Andy Walker’s wife Poppy had the couple’s first “bunny in the oven” when he began thinking about starting a rock band that appealed across generations. A lot of his friends already had children, and the kids’ music scene terrified him. “I grew up listening to KISS records,” he says. It was 2014, and at the time, Andy was a member of stoner band Fort, who toured with groups like Grinspoon and Fu Manchu. He had just played the last show of a tour with the band’s idols, US band Kyuss, and was sitting with the group’s drummer Brant Bjork at legendary Melbourne establishment the Espy when the idea started to take shape. “Brant was telling me about how he was looking forward to going back home to LA to be with his wife and new baby,” Andy says. “It got me thinking about rock’n’roll and family life. I told him about my idea to make rock records which weren’t so much just made for kids but made for everybody including kids. I thought that family life shouldn’t just be dirty nappies, school lunches, soccer, and the ABC Kids channel. It should be full of wonder and excitement with a few sharp edges.”

Six months later, he and Brant were in a studio in California belting out Bunny Racket’s first album with Robby Krieger from The Doors. “Our producer in California played Robby our demo recordings, and he loved the idea and asked to join us in the studio,” Andy says. “A year later, he flew us back out and gave me the keys to his own studio to record Bunny Racket in Space.” Andy also works as a stonemason, and Robby then paid him to redo all the stonework on his house in Beverly Hills.

These days, the band can often be seen performing songs like Jingle Jangle Jaguar, Koala Bear, and Rock’n’Roll Preschool at local events such as the Bangalow Billycart Derby, Mullum Laneway Festival, and Byron Bay Wildlife Sanctuary fundraisers. “We have been the first live show for so many kids out there, and I am really proud of that,” Andy says. “We’ve either set them on a life of rock’n’roll bliss or we’ve sent them home crying. Either way, we have made an impact.”

Members of the three-piece band have changed over the years but have included Boom Boom Bunny (Hamish Rosser of The Vines and Wolfmother fame), Harepai Richmond (The Whitlams drummer Terepai Richmond), Brewery Bunny (Common People’s Jay Kempnich), Wizard Bunny (Bob Nekrasov from negative metal band Rebel Wizard), Space Bunny (Goons of Doom guitarist Tim Cooney), Rat Bunny (George Moran from the Carousel Club), and Dave ‘Bunny’ Jackson (former owner of The Retro Shop in Bangalow). “Our ties go deep here in Bangalow,” Andy says. “We all live in or around this town, and any chance for a Bangalow rock’n’roll show we’ll take it.”

The band has four studio albums to date — Bunny Rumble, Rock’n’Roll Animals, Hoppy Holidays, and Bunny Racket in Space. They are set to release their first CD in three years, Bunny Racket Power, in July. “Power is a straight-up rock record dedicated to kids’ empowerment, freedom, and creativity,” Andy says. “I guess that the Bunny Racket sound has evolved and grown with the families involved in the project. Some of the little bunnies aren’t so little anymore, but the key elements are still there in all the songs like Rainbow Power, We Are the Kids, and Keep the Parents Weird. It’s a really fun record.”

The release is set to keep the band busy for a while, and Andy is hoping it will also help them make a mark on the international stage. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the band had to cancel a 14-date tour of California, Oregon, and Washington in the US. “It was a bit of a dream run, but we managed to save our visa and flight money and built our own studio here in Bangalow,” Andy says. “It’s probably the best thing that we have ever done. Myxomatosis is actually more of a fear of ours, but so far we have been lucky.”

The group is also working on a Bunny Racket animated series. Andy says Bunny Racket is the best gig ever. “Kids really are an honest audience,” he says. “If they feel like dancing, they dance. If they feel like jumping, they jump. If they feel like screaming, they scream. A Bunny Racket gig is a licence to go a little wild. I get to travel, create, and perform with some of my best friends. And we get to meet the Bunny Racketeer families the world over. We also get to rock the stage and be back at home in the burrow before Big Dog goes to bed. After playing late-night shows for years, that really is a treat!”

Bunny Racket will release Bunny Racket Power with a performance at Howl & Moan Records in Byron Bay at 10am on 6 July.

