JOINT MEDIA RELEASE

Embassy of the Kingdom of the in Canberra &KalbarriDevelopmentAssociation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 19 April, 2012

To celebrate the 300-year anniversary of the Zuytdorp shipwreck a new and dynamic festival will be held in Kalbarri, , on 2-3 June 2012. 300-year Anniversary of Zuytdorp Shipwreck: History in the Making History will be made as His Excellency Willem Andreae, Ambassador of the Netherlands, and Nanda elders light a bonfire on the foreshore in Kalbarri as part of the 300-year anniversary of the Zuytdorp Shipwreck.

Under the auspices of Embassy of the Netherlands in Australia, the Kalbarri Development Association (KDA), Kalbarri’s annual Canoe and Cray Carnival will proudly introduce the ‘Zest Festival’ on the Foundation long weekend on the 2nd and 3rd June 2012.

The Zest Festival is a five year event that will take Kalbarri and nearby communities up to the 400th anniversary of the landing by Dirk Hartog in 2016. The Embassy and KDA are partnering with the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions (CHE), Shire of Northampton, the Western Australian Museum, the Regional West Australian Newspaper Group, and Shark Bay World Heritage, to make this happen.

“The festival is inspired by this significant collision between two worlds. It will ignite a new interpretation of history, and explore our connections to other countries, in particular those cultures touched by the ; , India, and the Netherlands,” Bec Millar, Zest Festival Coordinator said.

“In this case the oceans did not separate two faraway countries, but established the essential link between them, thus providing for a fascinating meeting of different cultures. The 300-year anniversary of the loss of the Zuytdorp is a wonderful way to commemorate that eventful moment. I am happy that this special moment is being celebrated simultaneously at both ends of the globe: during the Zest Festival in Kalbarri, where the Zuytdorp came to rest and in the Netherlands and more specifically in Middelburg, where the Zuytdorp departed in 1711. To me that is of special significance, as I was born and raised in Middelburg,” Dutch Ambassador Willem Andreae said.

“Through ancient crafts of storytelling, the trade and taste of spices, exploring our cultural connections and the way we express and experience life today, Zest will open our eyes to the future through a unique historical lens. Weaving its way through these experiences will be the power of human emotion,” Millar said.

“The ARC Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions is proud to be a co-sponsor of this event. By exploring the historical events surrounding this shipwreck, we gain valuable insights into the emotional ambience of the period, and how this impacts on the local community today,” Prof Susan Broomhall, CHE Chief Investigator said.

Some of the activities on offer are a welcome to country by Nanda Elders, Still Life/Our Life exhibition, Chamber of Rhetoric: storytelling in the 21st Century (rederijkerskamers), Trade wind tastings, and erecting a plaque provided by the Shire of Northampton.

“We are taking the essence of the Chambers of Rhetoric from Amsterdam and holding a storytelling event around a bonfire on the Saturday evening. This bonfire represents the beacon of the Zuytdorp survivors on the top of the cliffs which was kept burning in vain as a signal for a much yearned rescue ship which never came. Here audiences can watch the flames and listen to stories, poems and plays that thrill, move and celebrate our region and history,” Millar said. Evelyn Curnow from the Kalbarri District High School is learning all “And the commemorative event in Middelburg will pay special about Dutch 17th and 18th Century attention to the Nanda culture with the opening of an exhibition culture and the Zuytdorp of Nanda art. It is a fitting tribute to the Nanda people, who shipwreck. Painting with spice is showed courage and compassion by coming to the rescue of the fun and smells good too. survivors of the Zuytdorp,whentheyreallyneededit,”Willem Andreae said.

Website ZEST Festival: http://zestfest.experiencekalbarri.com/ ---

-For more Media Enquiries related the ZEST Festival contact the festival coordinator: Ms Bec Millar Kalbarri Dvelopment Association Ph: +61 8 0428931362 E-mail: [email protected]

-For more information concerning Dutch-Australian Cultural (Heritage) Affairs: Mr Wilfred Hulzebosch Cluster Cultural Affairs and Public Diplomacy Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.netherlands.org.au/cultural-heritage / www.culturalheritageconnections.org/wiki/Australia