“My dad is my hero, and I wanted to tell a story about him as a railway man,” says Aunty Ruth. “He was one of the pioneers, and when we were doing the research going to all these communities those railway elders all knew who my father was.”
In the process Ghee uncovered the story of how Torres Strait Islander workers on the Mount Newman Rail Project broke a world record in 1968 by laying seven kilometres of track in under 12 hours.
A steel gang for the Mount Newman Rail Project, WA in 1969.Credit: Courtesy of John Kennell Snr
The work was gruelling in 40-degree heat, but they surpassed the previous record of 4.6-kilometre to achieve a feat unmatched to this day.
“They had this beautiful rhythm with each other,” says McDonald-Dowd, a Yumi woman from Mackay, who previously researched the workers for an exhibition at the State Library of Queensland.
“There were a whole lot of songs and dance movements that would go with laying down the track, and that enabled them to go fast. Music forms a big part of island life. It’s in everything.”
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A show like this may seem like an unusual fit for Opera Queensland, but the company’s artistic director, Patrick Nolan, could not disagree more.
“I think any arts company has to connect with the community they are part of, and the Torres Strait is a unique community in Queensland.
“New work is part of our charter. We need to be telling these stories as much as we need to be telling the stories of Dido and Aeneas and Lucia di Lammermoor.”
The show’s production has been something of a family affair. On the day this masthead spoke to McDonald-Dowd, Ghee’s brother Tony Ghee had visited to advise the 15-strong cast on the physical movements for track work and cane cutting.
Cast members rehearsing Straight from the Strait.Credit: Opera Queensland
An original worker on the Port Hedland railway, Gehamat Loban, has also visited the rehearsals.
“The Torres Strait, it’s not huge, they’ve all got family connections, everybody knows somebody,” McDonald-Dowd notes.
Straight from the Strait’s music combines ballads and jazz with traditional Torres Strait styles. Lyrics are in ancestral languages of Meriam Mir, Kala Lagaw Ya and Torres Strait Creole along with English.
“It’s not Chicago,” laughs McDonald-Dowd. “It’s much better!
Director Nadine McDonald-Dowd.Credit: Opera Queensland
“Historically, it’s a really important story that belongs to Australia, about a wonderful achievement that has gone unrecognised.
“But that aside, I think the beauty of this work is the way in which the story is told. Torres Strait Island culture is full of music and song and laughter and it really raises your spirits up.”
Straight from the Strait has four performances only at the Playhouse, QPAC, August 28-31.
