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In Memory: Mark Worth
Mark Worth passed away on Thursday in Jayapura, West Papua. He was with his wife Helen and daughter Inzoraki at the time. He had been ill for a little while...
However his "Land of the Morning Star" doco on West Papua is to be screened on February 2nd on the ABC. This film is in many regards his greatest work and the culmination of his life pursuit. It is a passionate and intelligent appraisal of why West Papua is an issue of the highest importance. It's such a shame Worthy won't be around to hear the plaudits which will no doubt be pured upon him. It is a remarkable film...
Mark was not only one of my closest and greatest mates but also the inspiration for me going to PNG in the first place,and instilled in me a great sense of adventure and compassion for Melanesia. This led to the three Telek records, the Sing Sing and Morning Star concerts and everything else. Of course he also did live visuals for early Not Drowning, Waving shows as well as the film clips for The Same Heat, The Kiap Song, Up in the Mountains, Sing Sing, Blackwater and of course the Tabaran documentary on NDW's trip to Rabaul. All of us in NDW feel that Mark is an honorary member. We all feel his loss...
I worked with him on his "Super 8 Soldiers" film about Vietnam vets with Super 8 cameras, doing the soundtrack with John Phillips as well as the "Raskols" documentary about crime gangs in the Highlands of PNG and recently the "Land of the Morning Star" documentary.
Mark did a lot of work with Foreign Correspondent and Radio National in Melanesia covering the Bougainville crisis, elections in PNG as well as developments in West Papua. Mark also pioneered live visuals working with Wild Dog Rodeo and Dorian Grey and the Models in the seminal Melbourne music industry of the early 80s...
He loved stringband music and Lou Reed. His intelligence and knowledge was inspiring to listen to. He was a great story teller. He loathed mediocrity, conservatism and the mainstream film and music industry with a wonderful vengeance.
He was a one off. Life will be poorer without him.
Please watch the doco on February 2nd and remember him.
David Bridie
January 18, 2004
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