Streets of Your Town

It’s a dilemma faced by many people - where to go for justice when all your legal avenues are exhausted - mainly because of your financial situation.In Australia, there is a broad grassroots social movement that responds to this enduring problem - out of the belief that the legal system is inaccessible to many people, and that too often it operates without challenge or scrutiny.Caxton Community Legal Centre is celebrating its 50th year of practice, evolving from somewhat tenuous beginnings to now becoming Queensland’s oldest and largest community legal centre.But what fascinated me about the way that Caxton operates, is its reliance on a highly skilled volunteer base. Some of the biggest legal names in the state have given their time at Caxton over the years - often on top of their own casework - to ensure that the law is accessible to everyone - particularly those excluded from power.When it first started, Caxton operated for just two hours every Monday night. Today there’s more than 80 employed staff supported by more than 200 volunteers, assisting about 30 thousand people each year with free legal help and social support.Two veterans of the service are joining us on Streets of Your Town today, Ros Williams who worked for 30 years as a solicitor and part of Caxton’s General Law Team, and Phil Hall, who has recently risen from being a regular volunteer to becoming Legal Practice Director.They both have some fascinating insights into the important role of community legal centres in Queensland and around the country, where Human Rights guide decision making on everyday realities.For more shownotes and links go to my Streets of Your Town digital magazine for this episode at soyt.substack.com

Acclaimed Quandamooka artist Delvene Cockatoo-Collins has brought a beautiful insight into an ancient story from her people to the Museum of Brisbane.The artist-in-residence from Minjerribah/Stradbroke Island continues to evolve her arts practice, and this time has reimagined the Museum of Brisbane’s creative space into an interactive and immersive realm exploring the ancestral story of Warrajamba the Mermaid.In doing so she has created a hub of tranquility in the bustling CBD of Brisbane, bringing audiences to slow down and connect with Country and culture.She’s inviting all of us to join her on her quest to find Warrajamba - a central figure in her art, as she continues the ongoing search to find the ending of the mermaid's story.And as Delvene explains to us on this episode of Streets of Your Town, this significant story of her people was passed down to her from her mother, grandmother, and generations before them.For more shownotes and links go to my Streets of Your Town magazine for this episode at https://soyt.substack.com/p/weaving-traditional-stories-delvene-cockatoo-collins

Sometimes just as local history seems about to be forgotten, a bold project comes along to bring it back to life. So it is for the new production from Brisbane indie arts company PiP Theatre, with its bold reimagining of the classic play Accidental Death of an Anarchist.This adaptation of Dario Fo’s timeless political farce is relocated to 1980s Brisbane in the tense years leading up to the Fitzgerald Inquiry. It’s fast, funny, and fiercely relevant, exploring themes of institutional corruption, public trust, and the chaotic pursuit of truth through the lens of satire and theatrical madness.Police corruption was rife in Queensland at the time, and it took brave journalists to uncover it. It was blown apart by the ABC Four Corners investigation by Chris Masters called The Moonlight State, alongside courageous reporting from Phil Dickie at The Courier-Mail. Eventually the extent of the systemic police corruption was revealed, and shown to go right to the top to the Commissioner himself.Evidence from the resulting two year Fitzgerald Inquiry would ultimately lead to four government ministers and police commissioner Terry Lewis going to jail, and the demise of the Joh Bjelke-Petersen government. For this episode of Streets of Your Town I speak to the play’s director Calum Johnston, and Pip Theatre’s Creative Director Deidre Grace who adapted the play to its Brisbane setting and also stars in this production. We find out what prompted them to feature this shady chapter of Queensland history.For more shownotes and links - please go to my substack for this episode at soyt.substack.comnancehaxton.com.au

