Cirrus@Austlit

'SIR SAMUEL GRIFFITH was my great-great grandfather. He was one of the ‘founding fathers’ of Australian Federation, a premier of Queensland, the first Chief Justice of Australia and intimately involved in drafting the Australian Constitution. This literary journal bears his name. Other ancestors of mine participated in the frontier wars in North Queensland to brutally claim, ‘settle’ and defend their occupation of Aboriginal lands. In response to the urging of Aboriginal colleagues, I wrote a series of letters to these ancestors for the book Unsettling Australian Histories: Letters to ancestry from a great-great-grandson (2020). The letters in this book also include contributions from Aboriginal Australians and Australian South Sea Islanders in order to articulate and honour First Nations resistances and reclamations. My hope is that these letters – created through cross-cultural friendships and partnerships – engage with the past in ways that foster action in the present.' (Introduction)

'It is becoming increasingly difficult to discern the difference between the present and the past, between what is familiar and what is foreign. Events that took place just minutes ago are being constantly erased, while memories that you have been able to keep at bay for decades now come rushing towards you.

Despite the explorations of poets, novelists, scientists and philosophers, the realm of memory remains a great mystery. And Sundowner's Syndrome remains an unanswered question. Why is it that just as the sun goes down, so many of those with Alzheimer's become particularly disorientated and confused?

KAGE, in partnership with Alzheimer's Australia, invites you into this mystery. This breathtaking performance traverses sorrow, fears and human dignity. Through the eyes of three generations, "Sundowner" tells the story of so many Australian families.

If a loved one starts to lose their memories, what role can we play in holding onto them? And if our parent is no longer the person we know, how can we care for them in the present and also honour their memory? "Sundowner" is a story of lament and at times grief and sorrow. Ultimately, though, it is a story of love: love of family, love of history, an love of life.' Source: www.kagephysicaltheatre.com/ (Sighted 19/04/2011).