The Alphabet Suitcase and Maps AliveIn June, local writer Charlotte Teek began a unique collaboration with students and tutors in Migrant English at the Wodonga Community College. Funded through AlburyCity, she had been given the task of finding a story for pre-schoolers somewhere in the myriad of experiences, stories and cultures to be found in the lives of about thirty people from very diverse backgrounds.
The exiled Bhutanese community were a strong presence – some had lived in Bhutan for three generations before forced migration from the country, and had spent up to eighteen years in refugee camps in Nepal. Young men from the Congo told of dangerous and epic flights across Africa. There were tales of brutality, atrocity, loss, cultural and religious suppression, displacement and poverty. Other students had migrated some time ago, from countries like Finland, Taiwan, and Laos. One woman stated her country of origin as Yugoslavia. It doesn’t exist as a country now, but it did, and still does, for her. There were stories of farming rice, marauding elephants, market life, wildlife, domestic life, marriage and the simple pleasures of being a child.
An Alphabet Suitcase was the only solution to this creative puzzle. How else to capture such a range of ideas and give everyone a chance to contribute? The writing process was arduous and often boring but many students rose to the immense challenge of writing creatively for children in a new language. There were suggestions that T stood for Torture – writing this book! Illustration workshops were conducted. Some people picked up paintbrushes for the first time in their lives.
Once the text was finalised, visual artist Mary-Rose Riley stepped in. Using words and paintings for inspiration, she began the huge task of illustrating the 26 letters in an incredibly short time frame. The collaborators were delighted when she bought in early sketches and they saw that some of their paintings were to be incorporated into the illustrations. “We thought this was babies stuff. And we wondered why we had to do it. But now we see it’s a real thing,” commented one woman. Albury-based graphic designer Megan Zawertailo brought her skills to the project. “It’s going to be a lovely thing,” she said.
The contents of the Alphabet Suitcase were found on an imaginary journey through thirteen countries. There were 36 travellers. This ABC with a difference is not merely a multicultural story, it’s an enchanting expression of shared experience.
The Alphabet Suitcase will be read to pre-schoolers at the Albury Library Museum, 11am Thursday 6 August and at Lavington Library, 10:30am Friday 7 August. Drummers from the African Community will be present to add music to the occasion, and some of the writers will be attending. All welcome!
Maps Alive
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the name change from Black Range to Lavington, author Jane Downing has worked with Lavington residents and groups to create a map that brings to life the memories of the suburb. More than a series of lines and street names, it will become a record of the people that have traversed the streets, a collage of thoughts and memories of the people that make Lavington the strong community it is. This colourful map will be on display during Write around the Murray.
While many people have been happy to write their stories themselves, others find it easier to talk about their experiences and leave Jane to do the writing.
Jane has been impressed by just how strongly Lavington residents identify themselves with the suburb.
"They are people who are from Lavington," she said.
"They are not from Albury and definitely not from North Albury. They really identify as being Lavington residents."
Groups that have already contributed to the collage of thoughts and memories include Lavington & District Family History Society, The Place (Youth Centre) and the Manual Activities Centre.
Jane said while many senior residents and young people had contributed to the map, the weekend session marked an opportunity for people who hadn't been able to contribute because of work commitments.
The cultural map, to be displayed as part of the Write around the Murray festival, complements Lavington's 100th anniversary celebrations.
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