quote The 350 strong crowd in the Sydney Town Hall were instantly capivated by Vox Bandicoot, - everybody from professional executives from Sydney Water to 10 year olds. They communicated their environmental message with humour and conviction. There was never a dull moment when Vox were on stage.

Joanna Lumby
Streamwatch
Sydney Water

 

 

Vox History

Vox Bandicoot was incorporated in 1988. At the time, Frank Ryan and Stephen Ray were working separately in two of Melbourne's premier environmental education institutions. They were also part of the editorial team for the Victorian Association for Environmental Education's journal Eingana. And perhaps more pertinently Steve and Frank were in the third year of producing and presenting "An Environmental Affair" each Saturday morning on Radio 3CR.

Then along came the Helmeted Honeyeater.

Vox Bandicoot P/L nearly took its name from this (then) perilously endangered bird instead of the (then) equally perilously endangered Eastern Barred Bandicoot. In a nutshell, Frank Ryan "blew the whistle" within his workplace over in-action in relation to the Helmeted Honeyeater, using the radio show and also by appearing on ABC 774 Melbourne, then 3LO, with Doug Aiton. According to Professor Boyd Wykes, the Helmeted Honeyeater, as a species, may not have survived the winter of 1988! (fewer than a handful in 1988, now hundreds and successful programs in place)

The power of communication to generate a bit of focussed energy for the Helmeted Honeyeater among the upper echelons, was confirmation, if needed, of the power of environmental education to create change.

This broadcast lifted the lid, Frank was seriously carpeted, the Helmeted Honeyeater was saved and Vox Bandicoot was formed ... with more than a little help from good old Billy Psarras.

By late 1988, Steve and Frank were touring the land as Roger Potterer and Ranger Euca Lyptus, Tony Banana and Euca the Sad Clown. Wow, what a start to what is probably the only organisation of its kind in the World.

In 1989, we created two new performance "A Little Bush Magic" and "More The Meets The Sky". Not unlike the story Al Gore now tells of being tuned into greenhouse gas pollution, global warming and climate change, "Sky" was possibly the first ever piece of theatre in education to also tackle these issues. It is a court room drama in the case of The Earth vs ConSumer. It was way ahead of it's time and reached 200,000 or so people.

And now, through 20 years of development, Vox Bandicoot has worked literally hundreds upon hundreds of local communities, some of Australia's bluest chip companies, countless schools, universities and key government departments. It has been such a privilege to have met and learned from so many great people ... who are dedicated to the Earth. Together, programs we've created include ...