December 2013 Newsletter from didjshop.com

Editorial

Seasons Greetings to all of you from Down Under; we wish all of you a healthy, happy and prosperous 2014!

If you wonder why you did not get any other newsletters from us in 2013, it is because I have not written any. Apologies for that, I know that quite a few of you would love to get a newsletter from us at least once a month, but I have been way too busy with our new land.

As regular readers would know together with some friends we have bought a huge property and ever since I have been so flat out that I do not even have enough time to get sufficient didjes ready for sale, never mind writing regular newsletters.

In my last newsletter, which went out pretty much a year ago, I told you about Kanjini Co-Op, which we formed to create a sustainable rural community and the amazing 7500 acres (yes that is about thirty square kilometres) property we were just about to buy, which borders onto world heritage areas, has about 200 acres of good agricultural soil, 3km along a crystal clear river, a 20 acre lake, amazing vistas, and lots of potential didgeridoos!

Well it did actually happen and since then I have been flat our with all sorts of things. We had mountain bike championships and rogaining events, lots of controlled mosaic burning and a wild fire, I learned to become a developer and we sold our first subdivision lot, upgraded the public road, had a wonderful gathering with lots of friends and lots more.

In that last newsletter I also offered part of my personal didgeridoo collection for sale and boy did they sell fast! Most of those over sixty didjes were sold within a month and there is only a couple of them left.

I guess that had a lot to do with the good name we have for quality didjes, something over a thousand great testimonials will vouch for, as well as the fact that we have sold thousands of didjes into over eighty different countries. Check out this cool map showing where all these Didjshop didjes are now all around the world.

While we have less didjes online than usual (because I have been too busy with other things - apologies), there are well over a hundred didjes in our workshop right now, so in another month or two (yes the many processes we do on each didj do take at least a month) there should be many more didjes coming online again. Oh yes and we actually have uploaded over a hundred new didjes in the last few month too, its just that they are still selling faster than we can currently replace them, but hopefully next year we will catch up and get back to normal stock levels. And there are still about 200 didjes online right now, so there is plenty to choose from. And while we do not have a Christmas special as usual this year, if you read this newsletter, you can get "a 10% discount on any didj ordered before 15th January", all you need to do is add the bold words (a 10% discount on any didj ordered before 15th January) into the 'your notice to us' field on the personal information page when ordering. Merry Christmas :-).

Didjshop.com is not only known for its quality didjes, but also for its great info and huge community section. So if you have not checked out all of those sections (and I doubt that anyone has), spend a bit of time over Christmas and have a look at some of the vast info on didjes and Aboriginal culture, check out the wealth of information in our forum, have a look whether there is anyone in our Didjnet near where you live and definitely answer our 2013 questionnaire for your chance to win an amazing $1400.- didj!

Whether or not you have done that already, youcan earn even more entries into the January draw for the 2012 Prize Didj by thinking of and emailing us any questions you would like to have answered by other didj players or by anyone with an interest in didgeridoos or Aboriginal culture in our 2013 questionnaire! Feel free to email as many suggestions as you can think of and you can even send several emails if you think of more later (but we really need to get them this year :-) ). For every suggested question we will use of yours in our 2013 questionnaire you will receive an extra five entries for the 2013 draw for a great didj valued at A$1400, significantly increasing your chances to win!!

Last but not least, please do participate in the Worldwide Didgeridoo Meditation on 21st/22nd December 2013 (see below for more info on this one).

Seasons Greetings and enjoy the rest of this newsletter...
and keep on didjing....

PS: why not surprise your friends and family with a Didjshop Greeting Card and a blast of didj sound :-) for Christmas or New Year!

21/22 December 2013
Worldwide Didgeridoo Meditation

Let's finish the year with a blast! A didgeridoo blast that will go right around the world!

Sounds crazy? well maybe, but with over 750 participating locations in over 65 different countries in almost all time-zones, all together we will definitely send a blast of didgeridoo sound around the whole world!

