Lindy Yeates

At low tide, I sat amongst the rocks of  Fishers Wetland, Phillip Island  and listened as the resident shore birds beat their wings overhead; as insects droned and clicked and hummed; as the muddy cavities of the intertidal zone cracked and popped in the sun; as wind shifted the ancient moonah trees. I watched out for snakes on warm days and dodged rain showers in the cold, hanging onto my pages when a southerly storm blew in. 

Here on the coastline during our COVID isolation, I found peace and contentment. Everything stopped and I became fully present to my surroundings; it was such a gift. In an untethered world, I felt grounded. I learned that some things are eternally present in our experience, reminding us that 'this too shall pass'.

Where was your safe-place in 2020?

This work was created over two weeks whilst I sat alongside Mullum Mullum Creek at Currawong Bush Park, a place within 5 kms of my home. Because of Government regulations during COVID lockdown in Melbourne, I could only draw for two hours a day, was required to wear a mask and to keep socially distanced from others. My memories of the people who stopped to talk, particularly the children, are very vivid. So is my memory of the mother duck who taught her ducklings to swim here during those weeks.

Where did you find freedom in lockdown?