Three hours drive from Cairns in the vast wilderness of Cape York in far-north Queensland, is a little town called Laura. And for 128 years, this little town that is not much more than a roadhouse and a pub has hosted the annual Laura Amateur Turf Club Race meeting, attracting jockeys, horses and racegoers from all over the state.Fans and competitors alike come from hundreds of kilometres around to take part in what has grown into an internationally known race, rodeo and campdraft event, all surrounded by a huge bush camp thronging with 3000 fans  gathering for the weekend’s festivities. Tickets to this year’s event on the last weekend of June completely sold out.On this episode of Streets of Your Town, we’ll meet some of the amazing bush characters and rodeo riders that keep this annual tradition alive, and even a couple of the journos who keep on top of their 150,000 kilometre patch of wild outback country to report what’s going on for their treasured Cape York Weekly readership - in one of the few print editions of a weekly regional newspaper left in Queensland.You'll the legendary 80 year old former jockey Slick Davies - who now acts as the caretaker all year round for the Laura racetrack, so that it’s ready for its annual moment of race day glory. He was kind enough to speak to me just before the Laura Races, from the verandah of his house overlooking the track he takes so much pride in.Slick is joined by his old mate Bluey Forsyth - who’s called the Laura Races and many others on the country horse racing circuit in Queensland’s far-north for decades. I love how you can hear their close mateship reflected in their conversation…Then of course there are the rodeo riders like Anthony Ryan who make this annual event such a spectacle.Shandelle Hilditch talks to us too - she's competed in campdraft and rodeo events on the circuit since she was a child, and now takes great pride in her children taking part as well.Spending the weekend at the Laura Races and Rodeo has shown me not only what a great event this is for bringing together locals from all around the far flung reaches of this remote stretch of far-north Queensland, but it’s also shown me the cultural importance of keeping this Australian tradition alive.As shown by the presence of two reporters from the Cape York Weekly - the editor Lyndon Keane and journo Chisa Hasegawa, who reported extensively on the event. We talk to them in this special edition nod to my Journo Project series.Thanks to all the characters who I met at the Laura Races Rodeo and campdraft who you can hear in this order:Laura Racetrack caretaker Slick Davies and race caller Bluey Forsyth from 2:53International professional bull rider Anthony Ryan from 13:59Legendary campdraft and rodeo rider Shandell Hilditch 18:38Cape York Weekly journo Chisa Hasegawa and editor Lyndon Keane from 24:25You can read the latest happenings in this remote corner of the world at the Cape York Weekly here: https://capeyorkweekly.com.au/For more shownotes and links - please go to my substack for this episode at soyt.substack.comnancehaxton.com.au

There’s a little patch of paradise in Queensland’s south-east corner - in some ways not far away from the big city lights of Brisbane, but when you get there, you feel like you could be at the end of the earth.The Scenic Rim spans more than four thousand kilometres with landscapes ranging from lush rainforests to rolling paddocks and serene lakes, with stunning views and an increasingly world renowned foodie scene.This June is Scenic Rim’s Eat Local Month - and Streets of Your Town is taking you there to the cornucopia of pleasures on offer from the region’s farmers, who are increasingly teaming up with local chefs to create unique experiences from farm to plate.Eat Local Month is a great opportunity to meet the makers - as I did at the launch of the event to whet the appetite for the 100 unique culinary experiences just an hour’s drive from Brisbane and the Gold Coast that fill June with joy - ranging from a Long Lunch under the Jacarandas to High Tea and Cocktails in the Rainforest.So sit down with me and Executive Chef and Owner of restaurant Roastbeef and the Frog Olivier Boudon, and then Theresa Scholl from Valley Pride Produce to hear about how they are diversifying into agritourism and making meaningful connections with customers right on the farm.For more shownotes and links - please go to my substack for this episode at soyt.substack.comhttps://www.eatlocalmonth.com.au/nancehaxton.com.au

On my recent travels through the UK and Ireland for Streets of Your Town, I was amazed to find how strong the cross pollination between Australian and Indigenous music and Gaelic traditions were, and how it continues to evolve.While I was in Glasgow, I was lucky enough to meet Graham Mackenzie from award winning instrumental folk trio Assynt. Sitting in his Glasgow living room, his fiddle sits between us, never far from his thoughts, as we chat about the band's recent Australian tour.The band launched in 2018, and had long held aspirations to play in Australia. Even the pandemic - while delaying their plans - couldn’t hold them back for long, and last year they came to the Woodford Folk Festival to perform and do workshops. The trio also toured down the East Coast on a hectic trip for the Festival of Small Halls.Inspired by the great piping, fiddle and Gaelic traditions of the Highlands where he grew up in Inverness, McKenzie’s self-penned melodies for Assynt have a contemporary edge while rooted in centuries-long musical traditions.Graham tells us on Streets of Your Town how he is relieved to find their workshops and performances both in Scotland and Australia are now filled with young people embracing their fiddles and traditional Celtic instruments, and wanting to pick up tips. One of his favourite aspects of coming to Australia was hearing First Nations performers at Woodford Folk Festival, seeing it as a rare opportunity for two age-old cultures to learn from each other.For more shownotes - please go to my substack for this episode at soyt.substack.com

It’s not often that we get to watch a musical star on the rise. A performer whose passion and talent has enabled them to rise from tentative beginnings to starring in one of the world’s most beloved musicals.Here on Streets of Your Town, we’ve been lucky enough to watch Vidya Makan’s singing and writing prowess be recognised over a few short years. We first met her in the pivotal role of Catherine Parr in the juggernaut Australian production of Six, then as the creator, writer and performer in her musical The Lucky Country at Hayes Theatre in Sydney, and now we catch up with her again in one of the most competitive and sought after roles around the world - as Eliza Hamilton in Hamilton.And for those who can’t get to Sydney for this run, make sure you watch ABC TV on December 20 at 730pm or the digital broadcast on Iview, to see Vidya’s part in A Very Musical Christmas, recorded in Sydney and with all proceeds going to mental health charity Beyond Blue. Her greatest joy is watching her fellow performers shine. Sit back and enjoy our chat on Streets of Your Town, with Vidya Makan.and for more shownotes please go to my substack for this episode at https://soyt.substack.com/p/makan-creamer-mcgrady