Taree High School teacher, Fiona Corcoran has released a new single under her stage name, Fiona Fields, titled The Fire and the Flood.
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The single is a duet with Uncle Russell Saunders and the video features donated footage from local people and Manning River Times photographer, Scott Calvin. It is a heartbreaking reminder of the disasters that have hit our region, yet is uplifted with the very first Biripi Nation healing dance at Saltwater after the Black Summer bushfires torched our region in 2019.
"I feel very honoured and privileged to have collaborated on this with Uncle Russ," Fiona said.
Uncle Russell said that when Fiona brought the song to him it hit him right in the heart.
"I just knew that this song was going to bring the healing," he said.
"This is my country, Biripi country, that I stand on and live on and so proud to be part of. I've seen my country suffer so badly, even the rainforest was dropping leaves because of the drought.
"Then this fire was just like, 'okay, I'm gonna finish this right off'. It went right through our mountains and valleys and burnt right to the sea. Our poor koalas, they had no more space to go to run from the fire. To see them being burnt from out of the trees was so sad.
"Our people, we got together one time, and said, 'nup, we need to come together, we need to dance on Country. We need to go down there and really beg the Great Spirit to bring healing, to bring rain to our Country'. We cried out to Mother for help and we danced like we never danced before that day. Rain started to sprinkle and then for those next two weeks we had rain, rain and rain. It was like the rains of joy just watered upon us," Uncle Russ said.
We cried out to Mother for help and we danced like we never danced before that day.
- Uncle Russell Saunders, Biripi Elder
The Fire and the Flood was the last song Fiona wrote for her new album, Ride the Wave, which was launched at the Wynter Tavern in front of family and friends in April, supported by Jake Davey and Taree High School year 12 student, Tyler Williams.
"I'm very, very excited. It's been a five year project. I'm super happy that it's finished," Fiona said.
The singer songwriter has been a country music musician for 15 years, and Ride the Wave is her third album. She has collaborated on each of her albums with long-time friend, Roger Corbett of The Bushwackers fame.
"We basically cowrote this whole album together," Fiona said.
"It is definitely the best album so far. With anything you get better at it the more you do it. By the third album I've found where I fit musically."
Ride the Wave is out now on iTunes and Spotify.
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