Feature image: Bunny Racket at Broken Head  Photo Kate Holmes Photography

If you’ve lived in the Northern Rivers for a while, chances are you’ve seen a snake of some kind slithering around. The reptiles are abundant throughout the region, with sightings more common in the warmer months when they are out and about looking for food and mating. Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital associate veterinarian Dr Chantal Whitten says several species of snake can be found in the Byron Shire, with the coastal carpet python the most common. “Last month we saw 17 of these snakes at our hospital,” she says. “They were mostly hit by a car or injured by lawn mowers and whipper snippers.” Green tree snakes, also known as common tree snakes, are also common. “The venomous ones to watch out for are red-bellied black snakes and eastern brown snakes,” Dr Whitten says. She says snakes usually hang around where there is food and shelter. “They seek refuge under wood and tin and try to steal eggs and chickens,” she says. If you see a snake, Dr Whitten says the best thing to do is leave it alone. “They are just as scared of us,” she says. If you are unsure if it is venomous, she recommends calling a snake catcher to relocate it. If it’s injured, call WIRES or Northern Rivers Wildlife Carers, who will send an experienced handler to collect it and take it to the hospital for treatment. “We can do some things to help protect them, like not using rodenticide to bait mice and rats as snakes can get secondary poisoning, and checking the lawn for snakes before mowing,” Dr Whitten says.

Marion Nel, from Safe Snake Services, says if you come across a snake in your home, try to lock it in the room you saw it so it’s easier for the snake catcher to locate, and place rolled up towels under doors to stop it escaping. “If your house is open plan, keep a safe distance while keeping an eye on it,” she says. Marion says snakes are often found in bird aviaries and other animal enclosures. “Check your mouse-proofing,” she recommends. “If it’s mouse and rat-proof, it’s snake-proof.”

While she hasn’t necessarily seen more snakes than usual this season, Marion says they seem to be bigger this year. “It’s like they’ve had a good food season last year so they’re all busting at the seams,” she says.

Originally from South Africa, Marion has always had a love of animals and started volunteering with WIRES after moving to McLeans Ridges. “I decided to do snake training as I kept coming across snakes needing help and had my own scary python encounter when one got inside my bird cage and I had no idea what to do,” she says. “One year later I was catching snakes, two years later I was reptile cocoordinator for WIRES, and I’m currently in my third season of private snake catching.”

Marion says we live with snakes safely most of the time. She says to make sure you look wherever you put your hands or feet in the garden to avoid stepping on one. Eastern brown snakes, she says, have the potential to kill a large human with one bite. “Their venom is the second most toxic in the world,” she says. “I’ve seen a really angry brown and it’s not like a normal brown snake giving you a warning, it’s hardcore defensive behaviour with intent to kill when you’ve really upset one and I believe if they wanted to harm us handlers, they would. Red-bellied black snakes are dangerously venomous, but not nearly as dangerous as eastern browns. Snake catchers love red-bellied black snakes because they’re cooperative, beautiful and an impressive snake. They’re amazingly adept at finding their way out of a house if they accidentally get trapped inside. They just need space and time to get away.”

Marion says dogs are by far the biggest problem when it comes to snake safety. “It’s a tough one if the dog is hellbent on finding the snake, but once you’re aware of the danger you have to do whatever you can to prevent an altercation,” she says. “If you’re getting a puppy there are training programs for snake safety, so contact your vet.” Knowing the local snake species is important, Marion says, and every household should have a couple of pressure bandages stored somewhere easy to find and know how to use them in case someone gets bitten. “Always call 000 after applying first aid,” she says. Ballina-based Bridget Thomson, who is one half of The Wildlife Twins, began working as a snake catcher after studying a Bachelor of Applied Science majoring in wildlife science at the University of Queensland, before moving into wildlife education with her sister Sophie. She says 85 per cent of snake bites occur when someone is trying to catch, kill or handle a snake. If you find yourself within one to two metres of a snake, Bridget says to stay still and wait for the snake to move on. “Snakes have terrible vision,” she says.

