Rebecca Lister & Tony Kelly: Growing Pineapples in the Outback
Saturday 07 August 2021
Join Tony and Rebecca as they talk to Walkley Award winner James Button about choosing to write Growing Pineapples in the Outback
When Rebecca Lister and Tony Kelly move from Melbourne to Mount Isa to care for Rebecca’s elderly mother, Diana, they have no idea what they’ve signed up for. The isolation, sweltering heat and limited employment opportunities make settling into the mining town a challenge. While Rebecca deals with her mother’s declining health and delves into her own past, Tony takes on a new role in native title law. Caring for Diana – a witty, crossword-loving 92-year-old – proves to be a more enriching experience than either Tony or Rebecca thought possible. As they make deeper connections to the land and community, they find themselves flourishing in a most unexpected place.
Growing Pineapples in the Outback explores the highs and lows of caring for an ageing parent, while also celebrating the rewards of a simpler life.
"This book aches with love. We are shown love for a mother as time begins to claim her and love for the red earth, the pulsing heat, the sense of home that stays in our bones no matter our travels. Growing Pineapples in the Outback is a beautiful book that eschews duty and asks us instead: what would we choose to do for those we love the most? I cried. I cried for the kind of tribute we should all hope to give to our dearest: our time." - Rick Morton, author of One Hundred Years of Dirt.
Bookings required. Online event details will be provided to registered attendees in the lead up to the event. If you have accessibility questions or requirements, please contact us at [email protected] or on 1300 695 427.
About the speakers:
TONY KELLY is a native title lawyer and is currently CEO of First Nations Legal and Research Services in Melbourne. His work has been published in The Monthly and The Big Issue.
REBECCA LISTER is an award-winning playwright, arts producer and social worker. She is the Director of Strategic Programs for Eating Disorders Victoria and co-artist director of Anvil Productions. Rebecca’s work has been published with Australia Plays, the Big Issue and the Griffith Review.
JAMES BUTTON is a former feature writer and deputy editor of The Age, and Europe correspondent for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. In 2009 and 2010 he worked in Australia’s Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, writing speeches for then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, an experience he describes in his book, Speechless: A Year in my Father's Business. He has also written Comeback: The Fall and Rise of Geelong, and has won three Walkley awards for feature writing. He is a freelance writer, reporter and editor.
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Date and time:
2.00pm
- 3.00pm
Saturday 07 August 2021
Address:
Online event