Mike Hann, organizer of the Tall Tree Music Festival, is our Tectorian of the Week.
Why Mike?
Because when he is not single-handedly organizing one of the most popular – and remote – music festivals of the summer, Mike is crewing Antarctic scientific vessels as “underwater whale research leader.”
How cool is that?
Originally from Victoria, after getting certified as a scuba-diving instructor Mike left for Australia where he became interested in pursuring a musical career. Once he returned to Victoria he became at whale-watching captain (he had had extensive experience with sailboats growing up) which led to his gig in the Antarctic.
Along the way he became co-owner of a hotel in Port Renfrew, which is where Tall Tree Music Festival began.
Now in its fourth year, Tall Tree is expected to attract 2,200 visitors this weekend on a hillside overlooking Port Renfrew.
As the festival has grown, more camp sites and infrastructure have been added each year, and a natural spring now serves the site. A third stage added in 2014, which will be devoted to the electronic programming. The site is equipped with more food vendors, better waste management, more art and even showers.
How does Mike do such amazing things? He says:
“A lot of it is experience-based. I’ve been given the opportunities to be in the field around these animals, living those experiences. That’s the best education you can have in my line of work. If I had followed through with all the schooling that I had begun, I would have missed out on a lot of opportunities in my life.
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