Latest news with #BallardongNoongar
West Australian
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Wundig Wer Wilura In Concert: West Australian Opera to bring second Noongar-language opera to Bunbury
The West Australian Opera will bring the second ever Noongar-language opera to the Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre in November, written by powerhouse duo Gina Williams and Guy Ghouse. Wundig Wer Wilura In Concert is a portrayal of an ancient Ballardong Noongar story passed down for thousands of generations, of two star-crossed lovers, now known as Mt Bakewell (Walwalling) and Mt Brown (Wongborel) in York, WA. The pair break the bounds of lore and customs in an exploration of family, connection to country, obligation and rebellion, adoration and betrayal, and love and war. The story ultimately asks, 'in the face of catastrophic consequences, how far would you go for love?' The adaption, written by critically acclaimed songwriters and storytellers Williams and Ghouse, follows the success of their celebrated first Noongar language opera, Koolbardi We Wardong, which came to BREC in 2023 with three sold-out shows. Their second opera — which premiered in the 2024 Perth Festival and York Festival — stars an all First Nations cast and is sung entirely in Noongar language with English subtitles, celebrating Aboriginal culture through contemporary music, stunning vocals and rich storytelling. A big cast of principals from the premiere will be heading to the South West, including Williams in a lead role. BREC executive director Fiona de Garis said she was blown away by the power and emotion of the performance in Perth and was delighted when the WAO inquired about bringing the show to Bunbury. 'This semi-staged concert production is a wonderful concept that will allow our community to experience a world-class show with full costumes, lighting and an extraordinary backdrop along with the music and story. 'I am proud of the strong relationship we have built with West Australian Opera and with Gina Williams and Guy Ghouse that led them to offer this opportunity to us.' The WAO will present two concerts in Bunbury on November 7 with a combined schools and general public viewing at 11am and an evening performance with allocated seating at 7.30pm. The opera will also head to Albany on November 5. Director Matt Reuben James Ward said, 'it was an honour to support the telling of this West Australian story with new audiences in the South West and in particular in my hometown of Albany'. WAO executive director Carolyn Chard AM said they were 'deeply passionate about the powerful stories opera tells'. 'When Wundig Wer Wilura played in last year's Perth Festival, we saw how strongly it resonated with audiences and knew we had to share this beautiful story with wider audiences,' she said.
West Australian
07-06-2025
- General
- West Australian
Toodyay is the natural choice for a winter daytrip
To mark the first day of a Western Australian winter, and after an absence of many months, at 5.50am on a Sunday morning I set off for the small town of Toodyay. As the road eventually dips into the valley, the low-hanging clouds and mist before me, a refulgent sunrise beyond, I feel as though I am entering one of those depictions of the sublime by Von Guerard. Driving slowly down Stirling Terrace, everything is draped in the most finely-wrought gossamer lace. The pie, coffee and donut at the Toodyay Bakery are as divine as I remembered them. Already feeling blessed, I take a stroll through the town, observing the exteriors of such historic sites as the Memorial Hall (1899), the Old Gaol (1852), the St Aloysius Convent of Mercy (1903-1929), and the Public Library (1874). As I wander through the convent complex — comprising the former St Aloysius Convent of Mercy, classrooms, boys' and girls' boarding houses, Dr Growse's House, the old presbytery, and St John the Baptist Church — I recall with fondness having stayed in the boarding house during a primary school camp. I note the slightly dissonant mixture of architectural styles — Victorian Georgian, Federation Arts and Crafts, Federation Queen Anne — a row of placid pigeons on one of the roofs, and a small statue of St Francis of Assisi under a tree. Toodyay is one of WA's oldest inland towns, European settlement beginning there in 1836 in the Avon Valley region formerly inhabited by the Ballardong Noongar people. (York has the distinction of being the oldest WA inland town, having been settled in 1831.) The original settlement was known as Toodyay, but after the establishment of a Convict Hiring Depot between 1851 and 1868 about 3km upriver, a new township called Newcastle grew around the depot. Newcastle was renamed Toodyay in 1910, and the original site became West Toodyay. Previously beset by floods and fires, Toodyay today wears its scars nobly, its mixture of immaculately restored heritage sites, more contemporary dwellings and commercial premises, its spectacular natural scenery and short (just over an hour), picturesque drive from the Perth CBD making it a natural choice for a winter daytrip. On the way there or back, don't forget to drop into the Gidgegannup Bakery & Cafe and/or Noble Falls as midway pitstops.