So please do join this truly global didgeridoo circle...

When? on either the 21st or 22nd December 2013. Here in Australia the 22nd is the date of the solstice, but in many other countries the solstice is on the 21st. So to allow some more flexibility this time you can either participate on the 21st or on the 22nd or you can do it twice for double the fun :-).

And trust me you will enjoy the experience. Not just because it feels really cool to be part of such a huge synchronised event, but also because the meditation itself is so relaxing and yet empowering. I promise your mind will stop, the didj does that with its constant drone and not to think for a while is so relaxing and refreshing. Try it!

At what time? at your local sunset time. By all of us playing at our local sunset times, all-together we will create this big wave of didgeridoo sound going all the way around the globe, following the sunset.

Where? wherever you are. That can be at home or in a nice spot in nature.

How to do it? Simply start playing your didj at your local sunset time for 45 minutes and then sit in silence for 15 minutes. And you do not have to play for 45 minutes non-stop. Actually interspersing the didj sound with a few minutes of silence every now and then will help to deepen the experience as every time you will fall deeper into the silence and will be prepared for the final 15 minutes of silence. During the silence, please meditate on the wonderful and precious planet we are blessed to call our home and on the need for us to look after it so our children and grand-children will also be able to enjoy it.
If you cannot play didj you can play another instrument and/or listen to didj music.
Invite some friends over to share the experience or play or sing along. Actually voice and didj are a wonderful combination, you can ask people to sing or chant or do toning.

So please join this global didj circle and register as a participant for the next Worldwide Didgeridoo Meditation on the 21/22 December 2013 and please do tell your friends about it too.

A big THANK YOU to the well over one thousand participants all over the world in the last Worldwide Didgeridoo Meditation which was on 23rd September. We had a wonderful mediation watching the moon rise over the 20 acre lake on our new property. Check out on the world map on the top right how many people participated!

Customer & Visitor Feedback!

With the year nearly over, our 2013 visitor questionnaire will be closed soon (on 31st December 2013).

If you have not entered that competition yet, please do it very soon so you will get two free tickets in the January draw of our 2013 Prize Didgeridoo.

Regular readers will know that we love the great feedback we get from our customers, especially as we do not advertise at all, but rather spend that money on quality and customer service. So its great to know that this is working and that after 14 years on the internet we are still selling strong.

To find out why, please do read just these few sample comments of our customers comparing their new Didjshop didjes with the other didjes they own:

• Douglas Bischoff from USA: "Only one other Didge compares to it at all, and it is a synthetic and cost MUCH more (Spinifex)."
• Hannes from Austria: "Big difference, clear sound, total out-performance"
• Louis from Canada: "Best didj I have played yet!*"
• Bernie from United Kingdom: "100% better"
• Yann from France: "Nothing to compare to my old one ... just amazing!!!"
• Mark from Australia: "The new didj is great, it is really everything I wanted, it is not to big and is plain wood so it won't get damaged if I take it travelling. It is easy to play and learn on and the sound is right, I doubt I will ever grow out of it. Even if I become a really good player and move up to a top class didj this one will probably still get used for travelling, kicking around the lounge room and taking visiting. As a learner I could get it vibrating properly shortly after I got it. I have been trying for years to play my old didj and have had no success. Now that I have a a proper didj that is easy to play and learn on I can even get a sound out of the old one."

Crested Hawk

Not bad, considering that some of these people own over ten didjes, so they know what they are talking about. We publish all customer feedback where permission is given and have never censored any of them. You can find many more of them here.

