MEDIA RELEASE
Richard Frankland a last minute addition to Clunes Booktown Festival
28 April 2016
Richard Frankland MA has been announced as a last minute addition to the Clunes Booktown
Festival program this weekend, Saturday, April 30 and Sunday, May 1.
Stan Grant was due to speak until the news broke this week that he has been appointed to the
Prime Minister of Australia’s Referendum Council on constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander peoples. Unfortunately for Festival-goers this means he now has new
commitments that he must attend to across the Festival weekend.
This meant fast thinking by Festival organisers to find a replacement for Stan’s much anticipated
talk on Saturday.
The Festival’s Artistic Director Ailsa Brackely du Bois says asking Richard Frankland to speak
was a natural choice.
“Richard Frankland is one of Australia’s most experienced Aboriginal singer/songwriters, authors,
playwrights and film makers. While we were all looking forward to hearing Stan speak of
his experience shaping the Aboriginal rights agenda in Australia, Richard is also an influential
figure in this same political landscape. We are delighted he can join us.”
Richard is a proud Gunditjmara man, and was nominated for Australian of the Year in 2011 and
2013. In 2013, he was also named as finalist in the category of the Human Rights Medal for the
Australian Human Rights Commission Awards, for his 30 years of commitment to Indigenous
Issues through Film, Theatre, Music and Community Capacity Building.
Richard is also an acclaimed musician whose music features on the soundtracks to many of his
films. In 1991 his first band DJAAMBI supported PRINCE on his Australian Tour.
Richard will be speaking with Dr Sean Gorman of Curtin University at 2.30pm this Saturday 30th
April in Clunes’ St Thomas Aquinas Church.
Following Richard’s talk is the former Premier of Queensland, Anna Bligh, who’ll be speaking
about her memoir, Through the Wall: Reflections on Leadership, Love and Survival’, in conversation
with Hon Lisa Neville MP, while more than 40 other authors will speak across the weekend,
including Andrew Chapman, Peter Yeldham OAM and Toni Jordan.
Festival-goers can enjoy the largest collection of rare, out-of-print, collectable and second-hand
books in Australia; the biggest Kids Village yet, a State Library of Victoria cartography exhibition,
and more.
Festival Passes are $10 and are available at the event or at www.trybooking.com/KSVJ. Children
14 years and under are free.
For interview or comment, please contact Clunes Booktown Festival Publicist Emily Osmond at
media@clunesbooktown.com.au or on 0400 152 709.
And here is what the press said:
http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/3881041/festival-the-stuff-of-fiction-gallery/