Ten year old Spencer Hitchen is a keen bird enthusiast and photographer with a great love for Glossy Black-Cockatoos.
Over the past two years Spencer has been documenting the movements of the local Glossies in an effort to save five hectares of important Glossy habitat which is about to be cleared by Uniting Church for the development of a new aged care facility and retirement village.
Young Spencer has been mentored by local Glossy ‘elders’ Bob Carey and Tim Lennon, and he can now distinguish our individual local Glossies from one another by sight and even sound!
When a temporary art installation of Glossy Black-Cockatoo feathers popped up on the corner of Grasstree Court at the edge of the proposed development over Christmas, Spencer was there to capture it in his own thoughtful style.
The feather installation was accompanied by a sign quoting a post on the Uniting Church Australia Facebook page. The post showed young members of the Uniting Church with a banner saying “Killing the Planet is Against Our Religion”. The installation’s aim was to create more awareness within the Uniting Church congregation coming together on Christmas morning.
Spencer’s mother Maxine supports her son’s dedication to the cause, but Spencer himself initiates and drives their endeavours.
These are Spencer’s and Maxine’s thoughts on the installation:
“Spencer used the grey scale in his photos to show everyone the life that will be lost if the Glossies habitat is destroyed and the sadness he feels if this should be allowed to happen. He wanted the Glossies feathers to stand out to remind everyone that this is part of the Glossies vital home range.
In the first photo there are 24 feathers that can be seen, which for him represent the 24 birds he has observed and recorded feeding and drinking on this site last year.
This is indeed a rare ecosystem with an abundance of life. We have an abundance of Allocasurina littoralis (Fussy Glossy Black-Cockatoo feed trees) and the vulnerable Glossy Black-Cockatoos flock to this site in large numbers to feed on these trees, roost, drink, mate/find a suitable partner and teach their offspring how to feed and drink here. This vital Glossy Black-Cockatoo habitat should be placed under absolute protection. The loss of this habitat we do believe would drive our already vulnerable Glossy Black-Cockatoo species to extinction.
Through art and photography over the past two years Spencer has tried to raise awareness of our local Glossies plight, due to the development of Grasstree court by Uniting Care (Blue Care). He hopes now we can work together with the Uniting Church to save this vital Glossy Black-Cockatoo habitat.
Spencer and all of the children on this planet are relying on the Uniting Church to stop the destruction of this habitat and save it for our future generations. Our Global children need to be heard and we believe the Uniting Church will listen and restore their hope for the future.
Let’s make it everyone’s mission to stop killing our planet.
Thank-you
Spencer & Maxine Hitchen
For the Glossies & the Children.
Spencer’s creativity takes flight elsewhere too
Spencer’s drawings were selected Runner up in the Under 12’s in 2019 and Finalist in the Under 13’s in 2020 in the Holmes Realistic Australian Bird Art Junior Prize.
Spencer also entered his 2020 Glossy Black-Cockatoo drawing into the Caloundra Regional Gallery Local Artists-Local Content Junior 2021 Art Prize. Good luck Spencer!
