Lyrebirds hold the history of the forest in their song, but are they now singing the sad story of human encroachment? This is the question multi-award-winning feature film The Message of the Lyrebird explores. 

Join Barung Landcare and Creative Producer of the film, Mark Pearce from Balangara Films for a fundraising screening and community conversation on Thursday October 20 in Maleny.  

The Message of the Lyrebird is a thought-provoking film that follows the stories of different people and communities who are researching and co-existing with wildlife along the east coast, looking at ways to protect these vital ecosystems so that the lyrebird and other Australian wildlife can continue their journey.  

“People can get overwhelmed by the state of the environment at times,” said Megan Lee from Barung Landcare. 

“But there are many ways we can all help to improve the trajectory of our environment, and we will be exploring some of these themes on the evening.”  

The audience will hear from representatives of local groups and organisations who are making a difference across the Hinterland. People will have an opportunity to learn more about how they can be involved in the recovery and protection of the environment. 

“I have been fortunate to travel along the east coast of Australia in search of stories to create this film. And despite the challenges the Australian environment faces, there are many inspiring people doing great things to restore knowledge, reconnect people to the natural world, and are helping to make a difference. There is still a lot of hope,” said Creative Producer Mark Pearce. 

“There’s something strange about human nature where people want to hear the lyrebird imitate our sounds back to us. If lyrebirds do mimic sounds of human origin in the wild, I want to find these birds and film it to show that the filming I did for (David Attenborough’s) “Life of Birds” is actually a true reflection of real wild behaviour.

“My wife and I moved to the hinterland four years ago and became new custodians of a koala forest in September 2021, living in the Conondale area of the Mary Valley. We decided to move up here from Melbourne to live in coexistence with wildlife and a community of people who care deeply about their environment.” 

The event will also raise funds to support local environmental projects that will help increase habitat for wildlife and improve the quality of our environment.

• Maleny Community Centre, Thursday 20 October, 6pm-8pm (doors and bar will open from 5.30 pm). To book: Call Barung Landcare on 07 5494 3151 or visit www.barunglandcare.org.au/lyrebird