We make a pit-stop at the Japanese Cemetery, one of the largest Japanese cemeteries …
Representing life and hope, an injured Tiger Quoll is brought to veterinarian Andy (Myles Pollard; A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Drift) after mining mogul Harry (Matt Dyktynski; Black Swan roles include Day One, A Hotel, Evening and Boundary Street) accidentally hits the rare marsupial …
“I would love for my husband to do it as he works so hard & has made so many sacrifices, he deserves it.”
Happy jumping!
Thank you everyone for your entries and keep up the fun times!
Happy travels,
Carmen.
The Lighthouse Girl
The Lighthouse Girl – Albany Entertainment Centre. – Lee Griffith Photography.
As a convoy of ships steamed their way to war in 1914, they passed a dreamy girl named Fay Howe (Daisy Coyle), also known as the Lighthouse Girl, safely ensconced in a lighthouse off the shore of Albany. Just as the ships became a watery entrapment for over 30,000 Australian and New Zealand soldiers about to meet their fate, Fay too was trapped on the windswept and isolated Breaksea Island.
Semaphore alphabet, excerpt from Dianne Wolfer’s novel Lighthouse Girl
Fay filled her long days and nights flag-chatting using the Semaphore Alphabet and transcribing Morse code messages for the soldiers stationed offshore. Like most teenage girls of any era on the cusp of womanhood, Fay was full of romantic notions, and while becoming the soldiers’ lifeline to their loved ones, she also found love with Charlie (Giuseppe Rotondella), a jackeroo turned soldier in the Light Horse Brigade. Charlie joined the regiment with childhood pal Jim Finch (Will McNeill), much to the concern of Jim’s sister Alice (Alex Malone).
Fay with her father Robert and Joe, and Charlie and Jim reminiscing in Egypt – Lee Griffith Photography.
Based on author Dianne Wolfer’s novels Lighthouse Girl and Light Horse Boy, the Black Swan Theatre Company’s production of the Lighthouse Girl was eloquently translated to the stage by playwright Hellie Turner. “Writing the first draft of the play was a ‘gruelling joy’ … gruelling because of the need to be immersed in the carnage of war … a joy because constantly I was reminded of the remarkable resilience of the human spirit. It was a challenge which I utterly enjoyed, in the way one enjoys piecing together a jigsaw.”
A touching moment between Fay and her father – Lee Griffith Photography.
As if the isolation of Breaksea Island wasn’t already challenging enough due to its harsh environment, limited communications, scarce food supplies and not to mention the steep gradient best tackled by donkey, Fay battled her own turmoil after the loss of her mother while dealing with an over-protective father, Robert (Benj D’Addario). Robert was a dedicated lighthouse keeper and worked alongside Joe (Murray Dowsett) who was a wealth of wisdom in the ways of the world and guided more than just the passing ships.
A postcard from Charlie to Green Eyes, his nickname for Fay
A particularly touching and humorous moment occurs when Robert discovers the blossoming romance between Fay and Charlie. He demands to know about the boy she’s communicating with in much the same way modern day parents worry over how their daughters are using their mobile phones.
Fay touched the hearts of more than one soldier and received numerous postcards from the Middle East from the soldiers addressed to “The little girl on Breaksea Island;” dismaying to the 15-year-old Fay.
Frank’s joyous arrival – Lee Griffith Photography
Other outside influences also concern Robert with the arrival of cinematographer Frank (Nick Maclaine) who arrived bearing gifts while filming the soldiers’ last days on Australian soil.
The Lighthouse Girl poignantly premiered in Albany, which was the last Australian connection for many of the soldiers who never returned. Both the books and the play depict an important time in Australian history, as well as Albany’s involvement in WWI. By telling just one of the thousands of stories about the ravages of war, it’s a tale of humanity, courage, love and friendship set against the exotic backdrop of Egypt, the doomed shores of Gallipoli Cove and the wild coast of the Great Southern region.
Charlie and Jim endure the horrors of war – Lee Griffith Photography.
The Lighthouse Girls plays 28 April – 17 May in the Studio Underground at the Heath Ledger Theatre. www.bsstc.com.au. Spoiler alert: bring tissues!
We generally associate mangoes with the tropics but about an east of Perth in Gingin, there are about 20 commercial growers handpicking their juicy fruit as I write this. The Mediterranean climate in the part of the world allows the fruit spend 120 days on the tree, which is one month more than in the tropics. The extra time before harvesting allows the sugars to become more developed, making them sweeter to eat, and the warm temperature also means minimal …
As the outback scrub gives away to hills of faded gold, the Southern Wheatbelt region is dotted with cattle languidly grazing in paddocks while lorikeets and galas nibble on roadside picnics of seeds. The quintessential outback town of Wagin is at the crossroads of the Great Southern region; with Albany …
Where those of ill-repute reigned over what was once Australia’s roughest port town, Fremantle reinvented itself in the 1950’s with the arrival of Europeans immigrants. Then after winning the America’s Cup in 1987 the town rejoiced as the streets became lined with cafes, bars, shops museums, and buskers; the revellers may have dispersed but the party still remains 30 minutes west of Perth.
Imagine having to pay for the air you breath? Or worse still, not being able to afford it? Injected with Ben Elton’s signature sharp wit, Gasp! will leave you, dare I say it, gasping for air between laughs at this satirical poke at Perth’s mining boom and political landscape. Co-produced with the Queensland Theatre Company and the Black Swan State Theatre Company, Gasp! showcases some of Brisbane’s and Perth’s most talented actors, including Greg McNeill who I had a chat …
On a recent journey to Bali’s tranquil Ubud I didn’t find myself and despite hunting high and low not even Javier Bardem frolicking in the rice paddies either, sorry girls. I did however discover many enticing ways to eat, lay, bend and write, with a few naughty detours along the way.
Set during a time where writers and actors were black-listed by …
Conspiracy theories will always abound about Pope John Paul I’s death. Never accepted into his sudden position of power after the death of Pope John XXIII, speculation festered about how he met his maker, especially among those closest to him during his brief 33 day reign in the Vatican in 1978. The Last Confession examines the unsolved crime, if in fact a crime was committed?
Tell me about your character Konstantin in The Black Swan State Theatre Company’s production of “The Seagull”?
You’re an Egyptian immigrant working as a taxi-driver to put yourself through university. Your passenger is unbelievably …
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