Helen Aubert out the front of her Gawler South home discussing her new project. PHOTO: Liam Phillips
AFTER witnessing how rapidly things changed in her home town since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Helen Aubert realised future generations may not understand the gravity of the current situation, so she made the decision to document it by creating a photo-montage to put on YouTube.
Starting at 5am on Anzac Day morning, Ms Aubert, who has spent the past 34 years in Gawler, photographed people sitting in their front yards celebrating in a socially distanced fashion, before making her way to Murray Street, and a number of other iconic Gawler locations.
“I thought to myself, if someone had told me this was going to happen a few months ago, I would’ve said ‘you’ve got to be kidding’,” she said.
“It’s unrealistic, never going to happen – but it did happen. I started to think about my grandchildren, and their children, and how we could tell the story of how it happened, and what we could show for it.
“Some of these people (in the video) I don’t even know – I just saw them in their front yards, pulled up and asked if I could take a photo – and they agreed, which is great.
“I’m just hoping it’s a little bit of history.”
The video highlights a number of Gawler businesses, such as local hotels, laundromats and butchers, but also highlights the kind of unique signs that businesses have put out front – such as the cinema using its ‘session time’ board to display The Ode on Anzac Day, or a notice on a closing business urging locals to “never, never give up”.
Another uniquely Gawler aspect to the video is its music, which was used with permission from local bands IronHorse and Lily and The Drum.
“I felt like I had to get Gawler music behind it,” she said.
“The songs are perfect for it, and John Yacka, who is the drummer, dropped off a CD for me, so the production value would be positive, and people have been telling me it’s quite emotional.
“I didn’t really look at it as being emotional until I re-watched it, but its reached America apparently, so people must be connecting with it, and I’m sure they love all the old buildings we have here.”
To view the video, search “Gawler COVID 19 May 2020 we’re all in this together” on YouTube, or visit the ‘Change Original Music Festival’ Facebook page.
