Event 20: Call of the Reed Warbler

Artist: Charles Massy

Host: Jane McCredie

Charles Massy OAM gained a Bachelor of Science (Zoology, Human Ecology) at ANU, before going farming for 35 years, developing the prominent Merino sheep stud ‘Severn Park’. Concern at ongoing land degradation and humanity’s sustainability challenge saw him return to ANU to undertake a PhD in Human Ecology. Using his personal farming experience as a touchstone, Call of the Reed Warbler tells the real story behind industrial agriculture and the global profit-obsessed corporations driving it. Massy shows how innovative farmers are finding a new way, regenerating their land and witnessing astounding transformations that evidence the vital connection between our soil and our health. Since his 2020 appearance on the ABC program, Australian Story, Massy has reached an even broader audience. In his own words, "What was once sort of regarded as a fringe insurgent movement is now gathering mainstream power. " Charles Massy will be discussing his life’s work with science writer and journalist, Jane McCredie.