Don Dunstan changed South Australia.
The late premier, who led the state from 1967 to 1968 and again from 1970 to 1979, is fondly remembered as a man with a keen sense of humour who famously posed up in those pink shorts on the steps of Parliament House in 1972 (pictured).
But much more importantly Dunstan was a visionary who ushered in changed that had an impact not only on ou
r state but on our nation.
In 1965 Dunstan moved the motion in the Australian Labor Party to remove the White Australia Policy from the party’s platform – arguably the most significant development in transforming Australia from a post-colonial backwater to a multicultural society taking its proper place in the south-east Asian region and the world.
He decriminalised homosexuality, opposed the Vietnam War, and introduced the very first land rights legislation for Aboriginal people.
He also set in motion major consumer and equal opportunity legislative reform when he appointed the first woman to the Supreme Court.
He also changed the state’s nightlife by ending six o’clock closing for hotels and encouraging a restaurant culture that saw Adelaide emerge as one of Australia’s great food cities.
Now South Australians are invited to An Audience with Don Dunstan, a new production written by multi award-winning playwright Neil Cole set in a late-night Cabaret bar in Adelaide.
The theatrical product
ion weaves a story through Dunstan’s remarkable legacy using stories, poetry and song, with “Dunstan” taking a front row seat, to laugh, cry and reflect on his colourful past.
Writing in The Age, theatre critic Cameron Woodhead noted that, “Premiers of Australian states don’t usually have plays written about them”.
“Despite some larger-than-life characters and lasting legacies, it is the fate of most politicians in this country to be ignored by the artists they underfund. Of course, premiers don’t usually wear pink shorts to Parliament, either.”
An Audience with Don Dunstan is being presented as part of this year’s SA’s History Festival, which runs throughout the month of May.
Other highlights of this year’s festival include the House of History (external site) sessions, Priscilla: Frock Up and Find Out -(external site) a fabulous quiz night hosted by Glambassador Vonni - and Tasting Historyxternal site) for the foodies.
There will also be crowd favourites including Drinking in History: To Brew or Not to Brew (external site) and Lighthouse Lore & Portside Pour: A Journey Through Port Adelaide's Past (external site) for those who think history is a dish best served with a cold beer. A full program can be found here (external site).
Directed by Alicia Benn-Lawler and starring Alec Gilbert, Ag Johnson and Isabella Gilbert, An Audience with Don Dunstan runs from 8 to 16 May at Ayres House Conservatory. To book tickets click here (external site).
