A Tawny frogmouth, often mistaken for an owl. Mat: “They’re beautiful and so well camouflaged.”
Story by Julie Nance, photos and video: Mat van der Aa
Mat van der Aa swapped detonating explosives in the Air Force for life as an outdoor educator and guide. His ‘office’ is the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, and his mission is to inspire teenagers to respect and love the bush as much as he does. The lower Mountains resident shares some of his favourite wildlife photos and videos, including his most memorable moment – a Superb Lyrebird mimicking other birds and dancing.
Mat immerses himself in nature every week and enjoys motivating young people to gain the physical and psychological benefits he does.
Mat was having a rough day when he chanced upon a lyrebird on Prince Henry Cliff walk in Katoomba. He had spotted lyrebirds in the bush plenty of times but this was the first time he saw one dance. The biggest bonus was being able to sit and watch its performance for 15 minutes.
“It actually moved me quite a lot,” Mat says. “I was a little bit emotional driving home and it was one of the coolest things I’ve ever witnessed. It was magical.”
Carol Probets, Blue Mountains birding guide of more than 30 years, explains what the lyrebird is doing in each of the videos:
Video 1: This is a typical stream of mimicry of other bird calls interspersed with the lyrebird’s own territorial song. Other bird calls include Pied Currawong, Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo, Laughing Kookaburra, Eastern Whipbird, Grey Shrike-thrush and Satin Bowerbird.
Video 2: Male lyrebirds generally display on a scratched-up mound of earth, but they also display on logs and in trees, as this bird is doing. Here, his tail is inverted over his body and spread wide. You can see the right lyrate feather is broken off with only a short stub remaining. A new feather will grow the next time the bird moults. The repeated clicking sound is part of the bird’s normal breeding display and may serve as an invitation to females.
Q and A with Mat
You are a 19-year veteran of both the Army and Air Force, the latter part working in explosive ordinance disposal. That sounds more nerve-racking than your current role.
I wanted to give back to society. Defence around the world has put a lot of explosives out there and I wanted to get rid of at least some of them. It didn’t end up agreeing with my body so I thought of another path and that’s what I’m doing now.
I help facilitate school camps and Duke of Edinburgh programs which involve a hike but at times a paddle too or just a paddle program.
It has an emphasis on service, volunteering, learning new skills and sport. It’s an adventurous journey which basically puts the students outside their comfort zone and builds resilience. I get to have fun and run around in the bush as well. For the school camps I run activities including confidence courses, kayaking, canoeing, bushwalking, abseiling, climbing, a bit of archery and an obstacle course.
Mat climbing in his spare time: “I grew up on a dairy farm in New Zealand. Since moving to the Blueys, I’ve developed a strong appreciation of the Australian bush.”
How important is connecting to nature for you?
It’s integral to good mental health. We’ve come a long way from sticks and stones and having to run our prey down but we didn’t evolve to live inside four walls.
I just know that previously dealing with depression and anxiety, if I’m out in nature it really helps. A Sydney Red Gum loves a good hug and it’s super nice when it’s a really hot day and the tree is quite cool. It’s the same if I’m in a kayak, canoe or on a stand-up board; you realise you are very small in the grand scheme of things. While my problems are very real, they don’t particularly matter a whole lot to everything else that’s going on. Being out in nature just gives you a bit of perspective every now and then.
“Some kind of cool caterpillar. He was just down below Martin’s Lookout where there’s a rock climbing crag, Slab World.”
Are students nervous in the bush?
I obviously do a brief on snakes before we start running around. All the usual things like stop and back away slowly. Snakes aren’t by nature aggressive and they’re not going to attack unless you step on them or they feel threatened or cornered. Normally though, they’ll go the other way quite quickly.
You definitely get a lot of squeals with spiders and that’s something we have to drum into students, that a spider is not an emergency. Don’t wake us up if there’s a spider in your tent.
Diamond python: “That was the second one I saw that morning. You respect their space and they won’t enter yours.”
What on earth is that? Mat: “Sawfly larvae. They love gum leaves.”