And here just a very small random sample of the hundreds of great comments we got about our website in the last few month:

• B.G. from USA: "I find the website very intriguing and full of information I never really would be able to glean from anywhere or anyone else. It's nice to see a great community of people who appreciate a great instrument."
• Anonymous from Canada: "I love the articles. It really expands my comprehension of the wonderful world of didgeridoos."
• Christopher from Australia: "Love it! Love it! Love it. I am a frequent online visitor and get absolutely lost and transported (as a virtual window shopper) listening to and appreciating these sublime natural instruments."
• Florian from Belgium: "I think it's one of the better website for people outside of Australia that want a real good-quality Australian didgeridoo."
• Gabriele Stoppa from Italy: "I'm very happy to have found this website: it is the first in depth "guide" to let the world know about Australia and its Native people's tradition and culture as well as exchange of information between fond of didgeridoo people furthermore it gives the opportunity to buy a REAL aboriginal-made didgeridoo."
• Maria Evangelina Benaglia Ferreyra from Argentina: "It is excellent"
• Marin from Germany: "Keep coming back through countless years doesn't that tell it all?"
• Steve from Korea (Rep): "Your site is very informative and Thank You very much for putting in the effort to bring the research and information for people like myself to educate and enjoy. I feel and believe what you all are doing is great and positive. Please keep the the good vibrations moving forward."
• Bill from USA: "It's inviting packed with information; the didjes are shown and described to good effect; overall nice to visit and definitely offers enough so that you can explore and not get bored. I like that it's not cluttered with stuff to click on that can pull you away from the main site. Love the logo."
• Suzanne from Netherlands: "A very nice website! It has all the information I needed and much more. It was nice to read a bit more about the didgeridoo the culture of the Australian Aboriginals and about the ethics of Didjshop. It's awesome to see that there are still people out there who do put people and nature of course before profit! Thank you so much for being part of the solution :) "

We like to thank everyone who has made such positive comments on our website, it is great to know it is so well appreciated:-)

You can read through many more visitor comments, including on many different didgeridoo related subjects.

2012 Didj Prize Winner and 2013 Monthly Winners!

Since this is the only newsletter in 2013, we got a lot of winners to announce from our yearly and monthly competition for shopping vouchers and a free didj (including delivery).
For your chance to be the next winner of our 2012 prize didj (worth $1400), simply answer some interesting and thought provoking questions in our 2013 questionnaire.

The lucky winner of last year's prize didj was: Joel Benge from Forest Hill, Baltimore, USA
On the right is a photo of Joel with his didj and here is his comment on winning:
"I was both surprised and thrilled to receive the email notification that I had won the 2012 didgeridoo. I almost dismissed it as a hoax until I saw the address and remembered signing up for the Didjshop.com newsletters.
I was so pleased to receive the shipping and delivery notification so quickly after providing my address.
I tore open the box and marvelled at how beautiful the didj is! It is incredibly well crafted and the painting is so intricate. The artist, Brad Gossam, should be very pleased with this piece! I feel very blessed to have it.
While I haven't come near to being able to play to the point where I'd feel comfortable showing anyone, I have been able to manage a decent drone and can sustain it for several seconds. It's a start, right? Circular breathing is intimidating to me. However, I never imagined I would actually own a real, Australian didgeridoo. So I can hope for the impossible and work toward achieving circular breathing.
I am already planning on investing in another didj to be my daily player. My family and friends already think I'm obsessed, so why not start a collection, eh?
I'm attaching photos of myself with the didj at Rocks State park, our local wilderness spot. I can't wait for the weather to warm up so I can climb the King and Queen's Seat, a large rock outcropping, and play my didgeridoo into the cavernous valley below for everyone to year. I'll update with picture of that. Also, my three-year-old son has already shown an interest in learning. Do you have any pee-wee sized didjes?"

Here are the winners of our monthly A$50 shopping vouchers for February to October (two more draws to go this year)!

February: Vit Michalcak from Netvorice in Czech Republic
Vit got his winning entry when he bought one of the nearly 50 didgeridoos which he got from us over the last three years, so it was almost inevitable that he would win one day :-).
We know from Vit's questionnaire comments and his emails that he has "never seen better didjes elsewhere" and is very happy with his "fantastic" Didjshop.com didjes, which is why he keeps on coming back for more.
Well Vit, thank you very much for your trust and support and we are glad you finally had a small win for all the entries you automatically get when buying from us.

