Wendy Richardson
Encyclopedia
Wendy Richardson, OAM is one of Australia
's most popular playwrights, best known as the author of Windy Gully. Richardson lives in Mount Kembla near Wollongong, New South Wales
. She is very active in the local community, working with disabled and disadvantaged youth, assisting those in need, teaching Sunday School and participating in historical and literary events.
Richardson describes herself: "I'm a teller of tales. I weave them out of what I hear and observe - some of them are true. I write about ordinary people who never consider themselves courageous or outstanding and who have led such extraordinary lives."
in the Hunter Valley
, New South Wales
, on 21 December 1933. In 1967 she moved to the small mining village of Mount Kembla in the Illawarra
District, where she raised her children, working as a primary school teacher. In 1985 she commenced studying English Literature at the University of Wollongong
, where she was to gain a Bachelor of Arts Degree.
Richardson describes her association with Mount Kembla:
"I came to Mount Kembla by accident, we got lost on the mountain. It was real Bunyip country. We bought a large dilapidated weather board general store and dance hall. There was also a house and in a drawer of an old desk was a copy of the Royal Commission into the Mine Disaster of 1902. I opened the dusty cover. It pulled me into the story, and this was my departure point.... As I read and talked and walked and listened I began to realize what a privilege it was to live in a close-knit mining community where we keep alive those things we must never forget".
It was while studying at Wollongong University that Richardson wrote her first play, Windy Gully, which was commissioned and performed by the Theatre South Regional Theatre Company, directed by Des Davis, in 1987. The subject of Windy Gully is the mine disaster which took place at Mount Kembla on 31 July 1902, in which 96 men and boys lost their lives. Every family who lived in the village lost a relative. In many families, fathers and sons died. The bodies were buried in Wollongong
Cemetery, Mount Kembla Cemetery and in an unmarked communal grave near a cricket field in Windy Gully. The anniversary of the disaster is commemorated annually with a church service, parade and Mining Festival. Richardson was later to serve on the committee to organise the Mount Kembla Mining Disaster Centenary Commemoration in 2002. Songs from Windy Gully are published at the Mount Kembla Mining Heritage website and Illawarra Unity the journal of the Illawarra Branch of the Australian Society for the Study of Labour History.
Windy Gully proved very popular, going on interstate tour of mining towns in Queensland and New South Wales and being performed at the New Theatre
in Sydney
in 1989. There was a third season at Theatre South in 2000. Windy Gully was published in 1989 by Currency Press. Des Davis writes of Windy Gully: The huge and many faceted event that was the Mount Kembla mine disaster is distilled to two hours on the stage and the human dimension of it is made accessible to an audience.
Windy Gully was followed by Slacky Flat written in 1988, which toured the South Eastern Region of New South Wales and was performed at Theatre South and at the Regional Theatre Festival in Penrith.
The backgrounds include World War II
, in the case of Lights out, Nellie Martin and the Depression in Slacky Flat. The Last Voyage of the Gracie Anne looks at community issues within the local fishing industry. ... That Christmas of '75. is a backyard farce set against the sacking
of Prime Minister
Gough Whitlam
by the Governor-General
. John Senczuk writes of "...the overwhelming positive reception of the plays ...as positive and 'life-affirming'".
Richardson's skills as a dramatist have been greatly appreciated by Theatre South, not only because of their "box office magic", but also because Wendy knows how to write for a small group of players and is particularly skilled at monologue. Des Davis writes of Richardson's plays "They are, moreover, constantly innovative in structure, style, and in the use of other theatrical and literary devices."
Unfortunately Theatre South, for whom so many of Wendy's plays were written closed in 2003.
Des Davis writes "She is more popular in the Illawarra than David Williamson
and Shakespeare."
In 2005 Richardson was awarded the Order of Australia
Medal for her services to the Arts and to the Community, and in 2006 she was honoured in the Illawarra Australia Day
Awards for her contribution to the Arts. Her plays have also been produced by the Riverina Theatre Company and heard on ABC Radio
. She was made a lifetime member of Theatre South and the South Coast Writers' Centre.
