MERALMERT: March 2015

Sunday, 22 March 2015

Brian Syron - Forgotten Aboriginal Hero of Theatre
TIMELINE
19 November 1934 - 14 October 1993

1934 Brian Syron was born one of eight children in 1934 in the Sydney suburb of Balmain
in 1960 he studied under the late Hayes Gordon who was a New York trained American actor/director.
1961 Brian left Australia to further pursue male modelling work in Europe with fashion houses such as Dior and Cardin.
1961 he had the honour of being the first Australian accepted into the legendary Stella Adler Studio in New York
1965 Charles Perkin's Freedom Ride had made international headlines
1967 Referendum had resulted in a dramatic groundswell of support for Aboriginal people.
In 1968 Brian toured the Southern states of America playing in Atlanta, Georgia; Roenoke, Virginia; Nashville, Tennessee and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina.
1969 Syron had taught a group of urban Aboriginal actors to study Stanislavsky or acting from an Indigenous perspective.
1970 Syron joined the Old Tote Theatre in Kensington
1972 with workshops and acting classes held at the Black Theatre Arts & Cultural Centre in Redfern
1973 as a foundation member of the Peter Summerton Foundation Syron organised with his mentor Stella Adler to travel to Australia
1974 film Time to Dream angrily and eloquently denunciating a Northern Territory arts administrator.
1993 Brian Syron DIED

TURNING POINTS

When his father died, Mandela and was groomed for becoming chief of his local tribe
Whilst At university Nelson Mandela became increasingly aware of the unjust nature of South African Society
Mandela became involved in politics
Mandela and Tambo opened the first Black Law firm in South Africa
Mandela had to resign from the ANC and work underground
Mandela and several others were charged with treason.
Sharpeville massacre of 63 black South African’s changed the whole political climate.This led Mandela to advocate armed struggle through the Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK).
Mandela had been arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment in the notorious Robben Island prison.
He helped to keep other Men’s spirits high and never compromised his political principles when offered earlt release
Mandela’s release in 1990.
Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as the first democratically elected State President of South Africa
Nelson Mandela recently lost his eldest son to this disease and Mandela has worked hard to campaign on this issue(HIV)
Nelson Mandela has continued to be an international figure of great stature
He is one of the few politicians who have gone beyond a political role.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Mandela was able to finish his degree and qualified as a Lawyer.
First democratically elected State President of South Africa on and was President until June
he is widely admired and has received many prestigious awards
In 1993 Nelson Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prizejointly with F.W. De Klerk

Justine Saunders, Actress

(1953) Born next to a railway track to her mother, around Quilpie in Queensland
(1974) She had become a professional actress
(1976) Saunders first came to prominence in Number 96
(1981) Mini-series enabled Aboriginal women to bring their stories to a national audience.
(1987) She was awarded as well as for the assistance she gave in the establishment of the Black Theatre and the setting up of the Aboriginal National Theatre Trust.
(1991) She was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for services to the performing arts and to the National Aboriginal Theatre
(2000) She gained wider national prominence
(2004) Her last role was alongside Barry Otto in The Last Cab to Darwine
(2007) Died from cancer at Hawkesbury District Hospital in Sydney.

FRED HOLLOWS TIME LINE

(1929 ) Fred Hollows was born in New Zealand
(1960) Fred got a job in Australia.
(1965) He was head of the Eye Department at a Sydney hospital
(1970's,) He helped launch a national program to attack eye disease in Aboriginal Australians
(1980) Fred was travelling all over the world to help set up eye health programs
( 1989) Fred Hollows knew he was dying of cancer
(1993) Fred died at home