The Story of the Sea Dragon Coast Song 2005 -
Sandi McMenamin.
As artist in residence of the Southern Fleurieu's Leafy Sea Dragon Festival
earlier this year, I was commissioned by the Yankalilla Council to write a song
about the rugged coastline from Myponga to cape Jervis, which will aptly be
renamed the Sea Dragon Coast, in deference to the rare leafy
sea dragon which makes its home under the Rapid Bay Jetty. My song THE
SEA DRAGON COAST was recorded in May 2005.
I am lucky to be involved in this project with local resident Ron Tremaine,
ex-Adelaide promoter/entrepreneur, for whom I worked at Ayers House Restaurants
in the 1980s. We have made a DVD of the song to promote this stunning but
under-publicised region. It also draws more attention to the fascinating
leafy sea dragon , South Australia's marine emblem, and an endangered
species.
The CD includes the above 3 songs along with my song about Rapid Bay, where Ron
and his wife live, and where Colonel Light first set foot on mainland South
Australia in 1836.
Before composing the song, I watched several short videos clips of the leafy
sea dragon, and ascertained that the music needed to be in 6/8 time to properly
convey it's slow and graceful movement. It was also important to make reference
in the lyrics to the leafy sea dragon's habitat and how its survival is so
directly dependent on each of us keeping the oceans as pollution-free as
possible.
All the place names in the Sea Dragon Coast area needed to be in the song,
without it sounding like a soul-less travelogue. Re-editing is essential
in composing! Hopefully the listener will agree that the poetic feel of the
song has been maintained throughout.
We are also developing an educational package on the leafy sea dragon for
children in Years 1 to 3. It will incorporate the CD. I have already found that
children are drawn to THE SEA DRAGON COAST song, as they are drawn to the leafy
sea dragon itself.
THE SEA DRAGON COAST was premiered at the Bush Cabaret at the end of the Leafy
Sea Dragon Festival, and the DVD/CD was launched at a cocktail party at the
Trafford Hill Winery in Normanville on Friday 9th September 2005 in the
presence of local sponsors, council members, cameraman extraordinaire Gary
Juleff, and radio personalities Barry Ion and Tony Pilkington.
To purchase copies of the DVD or CD
please email rontremaine@bigpond.co.au
or
visit our contact page and forward a request.
DVD $16 (AUD)
CD $13 (AUD)
all prices include postage and packing.
Click here to read the lyricks to "The Sea Dragon Coast"
Sandi McMenamin
For more details on Sandi McMenamin, her career or to make bookings,
click here.