What do you like most about sharing your bush playground with students?
A lot of kids are book smart but don’t venture outside much. Some haven’t been exposed to the bush at all. At the start of a camp everything seems very unachievable to them. When we’ve gone up a hill, down into a saddle and back up and you’re sitting there looking back at the hill; it’s not particularly high by an adult’s standards but these kids look back in disbelief. And then there’s a little light in their eyes like ‘I just did that. I can do these things’. It’s pretty cool to watch the evolution of the thoughts in their minds and the looks on their faces.
The group I had last week, it was wonderful watching the growth from the first day to the fourth day of camp when they were leaving. I like being able to impart a little bit of love and curiosity about the environment, how to have minimal impact and all the different animals we come across.
This story has been produced as part of a Bioregional Collaboration for Planetary Health and is supported by the Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (DRRF). The DRRF is jointly funded by the Australian and New South Wales governments.
In May last year a group of local women launched Homes for Older Women Blue Mountains to address the housing crisis locally. They have now successfully secured affordable accommodation for 50 older women! Writer Julie Nance helped set up the program as a volunteer and recently finished a challenging but rewarding year as Program Manager. She shares the experiences of women involved with, and impacted by, the grass-roots initiative. Read more in Springwood Area Local News here (link in profile): https://springwoodlocalnews.com/gaining-hope-and-a-home/
What glorious weather for our Skill Share Saturday today! We had a fabulous day of sharing: T`ai-chi, Fashion Upcycling, Cool Climate Edible Gardens. and then a very enjoyable and productive Bushcare Session, in which we made real progress making a dint into the massive wall of invasive weed. It`s exciting to see beautiful bushland revealed when the weed is removed! And thanks Amanda for this photo of the little frog that leapt out of the rhubarb during our Cool Climate Edible Garden workshop. #skillshare #taichi #upcycling #coolclimategardening #bushcare #planetaryhealth #katoomba #bluemountains...
After a very wet week it looks like it will be the perfect day to enjoy our Skill Share Saturday tomorrow at the Planetary Health Centre: sunshine is predicted! Start the day with gentle calming exercise in our T`ai-chi class at 8am, view our Frogs of the Blue Mountains exhibition, get hands-on experience building a Cold Climate Winter Edible Garden from 9.30 to 12.30, then join us to help restore habitat for wildlife with our Planetary Health Bushcare Group and afternoon tea in the bush from 1.30-4.30. Bookings for T`ai-chi here (link in profile): https://bit.ly/4iF9bkD Bookings for Build a Cold Climate Winter Edible Garden here (link in profile): https://bit.ly/4jqRerw
Contact Karen if you`d like to join our Bushcare Group via email at khising@bmcc.nsw.gov.au or call the Bushcare Office on 4780 5623.
The Planetary Health Centre was buzzing all day today as we welcomed over 100 first year medical students from the University of Notre Dame to learn about Planetary Health. We`re looking forward to more groups coming tomorrow! #medicine #planetaryhealth #medicalstudents #universityofnotredameaustralia #healthyplanethealthypeople...
Our Bushcare Group meets this Saturday 3 May from 1.30 to 4.30 pm. Join us! We`re restoring habitat for wildlife and `dreaming of a time when the land might give thanks for its people`. Our Bushcare group is part of the Planetary Health Centre`s Skill Share Saturday which starts at 8am with T`ai-chi and Qigong and is followed by different workshops each month, then Bushcare and a delicious afternoon tea in the bush! No experience is required. You`ll receive training on identifying native species, and invasive weeds, and training on how to treat/remove those weeds. All tools, gloves and training will be provided by Blue Mountains City Council’s Bushcare Officer. If you have any enquiries or are interested to attend, please contact Karen Hising (Bushcare Officer) via email at khising@bmcc.nsw.gov.au or call the Bushcare Office on 4780 5623. Full information as to what to wear and bring, where to meet and what to expect during the work session will then be provided. If you`d like to learn more about other Planetary Health Centre activities email planetaryhealth@bmcc.nsw.gov.au or ring 0407 437 553 #bushcare #planetaryhealth #wildlife #habitat #katoomba #bluemountains #biodiversity #robinwallkimmerer...
