“Why are there so many people here?”, one of my friends asked. “It’s simple”, I said, “Summer has finally arrived in Sydney”. We were desperately looking for a table at Opera Bar at the Sydney Opera House, where we had tickets to see Bernadette Robinson.
Our table of four was lucky enough to score a table early enough so we could enjoy a bottle of wine and some nibbles. You’ve got to have a seating strategy at Opera Bar on Thursday nights, I’ve concluded, especially when the weather is so completely spectacular. Blue skies. A warm night. A cruise ship. The Bridge. The Opera House. It doesn’t get much better.
Well not until you go inside The Playhouse when Bernadette Robinson is performing her show, “Songs For Nobodies”.
Bernadette is a wonderful singer and actor, and a very talented mimic with a wonderful ability to create the voices of some of the greatest female singers of the last century: Edith Piaf, Maria Callas, Judy Garland, Billie Holliday and Patsy Cline.
But this show was more than just mimicry and show tunes. It wasn’t a paint-by-numbers musical. No, it’s a show based around the idea that all of these artists have fans, people who have met them and who have been touched by them. So you have the character talking about their life, and how and why they connect to all of these wonderful, yet often tragic performers.
In the case of Edith Piaf, there’s the character of a woman from English and French origins who is living a fairly ordinary life as a librarian in the English countryside. Each year on her birthday, she travels to Paris to visit the Edith Piaf Museum. Her reason? She says it’s because her French father met Piaf years ago during the Second World War and was helped to escape.
Another character who I loved was an Irish nanny who recounts a story of being on board a yacht owned by Aristotle Onassis, and who is attempted to be seduced by Onassis, and whose life would have improved dramatically, until she hears the voice of Maria Callas, and realises she could never compete.
My favourite character was that of a fairly ordinary journalist who secures an interview with blues legend Billie Holliday, and whose life and career changes for the better afterwards. Meanwhile, Billie Holliday battles the booze and heroin. The journalist is honest enough to recognise the exploitation she may also have committed.
All of the characters were, in my view, well formed. They had depth. They touched my soul with their sometimes distressing honesty.
Bernadette goes from character to character and barely raises a sweat. We knew because we were in the second row.
She’s an amazing actor and singer, and the standing ovation, which I reckon happens every night, was well deserved.
What a beautiful night.
“Things happen for me, not to me.” This powerful statement by actor Louise Yeates, the first actor with a disability to be featured on Australian television, resonated for those attending the conference on disability representation in media, “Driving Change“.
Yeates’s story, and the insights shared by other speakers, highlighted the ongoing struggle for authentic inclusion in the industry and offered a hopeful vision for the future. Though lots of able-bodied people had played people in wheelchairs (think Raymond Burr in “Ironside”), she was actually a wheelchair user.
This focus on disability representation from the 1970s/1980s brought to mind my own childhood memories of gathering with my family four nights a week to watch the Australian drama “Bellbird.” While I was too young to recall specific plotlines, the ritual of watching this show, set in a small country town and immensely popular in regional areas, remains vivid.
Years later, I learned that “Bellbird” made television history by featuring Louise Yeates, who joined the cast at the age of 15. Only a few months later, a car accident in Gundagai left her a paraplegic.
Initially, the show’s producer, James Davern, told a TV magazine that Yeates wouldn’t be returning, suggesting she pursue a career in radio and stating that “the ABC wasn’t a charity.” However, faced with industrial action by the other cast members, Davern relented, and Yeates returned to “Bellbird” in a wheelchair, her character’s paralysis explained as the result of a hit-and-run accident.
This pioneering act of inclusion resonated decades later. Yeates herself shared her experiences and emphasizing the importance of self-acceptance. “Value your uniqueness,” she urged the audience, reflecting on how her life path, including meeting her husband through the International Year of Disability, was shaped by her experiences. Hearing her speak brought her story full circle, connecting my childhood memories to the urgent conversations happening today.
Louise was a guest on ABC Radio’s Conversations, talking about her experiences. https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/conversations/louise-philip-actress-bell-bird-television-disability/104453192
This theme of finding strength in adversity echoed throughout the day.
Governor-General Sam Mostyn opened the conference, sharing personal anecdotes about her sister, who lives with an intellectual disability, and her daughter, who is pursuing an acting career.
