the best of our abilities, we believe there won't be a network who could refuse! And the more people who show their support for what we're doing, the greater the motivation to have it aired.
A small amount can make a huge difference! You'll have our eternal gratitude, and the knowledge that you've helped bring the smiles of the Bush to Belly baristas to the world.
13 chosen
Est. delivery is Nov 13
You'll receive 250g of Genovese coffee and a personal shout-out on our Facebook page.
7 chosen / 193 available
Est. delivery is Dec 13
The Bush to Belly Coffee Pack - 250g Genovese coffee - Your own Bush to Belly branded KeepCup - A DVD of the finished documentary
48 chosen / 52 available
Est. delivery is Dec 13
The Delux Bush to Belly Coffee Pack - 250g Genovese Coffee - Your own Bush to Belly branded KeepCup - a DVD of the finished documentary - Bush to Belly Food Co. Apron - Bush to Belly Food Co. hat
22 chosen / 28 available
Est. delivery is Jul 14
- The Delux Bush to Belly Coffee Pack - A high quality print taken in the breathtakingly beautiful Kimberley Region - A personal thank you in the end credits of the documentary.
21 chosen / 29 available
Est. delivery is Jul 14
We'd love to thank you in person, and invite you and a friend to the premier screening of the documentary, as well as personally thank you in the credits. You'll also receive two stunning poster prints from the Bush to Belly production.
0 chosen / 30 available
Est. delivery is Jul 14
For such a generous contribution you'll receive - 2 VIP packages which include tickets to the premier screening and an invitation to exclusive drinks with the crew beforehand - recognition in the film credits as a Supporting Producer - the Bush to Belly Photo Book - our eternal respect and gratitude!
0 chosen / 15 available
Est. delivery is Jul 14
Come with us! Get yourself to Broome and we'll take you to Yiyili, then along the Gibb River Road with cast and crew. Hang out with the kids from YACS, visit Laari gallery, learn about Indigenous cultures, see ancient rock art and get down and dusty with us along the Gibb River Rd, taking in some of the most spectacular scenery Australia has to offer. All this while being part of the making of a documentary feature - a week of your life you'll never forget! Plus an Associate Producer credit.
1 chosen / 1 available
Est. delivery is May 14