For Theatre South-
Reference
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's most popular playwrights, best known as the author of Windy Gully. Richardson lives in Mount Kembla near Wollongong, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. She is very active in the local community, working with disabled and disadvantaged youth, assisting those in need, teaching Sunday School and participating in historical and literary events.
Richardson describes herself: "I'm a teller of tales. I weave them out of what I hear and observe - some of them are true. I write about ordinary people who never consider themselves courageous or outstanding and who have led such extraordinary lives."
Biography
Richardson was born in SingletonSingleton, New South Wales
-Industry & Commerce:Major industries near Singleton include coal mining, energy generation, light industry, vineyards, horse breeding and cattle production. Dairying was once a mainstay in the area, but has declined....
in the Hunter Valley
Hunter Valley
The Hunter Region, more commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney with an approximate population of 645,395 people. Most of the population of the Hunter Region lives within of the coast, with 55% of the entire...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, on 21 December 1933. In 1967 she moved to the small mining village of Mount Kembla in the Illawarra
Illawarra
Illawarra is a region in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is a coastal region situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the Shoalhaven or South Coast region. It encompasses the cities of Wollongong, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven and the town of Kiama. The central region contains Lake...
District, where she raised her children, working as a primary school teacher. In 1985 she commenced studying English Literature at the University of Wollongong
University of Wollongong
The University of Wollongong is a public university located in the coastal city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, approximately 80 kilometres south of Sydney...
, where she was to gain a Bachelor of Arts Degree.
Richardson describes her association with Mount Kembla:
"I came to Mount Kembla by accident, we got lost on the mountain. It was real Bunyip country. We bought a large dilapidated weather board general store and dance hall. There was also a house and in a drawer of an old desk was a copy of the Royal Commission into the Mine Disaster of 1902. I opened the dusty cover. It pulled me into the story, and this was my departure point.... As I read and talked and walked and listened I began to realize what a privilege it was to live in a close-knit mining community where we keep alive those things we must never forget".
Windy Gully
Wollongong, New South Wales
Wollongong is a seaside city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the narrow coastal strip between the Illawarra Escarpment and the Pacific Ocean, 82 kilometres south of Sydney...
Cemetery, Mount Kembla Cemetery and in an unmarked communal grave near a cricket field in Windy Gully. The anniversary of the disaster is commemorated annually with a church service, parade and Mining Festival. Richardson was later to serve on the committee to organise the Mount Kembla Mining Disaster Centenary Commemoration in 2002. Songs from Windy Gully are published at the Mount Kembla Mining Heritage website and Illawarra Unity the journal of the Illawarra Branch of the Australian Society for the Study of Labour History.
Windy Gully proved very popular, going on interstate tour of mining towns in Queensland and New South Wales and being performed at the New Theatre
New Theatre (Newtown)
The New Theatre is an independent theatre company in the inner western Sydney suburb of Newtown, Australia. Established in October 1932, it is the oldest theatre company in continuous production in New South Wales...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in 1989. There was a third season at Theatre South in 2000. Windy Gully was published in 1989 by Currency Press. Des Davis writes of Windy Gully: The huge and many faceted event that was the Mount Kembla mine disaster is distilled to two hours on the stage and the human dimension of it is made accessible to an audience.
Windy Gully was followed by Slacky Flat written in 1988, which toured the South Eastern Region of New South Wales and was performed at Theatre South and at the Regional Theatre Festival in Penrith.