We`re looking forward to our next Saturday morning T`ai-chi and Qigong at 8am this coming Saturday 3 May. It`s the most beautiful gentle exercise to start the day (and the month!), and Virginia Field is a fabulous trainer with over 30 years` experience. Numbers are limited so book in here (link in profile):
Over 80 people gathered in Peace Park Katoomba today to reflect on all victims of war: those who died in battle; those who were maimed physically and/or psychologically; the suffering of loved ones and relatives on the homefront; and those who opposed conscription and war. It was an opportunity to reflect on the causes of war and call for a future of peace and reconciliation. @bm_peace_collective #peace #anzacday #peacenetwork #planetaryhealth #katoomba #bluemountains...
‘The resistance’ to the destructive forces at play in our world is alive, well and spreading infectiously in the welcoming and inclusive zine community. Zines are small, handmade independent `magazines` that are not-for-profit and made for love. Read about the recent inspiring Blue Mountains Zine Fair in our Katoomba Area Local News here: https://www.katoombalocalnews.com/blue-mountains-zine-fair/ (link in profile) and go along to the Mtns Zine Club`s monthly meet-up for making, swapping and sharing zines this Sunday 27 April at the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre from 1.30 to 3.30pm (usually on third Sunday of each month) @mtnszineclub #zines #independentpublishing #resistance #planetaryhealth #club #bluemountains #katoomba #artmaking #creative...
Do you have food growing in your garden over winter? At our next Skill Share on Saturday 3 May you can find out which edible foods grow well over winter in a cold climate, and get hands-on experience building and planting out a no-dig garden bed with a winter crop at the Planetary Health Centre. Through this process you will be given an introduction to permaculture and learn more about seed saving, seed germination, composting and cold climate gardening strategies. Seeds and seedlings will be shared to help you get started at home! Places are limited so bookings essential here: http://bit.ly/4jqRerw (link in profile) #coldclimategardening #wintergardens #ediblegardens #bluemountains #katoomba #planetaryhealth #permaculture #skillshare...
At the Blue Mountains Interfaith Gathering on the 30 March, 97-year old Sister Jacinta Shailer from the Sisters of the Good Samaritan urged us to respond to the increasing challenges facing us by `joining heroic communities’. Read more about what she said and all the other inspiring contributions on the day in our Katoomba Area Local News here: https://www.katoombalocalnews.com/create-heroic-communities/ (link in profile) #interfaith #heroiccommunities #bahai #brahamkumaris #quakers #unitingchurch #catholic #bluemountains #planetaryhealth #katoomba @planetaryhealthalliance...
Our Planetary Health newsletter is now out! Read about the Trainee Administration Position available with the Planetary Health Centre, our upcoming workshops, and the Heroic Communities of the Blue Mountains who are finding housing for older women; creating inclusive and creative alternative media with zines; sharing their faith in the value of compassion, love, kindness, gratitude and joy; and sharing skills for improving physical and mental health and restoring habitat for wildlife, reducing textile waste and growing seeds and edible gardens.
Follow the link here: https://bit.ly/42l8W9O (link in profile)
Julie Nance is a community storyteller with the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Initiative. In her coverage of the Lower Mountains area, she brings 30 years’ experience in communications, publishing and journalism.
After specialising in health and social issues as a journalist, Julie led creative teams in the government and not-for-profit sectors including the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, YMCA NSW, Cancer Council NSW and The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.
Julie is passionate about empowering people with quality information to help them make informed choices.
Electric vehicles continue to grow in popularity across Australia, but many people are still uncertain about their benefits, feasibility, and availability. To try and help local communities in the Lower Mountains have a better understanding of what EV’s can offer, local sustainability advocates, Parents for Climate are hosting an EV Showcase in Blaxland to help bust the EV myths and provide helpful, up-to-date and accessible information.
