16 ART & HEALTH NEWS
Othello production wins 2023 Reconciliation partnership gong
Lee Lewis (QT), Darrell Harris (CIAF), Dean Gibson (QT) & David Graham (QT). Pic supplied. Queensland Theatre and Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF) has won the coveted Partnership category of the 2023 Queensland Reconciliation Awards with their much-acclaimed theatre production of Othello. The production exemplified the intrinsic value of strategic partnerships that in effect led to an increased knowledge of Torres Strait Islander language, song, and dance while showcasing the outstanding talent of Torres Strait Islander artists. Representatives from both Queensland Theatre and CIAF attended last week’s award ceremony and said they were thrilled. CIAF General Manager Darrell Harris said strategic partnerships with major institutions and corporations expand the scope of possibility, can harness many synergies and were a key focus of the organisation’s future growth strategy. “Founded on the true spirit and principles of reconciliation, CIAF’s partnership with Queensland Theatre is the perfect
example of how an inspired collaboration can achieve outstanding results,” Mr Harris said. The Torres Strait Island adaptation of Queensland Theatre’s Othello premiered at Bulmba-ja in November 2021 in partnership with CIAF, and was followed by a successful season at the Bille Brown Theatre as part of Brisbane Festival. The show was seen by more than 8000 people and received widespread publicity and critical acclaim. Adapted by Jimi Bani and Jason Klarwein, Othello presented a fusion of two powerful cultures – Shakespeare and Wagadagam. Set between Cairns and the Torres Strait, this tri-lingual production (Kala Lagaw Ya, Yumpla Tok and English) illuminated the vital role of the Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion during World War II when more than 800 Torres Strait Islander men volunteered to protect the northern tip of Australia. “The joy of making a work led
by such extraordinary artists like Jimi Bani and Jason Klarwein that brings together all of Queensland is huge,” Queensland Theatre Artistic Director Lee Lewis said. For co-creator and lead actor Jimi Bani (My Name is Jimi, Our Town), staging Othello as part of CIAF 2021 was a chance to share the stories of his family and fulfilled a longheld career aspiration. He said Othello was the role he had been wanting to play since studying and graduating from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in 2007. “It’s fitting that we set this version in wartime 1942 in the Torres Strait,” he said. “My grandfather, the late Solomon Gela and my great grandfather, the late Ephraim Bani Snr both enlisted — as did all able-bodied Torres Strait Islander men. “I grew up on Thursday Island and had the privilege of hearing their war stories, and I continue to carry all these men and women in my heart.”
THURSDAY 8 JUNE 2023 TORRES NEWS
Soldiering on with culture STORY ALF WILSON • PIC ADF Proud Badu Islander Warrant Officer (W02) Annie Dufficy (pictured) is a talented artist deployed in Sinai, Egypt – many thousands of kilometres away from her Torres Strait homeland. She also has Aboriginal heritage from Bamaga. Multi-talented W02 Dufficy is also a gifted sportswoman who has excelled at rugby league, rugby union and Australian Rules football. Her Torres Strait heritage inspires her art work in Egypt and on weekends WO2 Dufficy can be found sitting peacefully with a paintbrush in hand creating a sense of calm for herself. The dots she paints connect not just images, but her Indigenous story with others. Based in Brisbane, her home is Badu Island in the Torres Straits. Her work as a soldier was part of Operation Mazurka, an Australian contingent helping implement the security provisions of the EgyptianIsraeli Treaty of Peace. “When you’re deployed, work is all around you,” she said. Her brush remains ever in reach as she works on a scene on the entertainment wall at The Cove – the recreation area for the Australian contingent to the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) at South Camp in Sharm el-Sheikh. Anne said it was especially important to bring Indigenous culture to the MFO. “We’re a very multicultural country and nations here want to know why we all look different,” she said. “Not a lot of people overseas know much about the Indigenous Australians. “I want to share as much as I know about the culture to my new friends here in the MFO.” As a Warrant Officer, Anne serves as the force chief clerk, providing administrative advice and policy guidance to the force headquarters. She also manages administration for the 13 MFO nations. WO2 Dufficy is also part of the Army’s Indigenous cultural advisory board and loves receiving care packages from Indigenous children all over Australia. “They write letters asking questions like ‘what kind of people are over there?’,” she said. Department of Defence North
Queensland Region Public Affairs Manager Ken Wilson praised W02 Dufficy’s work. “Anne is presently deployed to Egypt where she is using art to educate and inspire colleagues and international partners about Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture,” Mr Wilson said. Back in 2015 then-ranked Sgt Annie Dufficy was a star in the ladies competition at the Arthur Beetson Foundation Murri Knockout rugby league carnival held at Redcliffe. At the time she was an Indigenous Recruiting Officer for the Australian Defence Forces and one of the stars for the Highlanders team, who reached the Deadly Choices ladies grand final. She has also excelled at AFL in Bendigo. “I learnt to play Aussie Rules at Auskick in Townsville as a little girl and also lined up for a junior team called the Bohle Bears,” she said. She has regularly participated in Rugby Union annually at the Australian Services Rugby Carnival which is a battle between the three services Army, Navy and Air Force. “The games between Army, Navy and Air Force sides are what I look forward to every year,” she said at the time. “I love playing alongside my Army sisters, and it’s an honour being selected for the Combined Services side (ASRU) to play in the Nationals Competition.”
Diabetes under inquiry focus
COVID boosters offer best protection
The broader impacts of diabetes on Australia’s health system and economy, and recent advances in the prevention and management of this significant health condition, will be the focus of a new inquiry by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health. Committee Chair Dr Mike Freelander said diabetes was the world’s fastest growing chronic health condition, currently
Local MP Cynthia Lui has asked Torres Strait and Cape residents to arm themselves against an oncoming winter surge of COVID-19 She said the COVID-19 peak was anticipated for late June 2023 “Booster doses are recommended for most people and can be taken alongside other vaccinations, such as the flu shot,” she said. “The onset of winter is a timely reminder for us all to be vigilant to the risks of infectious disease.
impacting approximately 1.3 million Australians. “The Committee looks forward to conducting this inquiry to better understand the current situation regarding diabetes in Australia, including the effectiveness of current Australian Government policies and programs aiming to prevent, diagnose and manage the condition,” he said. “The Inquiry will be broad and will also look at lifestyle factors and
the interaction between lifestyle, Type 2 diabetes, and obesity.” Submissions from interested individuals and organisations are invited by 31 August 2023. For more information, including the full terms of reference and details on how to lodge a submission, see the Committee’s website at
https://www.aph.gov.au/ Parliamentary_Business/ Committees/House/ Health_Aged_Care_and_ Sport/
“Some experts believe we will soon enter our fifth wave of COVID-19. “Daily case numbers are surging across the country and may peak sometime around the end of June. “One of the best ways to protect yourself, your family, and your community is to keep up-to-date with immunisations. “They might not stop you from getting COVID but they will certainly help to reduce the severity of symptoms. “If you haven’t had a booster or been infected with
COVID-19 in the past six months, I would encourage you to get to phone your local chemist to arrange your next dose. “This is especially important for people over the age of 65 or anyone over the age of 18 with medical comorbidities, disability or complex health needs. To find where you can get your booster, use the COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Finder at https://www. healthdirect.gov.au/australianhealth-services
