Kelly Newton-Wordsworth is a woman of many talents, with a wide diversity of achievements and passionate beliefs. She is an award winning singer/songwriter, an actor, an environmental activist, a “bio-dynamic” farmer and a devoted wife and mother. She lives with her husband, William and their three children in Western Australia where, after years of dedicated campaigning, she was a major force in saving one and a half million hectares of Karri forest. 

Kelly, I’d like to talk about your music first. I’ve read that you came from a very musical background.

Yes. My grandfather, Percy Newton, along with his brother John Nugent Hayward (a well known actor throughout Australia in his day), were the founders of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. I grew up inside music. My father was usually playing fabulous classical, jazz or different genres of music on 78's or 33's. It was awesome. My sisters and I had our own record player in our bedroom, where we had our records playing while we played "barbies"! I taught myself to play the guitar when I was around 6 years old. I remember pushing my fingers on the strings until they were bleeding, I was so determined to play! Our family had lots of parties, dancing and singing around the piano as my grandmother used to play. All of our family time was based around music. My sisters Victoria, Ticia and I used to sing together in three part harmony performing for everyone. We still do the occasional concert together.

You’ve also done some acting on stage and on film.

From a very early age, I dreamed of being an actress. Theatre was my passion. I qualified as a lawyer on a Friday and resigned from the profession on the Monday and commenced working full time as an actress about two weeks later! During University, I had many fabulous roles, so whilst studying law, I also trained for the theatre. The University Dramatic Society was extremely serious then, and I was able to train with some of the world's top director's at the time. They brought directors from all over the world and from the Eastern states, so I was very fortunate to have that amount of experience and training whilst studying law. Law was an unusual course as we had very few "contact" hours, so I had a lot of free time. (I was supposed to be studying!) In my final year I worked full time as a professional actress in the second semester with one of Australia's fabulous director's, Rodney Fischer. When I was acting professionally, I worked mostly in theatre. I was cast in a movie with Nicole Kidman, from playing a punk rocker in a rock musical on in Perth. The director came up to me after the show and said he was so shocked that they never thought of having a woman play as Nicole's "lead guitarist" in Wind Rider. He said they would write more script for me and make it a much bigger role. I turned that movie down, as it conflicted with playing the lead in a big rock musical at the Playhouse Theatre, which I had already agreed to do. Choices in life! I have not done very much filming. I have now written a movie to star to play the leading role myself. It is called "The Housewife"! I just heard from a woman in California, who is putting my songs forward for movies and TV, that she loves my script. I am looking for the team to produce the movie. It has a theme that will appeal to women all over the world! It is a movie about the choices we make and where they lead.

You’ve worked a lot in Germany. What’s the connection there?

 Our production company, Newtone Productions Pty Ltd, had a stand at MIDEM in Cannes, where they have the film festival, which is the international music expo, and these German business men heard my songs and loved them. Within a very short time, I was invited to come and sing at some concerts there, to thousands of people. The promoter had me come on as the first artist, in a lineup of very famous German bands, to see how the crowd would respond. I came on in the first concert singing my song, "One World, one planet", (which won the environmental song of the year for Australia in 2001)and the crowd went wild! I was quite shocked as I had come straight from the farm, and had not been singing ever before to such a huge audience. In Australia, I had been singing professionally from the age of 17, in the only venues available to me, being restaurants and pubs, and I was used to having men calling out shouting, "Show us your......!" This was a new experience, to have thousands of people in a foreign land screaming after singing one song! I went on from there to do the biggest tour apparently that any Australian artist has ever done, being 30 concerts in 29 cities. I love Germany so deeply. We have had many Germans come to Western Australia from these concerts. I sang with over 400 slides to promote our state. We have had German people phone from Williams(the town near our farm), saying "Kelly we saw you in your concert in Berlin, may we come and see you?"

Can you tell us about your love for Thailand and your work there?

 I came to Thailand because an American businessman heard me sing in Germany and asked whether he could be my manager to get my music out world wide. My journey in Thailand is phenomenal and would take thousands of words to really talk about. Many things happened that are so amazing! From July until December, 2008, I sang for the Peoples' Alliance for Democracy (the PAD). My eldest daughter Tara joined me in August and sang with me many times. We never sang there without prayer as it was extremely dangerous. When I was invited by my Thai producer to come and sing my song, Long live the King of Thailand" where the people were protesting, I rang my husband to pray with him, and he had a vision of the Statue of Liberty! To sing for the people was a huge honour. I am the only foreigner in the history of Thailand ever to write a song for the King. I sang also for his 80th birthday to around half a million people. I received a special gift from him. I learned so much singing at the PAD about real democracy. The PAD flew us to Los Angeles to perform in a concert to thousands of Thai people who live in the US at the Los Angeles County Fair grounds on the 14th March. The people took us to Las Vegas to go to the Grand Canyon, which was beyond words. They then flew us to Seattle to sing for the people there, and then on to New York. The kindness of the Thai people is in our hearts forever.

Where has the passion for environmental issues come from?

 I had a life transforming spiritual experience in 1988. All of my life I had been searching for "God". I wanted to find the "real" thing! I was reading a book where I read the words, "Jesus said that if we would obey God, we could do what He did and even greater things". All I wanted to do at that stage was be a "healer". When I read those words, they "blew" my mind open.  I walked outside where I was at our old farm, looked up at the sky, and said, "God I give you my life, Tell me what you want me to do for you, and I will do it. I want to do what Jesus said." Within a split second, I could hear a voice speak to me, and the voice told me to go inside and clean my house!!! That voice lead me to becoming an environmental and humanitarian activist "over night"! Prior to that time, I would say I was a fairly self interested person. I went from that to wanting to save the forests, the whales, the oceans, rivers and and and....whew! Time for a break! When you work for the "big Guy" there is a lot of work to do!

