Greg O'Leary and I packed out our little marquee at the Lit Fest. It was the perfect venue for storytelling and acoustic music. The festival had a theme 'West of the Yarra' so we began in the 1880s with the soundscapes and stories of the gold rush. From there we jumped river to the foothills of the Dandenongs and I told the story of the first lyrebird to be recorded and broadcast on the wireless - this took us up to the 1930's. Greg followed this up with my current favourite song - the Connemara piper - a man who when he piped made fat people thiner and thin people fatter. Then it was back to the 1800s with a change of plans. We discovered a young fellow in the audience who was keen on fiddle playing - so Greg played the tunes that were played in the Glenrowan Pub the night before the siege and the capture of Ned Kelly. Of course they were actually played on a concertina - but you all knew that! We were excited to have Tito in the audience from Radio Australia. Tito is making a program on storytelling traditions in Australia and Indonesia. Greg and I are honoured to be part of the documentary. Thank you to the Williamstown Literary for a wonderful weekend of stories, talks, workshops and games.
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