“Most snakes in Australia can only see about two or three metres, so they react to movement. Even if the snake was startled, just stay calm, stay still, and the snake will move on.” Bridget says that if it’s a hot and windy day, it’s also likely to be an active snake day. “They feel safer moving out in the open when there’s a lot of foliage blowing around as predators like birds can’t spot them as easily,” she says. Snakes, Bridget says, play an important role in the environment and don’t want to hurt us. “I don’t want to scare anyone, but for every snake that you see, there’s probably another 10 around that you didn’t see. We need to respect them.”

When Blake Northfield read the script for Take My Hand, he instantly knew it was something he wanted to be involved in. Not only did he find himself extremely moved by the true love story, but he also knew he’d be able to film it in his local area and drop his daughter off at Bangalow Public School before work – a rare treat for a globetrotting film producer.

The movie, which was shot in Bangalow and surrounding areas between November 2022 and June 2023 stars former Neighbours actress Radha Mitchell, who has also been in movies including Rogue, Surrogates and Finding Neverland. She plays Laura, a vibrant young Australian woman who has forged a successful career in London and seemingly has the perfect marriage. But her world is turned upside down when she is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and her husband starts to show his true colours. When a tragic accident leaves her a widowed mother with three sons, she returns home and is reunited with her old school friend Michael — a divorcee who has loved Laura since they were teenagers. The story is based on writer-director John Raftopolous’ own relationship with Claire Jensz, who is the film’s executive producer. It was shot in locations including Bangalow’s main street, local homes, Victoria’s At Ewingsdale, Baz & Shaz Fruit and Veg at Suffolk Park, Myocum, Byron Bay, Federal, Knockrow and Billinudgel.

The first Blake heard of the project was when his lawyer called him to ask if he could provide some advice to a director who had recently moved to Los Angeles and was getting a film up. “John was previously based in Byron Bay and he and Claire co-own Zephyr Horses,” Blake says. “In the middle of building his home he had moved over to Hollywood to give it a good crack.” A few months later, Blake got back in touch to see how his film was progressing. “The call led to John sending the script through for my team and I to look at. When we read it we realised we could shoot the film here with a small shoot in London, so we called him to tell him to come home. He and Claire were on a flight back within the week and we kicked off the development process. The film is based on Claire’s incredible story. She’s an inspirational woman and so her journey and their love story on the side is like the icing on the cake. The story is full of hope, resilience and a never-give-up attitude. It was impossible to not be attracted to it.”

Blake grew up in the region and moved to Sydney after leaving school. He worked in shows including Home and Away, Please Like Me and The Story of Us before cofounding Bronte Pictures. When his partner Niah fell pregnant with their first child, they moved back home to be closer to family and friends, living in Bangalow before recently relocating to Ewingsdale.

“It was such a pinch myself moment personally to be able to shoot in Bangalow,” Blake says. “The script is set between a country town in Australia and London. Not only does the Northern Rivers offer a variety of small towns that can be kind of ‘cheated’ as one another, it also offers some real estate and settings that can be used to portray countryside London. Bangalow’s main street, early morning with the mist and before the traffic hits feels the same as it did 20 years ago. It’s a place of undeniable charm and offers audiences a feeling of escapism.”

Convenience was also a key factor. “At one stage we had unit base set up in the Showgrounds behind the primary school,” Blake says. “To have my kids be able to come to my work, have breakfast with them on the set and then walk my daughter, Matilda, over to school is a memory I’ll always cherish. Being able to use family and friends’ houses to honour such a beautiful story working with locals and trying to bring as many into the film as possible — it was all such a positive experience.” While many of the crew were local, Blake says those who came from interstate and the cast fell in love with Bangalow.

The film, which also features actress and singer Natalie Bassingthwaighte, is now in the final editing stage and is set to be released next year. “It will screen at all cinemas in the area, and we’ll be hosting a local premiere,” Blake says. “If the timing works with the Bangalow Film Festival that’d be fantastic, though I believe it’s at the start of each year, so it may not be possible.”

Featured image: Radha Mitchell shooting Take My Hand in Bangalow Photo Tom Paul Byrnes TPB Photography