Can you tell us about your property in Western Australia and the type of farming you and William are doing there?

 William and I have been farming "Bio-Dynamically" for around 21 years. Bio-dynamic farming is the most self-sustainable method of farming that I know of on the earth! We farm around 3,000 acres and the whole farm has been farmed with no chemicals or artificial fertilisers for this time. There is so much to say about bio-dynamics as it is so extra-ordinary, but I will keep it brief. Basically, you put cow manure into cow horns, bury them under the ground for a few months. When you take the horns from the ground, the manure should have transformed into a sweet smelling substance which is then called "500". That is place in containers to cure for one year. After one year, around one handful of 500 mixed in a special way with 14 litres of water, is enough to spray over one acre of land! On the farm we breed bio-dynamic cows, sheep, olives, pistachios, figs, pecans, macadamias, many citrus fruits, apples, almonds, quinces, mulberries, nectarines, peaches, cherries, plums, pomegranates, grapes and vegetables. We milk our cow, "Rose" and grow hay for our animals. We also breed horses for eventing, showjumping, dressage and endurance.

 William and I were flown to Italy to attend the "Slow Food" Convention in Milan a couple of years ago. We were so honoured as 7,000 food producers, from all over the world, were brought together to meet and share knowledge. Fifteen hundred traditional and organic food communities were represented. All of the people there, are dedicated to preserving the traditional and sustainable methods of food production. William and I made a documentary of this event. It was so fascinating to learn from people all over the world who are doing everything they can to keep going in the world of major chemical companies that push forward for their own gain, with no thought of the health for people or the future of the planet. I learned very surprising pieces of information that were a shock to me, such as many of the traditional farm animals are almost extinct, because the major retail conglomerates, push the conventional farmers to only produce certain kinds of animals that can be "produced" quickly and efficiently. I leaned that at least 140 thousand Indian farmers have committed suicide, because of being pushed to grow GM crops. There is a lot happening in the world that the people of the world know nothing about. With regard to our products, we have our olive oil and our marmalade on sale in Harvey Nichols in London. We have interest from Harrods now in buying all of our range of products.

Of all your awards and experiences with your music, what is the most important for you?

It is always so exciting to receive recognition for what you do, but it is funny, I have reached a point where I have only one goal and that is to make sure I am really doing God's will. I know that many people don't believe in God, but my life is a testimony to the reality of God. All of the things I have done and the places I have been all have come from His guidance through prayer with my husband and children. So the only award that matters to me is that I am "in" with Him! Mind you I am aiming for Oscars and Grammies for my films and music!!

As a baby boomer Mum, what do your kids think of what you’re trying to achieve?

 I am not really sure what a "baby boomer" mum is, it sounds so funny! I've heard this term before many times and never asked what that expression means, but Tara, Vincent and Grace are certainly behind me all the way. We are a very close family, even though we are often at this time apart. Many times I have been travelling along with friends in other place and my phone will ring and I will be talking with William or our children, and I have had people really surprised saying to me, "Wow, you guys are so close. You are closer than people who live in the same house"! This is something that I find amazing! We are all so close, and many times when things happen with me, the same thing has been happening (in a different circumstance) with them! If I read to you what my children wrote to me for my birthday, you would know that they are all so supportive and say that they are very proud of me, for which I am so grateful.

I have so many "visions" for the future. I am working now to have all of my songs published world wide and licensing, distribution and marketing deals with major record now. I have 54 songs on itunes and another three albums that need to go on soon. I plan to make my movie by the end of 2009. One of the many things I want to do is find like minded people to help me to set up a world wide foundation, to buy land and set up bio-dynamic farms, where all people who want to get out of the cites, can come and join communities. I want to have place where homeless people can come to be healed and gain new self esteem. I plan to set up a foundation in Thailand for artists, to be able to live while they are writing, producing or creating whatever their art is. There is way too little support in the world for artists. Many people have to get jobs to survive and then never are able to pursue their dreams. I also plan to spend as much time with my husband and children going to wonderful places, learning and having fun together as soon as possible.

 Join my "Age free" society. It is free and there is no membership to worry about. Just join by living by the philosophy! I live by a philosophy of "living" with no numbers over me! I absolutely love life and my focus is on doing God's will which sets me free of all of the expectations of the world. I have let go of all concepts to do with age. I live my life and go where God wants me to go and do what He wants me to do. We pray about everything as a family. I don't do just what I want or what I feel, I pray with William and my children and receive that guidance. This is sometimes difficult, but always a great result!! To be passionate about every second to me comes from serving God. To love every second of life means 86,400 seconds of every day of passion and achievement!

You’re performing in New York at the moment with your daughter Tara. I’d like to ask Tara what she thinks of her inspirational Mum?

She is a truly an amazing woman. I consider myself very privileged to have her as my mother. She has taught me so much, sharing her experiences, and given us (Vincent, Grace and I) the discipline and love we need to grow and flourish. I am so grateful for her honesty and wisdom, she inspires me every day.

In regard to her achievements, she is an extremely passionate person! I have never known anyone to feel so deeply about making a difference for the earth and humanity as her and I know this comes from her commitment to doing God's will. She has so much love in her heart, and she truly engages with the reality of what is going on in the world, instead of turning her back and pretending that it doesn't exist. She takes action. I am exceptionally proud of her, and grateful for this amazing time we're sharing, singing all over the world together. I look forward to our whole family touring together!

Thanks, Kelly and Tara for your amazing story. I’m sure it will inspire many other Groovy Grandmas to go for what they believe in and to follow their own passions and beliefs.

................................