Tuesday, March 1, 2016

CORANDERRK: WE WILL SHOW THE COUNTRY

CORANDERRK: WE WILL SHOW THE COUNTRY  by writer/historian Giordano Nanni and Yorta Yorta playwright Andrea James, and directed by Rachael Maza, was first presented at La Mama Courthouse in Melbourne in 2010.

On 21 February 2016 La Mama Theatre staged a special one-off performance of CORANDERRK: WE WILL SHOW THE COUNTRY on-country at Coranderrk.

Coranderrk was an Aboriginal Station founded in 1863 near preset-day Healesville. In 1881 the people of The Coranderrk Aboriginal Station took on the Board for the Protection of Aborigines in a fight for dignity and self-determination. This led to the 1881 Coranderrk Parliamentary Inquiry.

The script of CORANDERRK: WE WILL SHOW THE COUNTRY consists entirely of extracts from the Minutes of Evidence of the Coranderrk Parliamentary Inquiry into the Aboriginal Reserve at Coranderrk. Through the medium of verbatim theatre the cast re-enact key passages from testimonies, letters and petitions of 20 witnesses (nine of them Aboriginal) who gave evidence at the Parliamentary Inquiry.

The re-staging on-country at Coranderrk itself was a truly historic event. It was performed by Uncle Jack Charles, Jim Daly, Syd Brisbane, Glen Shea, David Paterson, Greg Fryer, Pauline Whyman, Peter Finlay and Liz Jones.


The stage is all set up.

© Barbara Oehring 2016


At 5.00pm the gates at Coranderrk opened and people started to arrive for the 6.30pm performance.

© Barbara Oehring 2016



© Barbara Oehring 2016

 
Mission Australia social enterprise restaurant Charcoal Lane provided food featuring native Australian ingredients. A delicious tasting plate was given to anyone with a ticket to the show.


© Barbara Oehring 2016



A large crowd, including some descendants of the Aboriginal people who gave evidence at the Parliamentary Inquiry, turned up.

© Barbara Oehring 2016



 
© Barbara Oehring 2016




© Barbara Oehring 2016



Baby Robert, a descendant of Robert Wandon, with his mother.
Wandon was a Coranderrk stockman, Barak's nephew and successor as Ngurungatea (leader).

© Barbara Oehring 2016


Alan Wandin in the presence of his daughters Jacqui Wandin and Brooke Collins welcomed everyone.

© Barbara Oehring 2016

CORANDERRK: WE WILL SHOW THE COUNTRY begins.

Uncle Jack Charles as Barak, Wurundjeri clan-head; Ngurungaeta (leader) of the Coranderrk community.

© Barbara Oehring 2016


The wonderful cast.

© Barbara Oehring 2016


 
© Barbara Oehring 2016


It was a moving event particularly for the descendants of The Coranderrk Aboriginal Station.
After the performance a Question and Answer session was held. Here a descendant speaks.

© Barbara Oehring 2016





For information on Coranderrk's past, present and future, please visit the Coranderrk website:  coranderrk.com