Success
Richardson went on to write many more plays and monologues, all performed but many not published. Des Davis writes in the foreword to Three Illawarra Plays- "The reason for the remarkable popularity of her work, I believe, is her use of familiar occasions, minor crises and rituals of ordinary lives set against a background of community and national crises, even disaster. The plays celebrate the resilience, the humour in adversity and quiet courage of her 'ordinary people', especially her strong female characters."The backgrounds include World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, in the case of Lights out, Nellie Martin and the Depression in Slacky Flat. The Last Voyage of the Gracie Anne looks at community issues within the local fishing industry. ... That Christmas of '75. is a backyard farce set against the sacking
Australian constitutional crisis of 1975
The 1975 Australian constitutional crisis has been described as the greatest political crisis and constitutional crisis in Australia's history. It culminated on 11 November 1975 with the removal of the Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam of the Australian Labor Party , by Governor-General Sir John Kerr...
of Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
Gough Whitlam
Gough Whitlam
Edward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC , known as Gough Whitlam , served as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to power at the 1972 election and retained government at the 1974 election, before being dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr at the climax of the...
by the Governor-General
Governor-General of Australia
The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
. John Senczuk writes of "...the overwhelming positive reception of the plays ...as positive and 'life-affirming'".
Richardson's skills as a dramatist have been greatly appreciated by Theatre South, not only because of their "box office magic", but also because Wendy knows how to write for a small group of players and is particularly skilled at monologue. Des Davis writes of Richardson's plays "They are, moreover, constantly innovative in structure, style, and in the use of other theatrical and literary devices."
Unfortunately Theatre South, for whom so many of Wendy's plays were written closed in 2003.
Des Davis writes "She is more popular in the Illawarra than David Williamson
David Williamson
David Keith Williamson AO is one of Australia's best-known playwrights. He has also written screenplays and teleplays.-Biography:...
and Shakespeare."
Awards
Richardson was nominated for a Sydney Theatre Critics Circle Award in 1989 and was awarded an Australian Arts Council Literary Fellowship in 1990.In 2005 Richardson was awarded the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
Medal for her services to the Arts and to the Community, and in 2006 she was honoured in the Illawarra Australia Day
Australia Day
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia...
Awards for her contribution to the Arts. Her plays have also been produced by the Riverina Theatre Company and heard on ABC Radio
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
. She was made a lifetime member of Theatre South and the South Coast Writers' Centre.
Quotes
- "I am an ordinary person who writes about ordinary people. Being a writer is not a real blessing".
- "There have to be those people in our life that take the risk to tell the stories".
- "Place is very important if you’re going to write about it or create something; it's vital that you should walk and get to know it well".
- "I was beginning to understand what the coal cost in terms of human life and I knew that those outside of the mining community needed to be reminded"(on being inspired to write Windy Gully).
- "Eventually one day I opened a drawer in the desk out of curiosity. sitting in it was the 1903 royal commission into the disaster. I opened the cover and as I started to leaf through this ancient, dusty book it pulled me into the story"(on being inspired to write Windy Gully).
Performed Works
- Windy Gully (1987)
- Slacky Flat (1988)
- On the Coal (1988)
- Lights Out, Nellie Martin (1990)
- The Last Voyage of the Gracie Anne (1993)
- ...That Christmas of '75 (1995)
- Vida (1996)
- Alma and Ivy, Molly and Merle (1997)
- The Season of Emily Jane (1999)
- This Other Eden (2001) The Season of Emily Jane and This Other Eden are two parts of a trilogy.
- Soft Target (2002)
- Horse Shoe Bend (1992) - for Maitland Repertory Society
- Alma (1993) - for Sydney Festival and Carnivale
- Under the House (1993)- for the Faculty of Creative Arts, University of Wollongong.
- Valerie Paterson - Where can She Live? (1995)- for The Illawarra Christian Performing Arts Company
- The Year 2000- Coming, Ready or Not (1999) - for Community Group Recreation Illawarra
- The script for the re-enactment of the landing of the "Tom Thumb" at Towradgi - for the Wollongong City Council Heritage Committee.
- The soundscape for the Bulli Miner's cottage - for the Bulli Miner's Cottage Committee
- Four Kembla Women, a monologue (2006) - for the launch of Heritage Week in the Illawarra
Reference
Published works
- Windy Gully, Currency Press, (1989), ISBN 9780868192451.
- Three Illawarra Plays, Australian Playwright Signature Series, University of Wollongong, (1997), ISBN 1-875604-55-3