Firstly I felt as one with like souled people who loved my John and his music.
The friendships I have made are so solid and enriching it does help with the loss of John in my life.
The care everyone took of me because of my health was very touching.
Being taken to the snow and cared for so no harm would come to me, experiencing it with others who thought of John & his mountains,
the circle of songs and laughter and the sharing of good food and wine were all so wonderful.
I have looked forward to every year of the celebrations ever since the time we met with Mark & Julie in Aspen.
I hope that the Queensland celebration in 2004 will also contain such cherished memories and will add to the memory
of John through the planting of trees in another state by the Higher Ground members.
Margaret Gilby
( ditto by Maureen)

People from 3 Australian states (New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland) gathered at beautiful Warburton,
Victoria for our 3rd Annual Higher Ground Gathering to celebrate the life and music of John Denver.
Arriving in Melbourne, we were greeted by chilly 9ºC weather.
However, seemingly nothing would dampen our spirits and our endless exuberance for the weekend.
 Friday was a day of sightseeing, loosing our way, yet finding out about the ingenious Victorian gadget called E-toll.
We arrived at the glorious Arrabri Lodge late afternoon only to be greeted by our dear friends Carmel and Alistair from NSW and
Margaret and Maureen from Queensland.
  After settling in, we decided to explore the area, which was home to many native animals,
such as wombats and kangaroos, and many other animals including horses.
 Our cosy cabins for the weekend surrounded a large hall, which we could use as our meet and greet area.
This hall was to be used for our meals, our sing-along’s and video watching, bringing us all together in hearts
and spirits throughout the weekend.

***************************************************

 New JD friends Marina and her daughter Emily from Victoria soon arrived and we quickly got acquainted.
Next to arrive were our high-spirited friends Janette and Helene, also from Victoria.
Janette was the principal organiser for this weekend, and without her passion and dedication,
this weekend certainly would not have happened. For this, we all thankyou from the bottom of your hearts.
 Friday night was filled with good food, good wine (or Napoleon Brandy J) and most importantly farout friends.
Carmel displayed her absolutely beautiful handmade rug, which was being raffled to raise money for charity.
Everyone received special JD nametags and we discussed the weekend’s happenings and caught up with old friends and
new about the year that was.
Later that evening, our wonderful new friends Colin and Sandy from Victoria arrived,
and we soon began chatting like old friends.
  Saturday was a day of exploring the local Warburton countryside.
My heart was yearning to see, feel and smell a magnificent mountain covered with powder perfect snow,
so that was our first mission.
It was a half hour drive to Mt Donna Buang, which surprisingly for October had a very good covering of snow.
My only wish is that I should have brought my skis with me!
It was beginning to feel more and more like Aspen each minute, except the quivering Aspen trees were
replaced by our magnificent Mountain Ash reaching endlessly towards the skyline.
 We also explored the township of Warburton, which was filled with quaint cafés and craft shops all
bordering the beautiful Yarra River.
Arriving back at Arrabri Lodge, we were soon greeted by our dear friends Mark and Julie from Victoria.
After everyone returned from the snow, we started to get the charity auction organised,
while watching a plethora of John’s video’s, including The Wildlife Concert and Portrait, just to name a few.
Throughout the night, everyone was asked to design and create their own personal Peace Cloth panel,
which will be joined together and added to the large Peace Cloth, bringing us further together across
the globe in love and spirit.


 
Our annual meeting was the formal proceeding for the weekend, and soon after friend’s of Margaret and Maureen
arrived to join our sing-along for the evening.
After our yummy BBQ dinner, came our charity auction of John Denver items.

This year we had 34 items for auction, generously donated by JD fans across Australia.
There were many diverse items in the auction, including CD’s of unreleased songs, video’s, records, rare books and 2 mystery items.
The charity auction raised an amazing $800, which is to be donated to the nearby Healsville Wildlife Sanctuary
to assist in the protection of Australia’s native animals.
The raffle for the beautiful rug was also drawn, which raised an additional $100.
Not bad for a small, yet passionate and dedicated group of John Denver devotees.
It just goes to show how every individual can make such a difference
if they put their heart and spirit to it.
 Saturday night was an absolutely farout time, as it was our annual “campfire” singalong.
This year the singalong started at 9.00pm and finished at 2.00am.
Now that’s what I call a singalong!!
There were 3 guitarists this year, myself, the debonair Mr Colin Horwell and Marina with her 12 string.
We played an amazing amount of John’s songs, from “Rocky Mountain High” to “Eclipse” and “It’s A Sin To Tell A Lie”.
All guitarists played together exceptionally well considering our lack of practice.
I’m looking forward to next year’s gathering when I can play with these talented musicians again.
The highlight of the evening was Alastair’s reading of “The Box”, which he did with such emotion that it took
all my might not to let a single tear roll down my cheeks.

 
 
 
   Sunday started with a melancholy overtone, as it was our last day together.
After a late breakfast and a final walk around the beautiful Arrabri Lodge, we all gathered in person and in spirit,
around the tree planting area to listen to the letters from Harold Wilson (Maroon Bells)
and Sandie Tyler (Pacific Grove).
We were now joined in spirit not only as a nation, but also now as a planet.
The erecting of the plaque dedicated to John and the planting of the trees followed.


There were 4 trees in total – one for John, one in remembrance of Bali, one for us, and one for world peace.
The trees were planted at the start of a sensory trail which will be used by many children.
 
    After a quick lunch, everyone regretfully said their sad goodbyes.
Next year’s John Denver celebration will be held in the sunny state of Queensland.
It is our hope that the children - the leaders of the future - will read our plaque and remember John; his music,
his commitment to the environment and to world peace, and his memory;
the way we have and the way we will always continue to do.
 Peace and love,
Melanie Patfield
 
 

"Come and stand beside us, we can find a better way"