kasa por yarn

Synopsis

The Kasa Por Yarn (Just for a story) project was devised by Queensland Health as part of a multi-pronged strategy to develop and promote positive health messages for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in northern Queensland. Kasa Por Yarn was a 12-part radio play broadcast throughout the Torres Strait. Input from the local community was an integral component of the project, and Kasa Por Yarn was very fortunate to have Aaron Fa'aoso on board in the role of cultural consultant and artistic advisor.

Production History

A workshop was held on Thursday Island in June 2009. The script was subsequently developed with input coming from communities on Thursday Island and in the Northern Peninsula Area (NPA) including those in Injinu, Seisia and Bamaga, as well as cultural and creative consultant Aaron Fa'aoso and Queensland Health professionals.

Auditons subsequently took place in the NPA and on Thursday Island, and recording took place on Thursday Island in November 2009, with sound engineer Nigel Pegrum. Nigel then edited the plays in his Pegasus Studio facility in Cairns.

The plays were launched on Thursday 15 April 2010 and subsequently broadcast on radio station 4MW on Thursday Island.

Kasa Por Yarn has a large following on Facebook, and also has its own webpage where you can download episodes of the play.

Recording

Aaron Fa'aoso and Tullei Eli

Jimi Bani (standing) and Aaron Fa'aoso

Aaron Fa'aoso and Jimi Bani

Videos

Several videos of the characters talking to camera have also been posted on You Tube. You can view them from the following links:

TV news article

Jayson

Harry

Peter

Elise

Lindy

Gretel

Cindy

Billy

The Making Of Kasa Por Yarn

Images

Trip 1: Initial Workshop

Kids on the beach. This and the following photographs were taken during my first visit to the island in June 2009.	Aaron Fa'aoso
Tinny	Tree trunk
Sunrise	Looking north
Termite mound	Tree
Main street	Leaf
Flotsam, or possibly jetsam	Flowers

Trip 2: Auditions and Recording

Tropical foilage	Tropical foilage
Tropical foilage	Tropical foilage
Tropical foilage	Northern most point of Australia, Cape York
Tropical sunset	Tropical sunset
Tropical sunset	Auditions at Injinu Health Centre, Cape York
Rhiann Phineasa as Elise and Tullei Eli as Lindy	Mary Mills as Gretel
Maudesta Bowie as Cindy	Aaron Fa'aoso as Billy and Jimmy Bani as Harry
Charles Passi as Peter, Mary Mills as Gretel, Rhiann Phineasa as Elise and Aaron Fa'aoso as Billy	Aaron Fa'aoso as Billy and Maudesta Bowie as Cindy
Patrick Mau (composer) and Aaron Fa'aoso	Rhiann Phineasa as Elise, Danny Bani as Jayson and Tullei Eli as Lindy
Simon Luckhurst, Heather Robertson (producer) and Aaron Fa'aoso	Charles Passi, Simon Luckhurst, Aaron Fa'aoso, Heather Robertson and Jimmy Bani
Entire cast	Nigel Pegrum in his studio