This week we caught up with Jennifer Lamb OAM as she prepares for the sold out premiere of her play Journey Through Country directed by Chrisjohn Hancock. Jennifer has been active in the Goulburn Community for many years including her role as inaugural Director of Goulburn Regional Art Gallery, the Veolia Creative Arts Scholarship Program and through her dedication to History Goulburn. Most recently Jennifer has dedicated a year to Goulburn 2020, a commemoration exploring the journey of Governor Macquarie through the Goulburn Plains.

I believe I have been interested in history most of my life, but twenty odd years ago I researched Miles Franklin and her Goulburn ties for an exhibition at Goulburn Regional Art Gallery.  That hooked me on to local history – I was born and bred in the Goulburn district and lived here much of my life.  I was always writing at Goulburn Regional Art Gallery – artist essays, grant applications (much creative licence in the latter).  Retiring in 2007 gave me time to link my history and writing interests – resulting in a play about Miles Franklin in 2013, another about local Aboriginal WW1 soldier William Punch in 2015 ,and the current Journey Through Country based on Governor Macquarie’s diary of his 1820 journey through our region.  (There was a whimsical frolic amongst all that called Oink! The 3 Pigs.)

I guess my studio is my life in the countryside around Goulburn and Bannaby where I spend days and nights in a house and shed, respectively.  My muse is often that tunnel of enthrallment called Trove that allows me to see on my laptop a wealth of primary source material – including, recently, the diaries and journals of European explorers of our region.  That material is full of inspiration and amazing revelations – and endless stories to tell.

If you missed out on tickets the live production of Journey to Country will be filmed and screened at a later time. Sign up to the Lieder Theatre Newsletter to be the first to know.