AN intergenerational performance and Elders luncheon was a highlight of NAIDOC week in Nipaluna/Hobart.

The project involved eight-year-olds to 82-year-olds.

Leading up to NAIDOC, Elders shared stories of their life with the younger people. 

They told stories of growing up on Cape Barren, collecting shellfish, travelling between islands in small boats, dancing on the rocks, horse riding and a sense of freedom. 

They told of the challenges of university study, professional life and setting up the groundbreaking Koorie Court in Victoria then returning home to Lutruwita/Tasmania. 

Led by creative arts therapist Dannielle Jackson and her team, the younger people then energetically crafted these stories into a shadow puppet show. 

They made puppets, scenery and props from cardboard, foliage, stones, coloured gels, wooden letters and even their bodies to throw shadows onto a screen, and used the exact words of their Elders to tell the stories in a surreal and almost cartoonish manner. 

All the Elders knew about the project was that the young people were going to interpret their stories and put on a play. 

Gail Robertson was one of those who shared her story. She was delighted with the show. 

“I got a real shock,” she told the Koori Mail. 

“It bought back so many memories for me, it was special, I absolutely loved…