One session focused on the almost total absence of First Nations people with disabilities in the media, despite an estimated 45% of Indigenous Australians living with a disability, often exacerbated by socioeconomic factors. A speaker emphasized the importance of culturally sensitive language, noting that First Nations communities might describe someone as “he walks slowly” rather than using the term “disabled.”
Discussions explored whether inclusivity in filmmaking was a matter of welfare, social justice, good business sense, or a combination of all three. Data was presented showing that “inclusive” advertising campaigns generally perform better due to their authenticity. Unilever, a leader in inclusive advertising, has even developed a toolkit to guide companies in creating more representative campaigns.
The role of government in promoting inclusivity was also debated. One speaker’s declaration that “an arts career is a genuine career” drew enthusiastic applause from the audience. A representative from Screen Australia suggested that the industry could learn from Indigenous funding models, which prioritize supporting talented individuals rather than solely focusing on projects with explicitly Indigenous themes.
As someone who works in audio, I found the conference particularly thought-provoking. It challenged me to consider how I can contribute to a more inclusive media landscape, ensuring that the voices and stories of people with disabilities are heard loud and clear.
As I wandered home from my regular Wednesday night routine – Swedish class, then catching up with mates at the pub – I took a peak through the window at Cossie’s.
Cossie’s is a cafe that’s operated for as long as I’ve lived in Surry Hills. It’s never been glamorous. It’s never been fashionable. But they do an EXCELLENT Club Sandwich. A meal I’ve been missing over the last few months as they’ve been closed for renovations.
The hoardings came down last weekend (I think), and since then the windows have been covered in newspaper. But there are gaps so you can look in.
To be honest, I’m not sure I could see much difference as I had a look through the window. The walls appear to have been painted. The floor looked a little different. They appear to have done some work on the window frames.
But otherwise, it looked like Cossie’s always has: an unpretentious, regular, local cafe. That said, it hasn’t been without its share of glitterati: I saw Blanche d’Apulget there once.
I’m looking forward to the re-open.
Otherwise, it’s been a reasonably unremarkable day. I woke late, got to work a little late. Went to Swedish class – which was very enjoyable tonight – and then caught up with mates at the pub. That’s enough for a Wednesday surely?
“Oh dear God, please don’t tell me people are lining up for toilet paper?”, I asked the two women at the end of the queue that had formed outside Lismore Central late this afternoon. “No, it’s just a fire alarm”, they replied with laughing recognition that it might actually have been the toilet paper issue happening again.
The last time this happened was when I was home in Lismore earlier this year, and amidst talk about an imminent lockdown, there had been a run on toilet paper. Hopefully, people aren’t stupid enough to think a COVID outbreak means they need to stock up on toilet paper, but there was a sense of familiarity about it all.
I’d come home for a family funeral and had always planned to stay a couple of weeks. But then cases began to increase dramatically each day. Masks were required in all indoor settings, and people were become very familiar with QR-codes.Surely it’s not happening again? I mean it can’t.
At the time, the prevailing view was that NSW had to be dragged kicking and screaming into lockdowns. The view was NSW was roughly “two weeks late”. This time around there’s a view NSW is roughly “two weeks late” again. Cases reached almost 6,000 today. Back then we were talking about 100s.
Though there’s been a dramatic increase in vaccination, and the narrative has turned from cases to hospitalisations and patients in intensive care. But I still can’t see the forecast 25,000 daily cases isn’t going to mean significant deaths and hospitalisations. And then there’s the increased pressure on people working, due to the large number of people calling in sick. And there’s also the restaurant cancellations from people worried about becoming infected. etc.etc.
The great lesson of the last eighteen months seems to be the public has been consistently a step ahead of our politicians.
Despite this, it’s lovely being home with my family.
One of the things that has really touched me since being back is the discovery some long-standing family and friendship feuds seem to be coming to an end. People have been reaching out to each other and saying, “it’s time for us to resolve these arguments”. I don’t think it’s Christmas. I think it’s wisdom that comes from age. And maybe the fatigue of the last eighteen months. Maybe some good really has come from this?
Sue and I enjoyed a fabulous afternoon at Boomali Aboriginal Art Gallery.
The current exhibition is on there until February.
Both Sue and I really liked a couple of works, which might turn out to be our Christmas presents to ourselves. As with all art purchases, there’s a degree of “think it over” involved.
That said, it’s a really great exhibition with lots of really great works from NSW artists which are worth checking out.
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