����ֱ��

The story behind St Joseph’s College’s extraordinary music and drama production is revealed below.

Burramatta Songlines

Unlike anything ����ֱ�� has ever presented, Burramatta Songlines was a breathtaking display of storytelling led by our students. A transformative learning experience showcasing our commitment to truth-telling, it left a lasting impression on all who attended.

In a setting reminiscent of a river bank, the audience was taken on a fluid journey through drama, dance, music and art. The Burramatta (Parramatta River) was a driving theme, just as the river is a significant point of reference for ����ֱ��. Over a three-night run in Reconciliation Week, Burramatta Songlines delivered nine exceptional pieces, with the audience spellbound from start to finish.

Featured music included the haunting tones of “Binna Burra Dreaming”, performed by Lucas Choi (Y12) on cello. Equally impressive was the original composition “Let the River Flow”, devised by Connor Williams (Y12) and supported by Year 11 musicians with George Andreou on vocals. Risheet Mazumdar (Y9) led with his voice in a joyful New Orleans gospel-style rendition of “Wash My Soul in the River’s Flow”, by the musical powerhouse Archie Roach.

Time seemingly stopped when soprano Josie Ryan emerged to deliver a haunting arrangement of “Maranoa Lullaby”, accompanied by the Chamber Strings Ensemble. This piece is synonymous with the centrepiece drama about founding Indigenous opera singer Harold Blair. With permission and invaluable insights from his daughter, Nerida, Year 11 Drama students used a researched-based theatre approach to devise the 30-minute play, “Harold”.

Blair was a trailblazer who challenged public perceptions about Aboriginal people through his music. Our students creatively portrayed Blair’s life, selecting key moments that led to the discovery of his beautiful voice by a union man named Harry Green, portrayed by Kaya Ozen (Y11).

Nerida says she will forever cherish the experience: “The way the boys performed their parts gave life to not only Harold’s story, but to Harry Green, mum and Aboriginal people fighting for a place and a sense of belonging in this world and this country. I’m so honoured to have been a part of this story.”

Compelling performances by Year 11 students Kavan Meegamuge, Frederick Harrison, Kaya Ozen and Darnell Murray-Gibbs – who played Blair – captivated the audience. “Everyone has a different story. You don’t know what someone has been through until you’ve truly heard their story. That’s why I love the learning process in Drama,” says Kaya.

“Harold” concluded with an archival recording from the Bob Crosby Show (1966), singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” – a definitive anthem at ����ֱ�� and an unearthed parallel of Blair’s story with the history of the College and, importantly, with reconciliation.

Weaved throughout each night, the drama performances were outstanding, with the opening immersive act by Year 9 Drama students telling the lifecycle of the eel – a totem of the Dharug people – across a backdrop of poetry and music. A powerful monologue by Darnell Murray-Gibbs of an extract from the acclaimed play City of Gold was raw, honest and thought-provoking.

Year 10 Drama students performed “What’s in a Name? Why Don’t We Know?”, reviving lost stories of significant Aboriginals. Inspired by a Museum of Contemporary Art piece, the drama was presented through the lens of Governor Lachlan Macquarie in a reflection on colonisation. Bangarra Dance Theatre’s Youth Programs educator, Shane Carroll, says these “untold” stories were metaphorically “warmed back to life like around the fire”, through the performances of Oliver Goold as Macquarie, Flynn Chard as explorer Matthew Flinders, and Zachary Anderson as Bungaree.

Song cycles

The partnership with Bangarra was transformative for a group of Indigenous boys. They worked with Bangarra’s Tom Kelly to devise an original piece “Song Cycles”, performed in bare feet as a gesture to connection to Country. Shane Carroll was impressed by the commitment and efforts to ensure cultural safety and protocols. “There is absolutely no doubt that it was all worth it. Witnessing the boys’ confidence grow and the joy shared by the audiences has been magical.”

Each evening, a yarn panel shared their response to the performances. Old Boys Kobi Ashby (2023), Cayden Close (2023), Zac Burgess (2020), Jackson Phillips (2018) and Alexander Roche (2023) were joined by staff, Lesley Maher, Jess Simon and Alice Hann, alongside playwright and director Wesley Enoch AM, performer Russell Cheek, artistic director Tom Kelly and Darug Elder Chris Tobin. William Barton, a board member of Sydney Symphony, Indigenous composer and performer, led the audience in an impromptu song at one night’s yarn.

Head of Music, Paul Howe, in partnership with Head of Drama, Pat O’Shea, devised the showcase as part of Drama Extension and the co-curricular program. “We collaborated through the Industry Professional Partnership program with a number of people, including performer Russell Cheek, who worked with the boys through improvisation and play building to write the script for ‘Harold’,” says Mr O’Shea. The result? Extraordinary drama, music, dance and research-based theatre. “Seeing the talent that has come out with the Old Boys here is amazing. And the drama and music departments working together has been really something … to see the students embodying the stories. This is why drama is so important in schools,” reveals Russell.

Douglas Melrose-Ray, Associate Chief Executive, Association of Independent Schools of NSW (AISNSW), saw the show as an “igniter, an exemplar, and a template for the way forward”, not just for ����ֱ��, but for other schools.

The creative process

����ֱ�� is renowned for pushing the boundaries of education through the performing arts, and Burramatta Songlines is no exception. Much more than a performance, Burramatta Songlines embraced cultural perspectives and inclusion. With the river as a metaphorical throughline, Indigenous students spent time at the river’s edge at the start of the process, connecting with water and Country. Alongside guidance from Bangarra, and cultural consultation with ����ֱ��’ parent Kylie Tarleton, Visual Arts also played an integral role in the production. “����ֱ�� is charging forward in using the arts as a medium for exposing untold stories,” says Mr Howe. “The collaborative art piece invited people in to ‘build the river’, with the audience first witnessing, then adding to the art and making comments as part of the ball of yarn.”

In envisioning this artwork, Visual Arts teacher Jess Simon used an old map of St Joseph’s from a black and white postcard, winding up the harbour from Circular Quay. “Each night, people could add ‘water’ using threads of material, adding their own words associated with reconciliation as ‘songlines’ – exchanging stories to acknowledge the past, the present and how we might move forward in the future,” says Mrs Simon.

Burramatta Songlines was an exciting part of our performing arts program this year, with one audience member having the final word: “The comradeship and love for music melted my heart. It was sublime and it gave me chills. The boys knocked it out of the park and I can’t wait to hear more!”

You can VIEW the Burramatta Songlines Wrap e-book on .

Download the Burramatta Songlines Program.

Read the Promo article at .

, Kalkaundga man; multi-instrumentalist, was moved to share music from his Country with the audience during the Yarn panel (May 2024).

our Burrmatta Songlines Promotional video and recap.