Andrew Farriss from global supergroup INXS has just released his latest EP with his first song on the EP, Tears In The Rain, being inspired by our work to save the orangutans of Borneo and Sumatra and our book Tears In The Jungle.

Inspiration for the Song

In an interview with Sheldon Ang from Around The Sound, Andrew, who is a member of the Aria Hall of Fame, and Order of Australia recipient (AM), talked about the inspiration of writing Tears In The Rain saying, “The conservation of the rainforest for the well beings of the endangered orangutans in Borneo were inspired by the Clarke Brothers, forming the lugubrious journey of humankind’s fallibility”.

With his knack for great story telling and creating songs we attach to lifelong memories, Andrew has created an uplifting and memorable suite of themed songs reflective of these extraordinary times we are facing.

His lyrics invoke emotions to get us thinking and talking about the environment and about how we can all help on such important issues.  Listen to Tears In The Rain here…

If you would like to discover why Andrew was so inspired by our journey, watch our six minute video with footage of us travelling up the Sekonyer River in Borneo to see the orangutans in the wild as mentioned in the song.

When we first heard the song

The song, ‘Tears In The Rain‘ (available for purchase on Andrew’s ‘Love Makes The World’ EP) was first performed in front of a live audience with us as their special guests.  Halfway through the concert INXS’s drummer, Tim Farriss with Ciaran Gribbin, introduced the song and mentioned to the crowd it was, “…inspired by Daniel and Williams book, Tears In The Jungle…”.  You can only imagine our reaction when we heard them announced it on stage (Read more about it here).

Thank you Andrew

Thank you Andrew for your continued support.  You are a legend.  We are so humbled that our journey to save the orangutan has inspired you to write such a wonderful song and this song has resonated so strongly for inclusion on your first solo EP.

All your songs on this EP are incredible.

Dan and Will.

Sacred Heart School in Fitzroy, Melbourne, chatted with Daniel and William about their orangutan quest.  Sacred Heart is an amazing school with 115 students located right in the heart of the housing commission towers, a community of great cultural diversity.  They were featured recently on SBS World News for their efforts in remote learning.

Studying Sustainability

Their year 5/6 students are currently using ‘Fight for Survival‘ as a key text in their study of the environment focusing on sustainability and how they can protect and save our planet.

As the students at Sacred Heart are back to remote learning, their teacher, Mary McCormick, asked Daniel and William to join them on a Google Meet chat to talk with the students about their quest to save the critically endangered orangutans.  With 30 students and 3 teachers ready to chat, Daniel and William answered many questions that the students had prepared for them.  From, “Why did you choose orangutans to save?“, “Why are the feeding stations needed?” and “What are the alternatives to using products with palm oil and, as consumers, how do we reduce the need for palm oil?“.  The students had so many great questions and the boys were able to share with the students links to help them further with their studies;

• Palm Oil Investigations (POI)
• Don’t Palm Us Off – Zoos Victoria
• Adopting Orangutans with The Orangutan Project

Art for Orangutans

Daniel and William let the students know about a new initiative from The Orangutan Project called Orang-ARTan, an art competition for students to help the orangutans.  You can enter individually or as a class group with great prizes.  All registration fees go directly to the care of orangutans who still need our help more than ever with this global pandemic.  Registration closes on the 30th September, 2020.

Daniel and William at an orangutan care centre in Ketapang, Borneo in 2014

As orangutans share 97% of our DNA they are vulnerable to human respiratory diseases, so when Coronavirus became a global pandemic, the Care Centres in Borneo have gone into lockdown with all staff wearing personal protective equipment such as masks, face shields, gloves and protective clothing when in direct contact with the orangutans in an attempt to protect the orangutans from this virus.

The Google Chat was a great success and ended with the School Captains thanking Daniel and William for their time and being part of this amazing chat.  One student had the teachers in tears as she said, “Thank you Daniel and William, you have inspired me to be better!“.

What a way to end a chat… amazing !  Thank you Sacred Heart.

How can we help parents and teachers?

With the massive uptake of our education module and the impact of the Corona Virus we realised the importance for students to have their own copy of our books to compliment their learning from home.  To ensure our books are available to everyone we have drastically reduced the prices (up to 60% off and only while stocks last – we don’t have many left so if you want one you will need to get in quick)

Both books (as a package) are now just $19.95 (Normally $49.90) !!

If you wanted to purchase the books separately we have reduced both of them to just $12 each (plus postage and handling)

• Tears In The Jungle:  A childrens adventure to save the orangutan
• Tears In The Jungle:  Fight for Survival

So many schools and teachers around Australia have let us know how amazing the education module has been for the development of students understanding of their world and the environment.  The module was developed by the NSW Department of Education and is based on our books and adventures and covers a full term of work ready for access by teachers.

Please stay safe everyone.

7 News Young Achievers Awards NSW and ACT

Congratulations to Daniel and William who have been chosen as one of the four finalists for the First National Real Estate Leadership Award.  This award acknowledges young people who set an example through their leadership and drive, paving the way for others to follow.

The winner will be announced at the awards presentation dinner on the 20th March, 2020 in a gala event held at Doltone House in Sydney.

“We are honoured to have been chosen as finalists in this award.  We hope our story can continue to inspire the next generation to look after our environment and keep many animals from becoming extinct”, William said.

What started as a quest and passion to save the orangutans at just 8 and 10 years old in 2008 has led the boys on an amazing journey.  Over the past 11 years they have raised $875,000 to save the orangutan, written 2 best selling Australian Books and have met and been recognised by Prime Ministers, Royalty and US Presidents.

“We are incredibly proud of our two books being accepted into the NSW Education Curriculum as a terms work for Primary School students.  We hope that teachers around Australia will utilise this piece of work and align the educational outcomes into their existing curriculums.  We have met so many wonderful people along our journey who have been incredibly supportive of us and our quest.  Thank you for sharing our passion and caring for our environment.  We are all making a difference”, Daniel Clarke.