Illuminations was commissioned in 2011 by the Geelong College as part of the Sesquicentenary Song Cycle ‘Teller of Stories’. This was to consist of three songs on iconic Geelong themes and be premièred by Geelong College Choirs at the Foundation Concert. Paul would build his relationship with the students and the community, developing material for the songs on a number of visits over a twelve month period.
In the search for the soul of Geelong, water was a common thread. Aside from amazing coastal beaches, the town of Geelong wouldn’t exist without the river and port. In particular, the Barwon River with its constant presence and significance in the history and formation of this town, called to us, drawing us in, wanting to share its secrets: In Illuminations this final song of the cycle, we step further back in time to connect with the innocent beauty of the Barwon which served hundreds of generations of Wathaurong people.
Julia Ditterich, Aboriginal liaison officer, stripped back the years to expose Senior School choristers and staff to a local landscape prior to European settlement of Geelong. Her empathy and passion for Indigenous local history led us to Yollinko, the site of a bustling winter camp for generations of Wathaurong people, situated near the Shannon Avenue Bridge. On the banks of the Barwon, Julia enlightened us with stories of family gatherings, explanations of edible and medicinal plants, and the technologies used for a creative and comfortable life, linking these to the contemporary sculptures featured here today. The visit to the site of the Duneed Aboriginal Reserve called Toolim Beal on Ghazepore Road was not such a pleasant experience – more a rude awakening to the impact of European contact on the Indigenous population in the Geelong region. Students respectfully walked the overgrown path, which led to a single, large boulder featuring a lonely plaque. They stood in silence, digesting the date (1861) and the faces of the six remaining members of the Wathaurong clan who had numbered in their hundreds, thirty years earlier. Our sober discussions following these visits led us to acknowledge a fundamental truth – a need to belong.
Paul conducting the world premier at Costa Hall, Geelong.
Audio sample from the World Premier in 2011