March: Robert Froton from Klamath Falls in USA
Robert got his winning entry when he signed up as a Didjshop affiliate
But he also is a customer who gave us top marks and made these comments after his purchase: "service was top notch" and "I can play much better with my Didjshop didj and sound quality and clarity still blow me away. Great value if your serious and want the best." and "am972 has burnt artwork, looks awesome and finish is beautiful. Took a day of playing and adjusting mouthpiece, getting used to different backpressure, but the sound and eventually ease of playing are amazing!"
Congratulations Robert on your win and thanks for promoting us on your website.

April: Robert Bangs from Winnipeg in Canada
Robert is one of the growing number of people taking up didj playing for health reasons and it is already helping him with his breathing
Robert had this feedback on our website: "I find it very informative. Like looking at the didjes for sale and dream."
Hopefully this win will help a little bit to turn your dream into reality...

May: Steve Schofield from Sydney, Australia
Steve got his entry when answering our 2013 questionnaire and here is his Didjshop.com comment: "Brilliant. I am amazed that it actually works. I thought i had to be taking a huge gamble paying all of that money for an instrument that i had not touched or seen. But the detailed reports on each instrument gave me the confidence to commit and i am really pleased with the outcome."
And here is Steve's "Amazing. I heard it at an Aboriginal dance show near Cairns. I have never heard it played like that since. I wish i knew who it was!"

Emu

The dance show is Tjapukai Dance Theatre and in the nineties the didj player was most likely David Hudson, I'll tell him next time I see him :-

June: Jan Vermeer from Naaldwijk in the Netherlands
Jan has been a regular visitor on our website since over ten years and this is his latest comment: "fun and informative side with lots of features. Very interesting"
Glad to see that luck has finally caught up with you :-)

July: Peter Huber from Lichtenwald in Germany.
When Peter heard that we were going to Europe a couple of years ago he insisted that we visit him and we hold fond memories of his hospitality.
Peter made this comment about didj health effects: "Because a very big cancer surgical and chemical time I got very big mental problems. To get the vibrations and the spirit of my authentic and original didge gives me the power back to fight against my visitor. Thank you for delivery that didgeridoo"
Thanks Peter for everything you have done for and shared with us, and may this lucky win be a small start to more winnings in health and other things in life.

August: Maria Evangelina Benaglia Ferreyra from Buenos Aires in Argentinia
Maria comments: "I'm trying to buy one from you if I find where you can send it to". Well we can send a didj right to your door, Maria and have done so for a few customers in Argentina.
In regards to the healing effects of the didj, Maria says: "I am calmer more centered more spacious"
Looking forward to hear from you when you redeem your shopping voucher, Maria.

September: Riccardo Conti from Trieste in Italy
Like most winners this year, Riccardo got his winning ticket when he filled out our questionnaire
Riccardo's feedback on Didjshop.com: "New fresh and interesting"

October: Graham Hooker from Turangi, New Zealand
On our website Graham said: "I look forward to the newsletters and website info"
Most interesting is Graham sharing his perceptions and impressions of Australian Aboriginal people: "Having Senator Neville Bonner as a member of the greater family was very impressed with his cultural beliefs and his acceptance of us as white people not knowing his cultural beliefs."
Neville Bonner was the first Aboriginal person in parliament and held his senate seat for more than a decade.
So thank you for sharing that story, Graham and congratulations on your win.

Congratulations to these winners.

Please note that the draw for the 2013 main prize, a A$1400 didj delivered to your door, will close on 31st December 2013. So if you have not yet filled out our 2013 Questionnaire, please to do so very soon for your chance to win this beautiful didgeridoo. Your chances to win are much better than in most other competitions or draws.

And if you want to earn more entries for the January draw of the 2014 Prize Didj, please email us any questions you suggest we could ask our visitors about didgeridoos or Aboriginal culture in our 2015 questionnaire!
For every suggested question we will use of yours in our 2013 questionnaire you will receive an extra five entries for the 2013 draw for a great didj valued at A$1400.

Aboriginal News

Just a few of the big news stories this year on Australian Aboriginal issues:

• Change of Government in Australia
  The biggest news for Aboriginal people is probably the change to a conservative government. Most Aboriginal people prefer a Labor government and especially former Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd was very popular with Aboriginal people, not least because he finally said "Sorry" to all Aboriginal people for the many wrongs during white settlement.
  But the new conservative prime minister Tony Abbott also has a personal interest in Aboriginal people and is known to visit Aboriginal communities since he worked as a teacher in Aboriginal communities before becoming a politician. After winning the election Tony Abbott declared “I want to be the Prime Minister for Indigenous affairs.”
  He now has a historic opportunity to complete Kevin Rudd's work and facilitate the recognition of Aboriginal people in the Australian constitution. The previous Labor government under Julia Gillard abandoned that endeavour as being too hard.
  Let us hope that Tony will go down in history as the prime minister who enshrined recognition for Aboriginal people in the Australian constitution. It is a recognition well overdue. Didgeridoo sound is travelling to the stars
  Most of you would have heard about the two Voyager space crafts, which started their journey about 35 years ago and are now leaving our solar system.
  Each one has a golden record with sound, images and music form the earth. What I did not know until recently is that a 1958 recording of Aboriginal didgeridoo music and song was included on those discs by Carl Sagan and his team. Read more about the interesting story of how this all came about or listen to the recording on its way to the stars.

• Black Orchid Flower

  Harder times ahead for Yolngu clans
  Nhulunbuy is the largest settlement in Yolngu country (of Yothu Yindi fame) and Rio Tinto's nearby alumina plant kept the town people employed. So it is bad news for its economy that the plant will be closed next year. A loss of 1100 jobs in a community of 3000-4000 people is a serious blow and many people will simply have to move away.
  Rio Tinto wants to continue and even expand its Bauxite mine in the area, which is probably a breach of contract.
  When Rio Tinto was granted the licence to mine bauxite in Gove, a condition was included requiring the company to keep operating the attached alumina refinery for the duration of the mine. The government has indicated that it will neither enforce that condition nor demand any penalties for non-fulfilment.
  Yet another classical case of the governments working for big corporations rather than in the interest of the people.
  We wish the Aboriginal people on the Gove peninsular that they will be able to create and find new jobs. Hopefully in a cleaner industry. And we hope that Rio Tinto will clean up the massive poisonous tailings in the area before they leave.
• Ancient Stories come to life with latest technology
  If you happen to travel to the Murray Darling area in Australia you will want to know about this exciting project, the "Ringbalin River Stories". It is such a wonderful idea. The Murray Darling river is Australia's biggest river going from the Darling Downs in Queensland all the way to the southern ocean. The Ringbalin (means ceremony) project has put together about 50 hand-painted maps, 100 films, 30 audio stories and 20 photo stories in a single mobile phone app. The GPS-coded app will allow you to listen to Aboriginal elders telling you the stories of the land and to follow in their footsteps to go to the next point of interest.
  "It's not a story that is told in the normal sense, it's actually a trip that the elder has designed for you to take" Director of the Ringbalin project Mr Pederick says, "Not only does it pre-date the colonial invasion and creation of modern Australia, but it actually tells a more complete story of Australia since invasion and settlement," he said. "It's not only the story of the farming revolution, it's not only the story of how the land was taken up. It's also the story of all of those silent crimes and all of those sad things, it's also the story of how the rivers changed and how the trees fell."
  "You turn up with your iPad or iPhone, you're in place that the elder told the story, you sit down and on your screen the elder walks into frame and you're there with them. The idea is to be in the presence of those elders and to travel through the landscape and see the country through their eyes."
  What a great idea! We hope that other areas in Australia will adopt this technology and provide tourists and Australians with a much deeper sense of what this country and its rich history is all about.

Seasons Greetings and keep on didjing until our next newsletter ...

from Svargo and the DIDJSHOP.COM team