Hobart's History Comes Alive

We haven’t posted a blog for ages and it’s time! We performed our last Her Story on March 20th this year. I am so glad I didn’t know it was to be my last performance of telling the story of Mary James. I would have become far too emotional for sure! We had been planning to stop at the end of June anyway but Covid brought the whole thing forward as the site was closed by the Port Arthur Authority.

Now we just concentrate on running our lovely Holiday Cottage 19 Blue and the occasional The Sheep’s Back performance for dinners and social groups.

The important thing to remember is that we KNOW how to deliver memorable and great service!

The Alices Two!

19 Blue is enjoying a wonderful summer season. We have some vacancy at the moment so why not book your stay at lovely 19 Blue?
We have some new things to show off: a quirky mirror collection in the bedroom and Holiday Gifts to buy to take home.

Mirrors and French Linen!

Also we have splashed out on some lovely French linen sheets from Bedloves – apparently beautiful to sleep in – come and try!!
Oh, and did I mention we have new chooks? The Alices Two can now provide guests with lovely fresh eggs. We have 6 Hylines – they are so friendly and lay us 5 or 6 eggs every day – plenty to share.

My neighbour says that if people knew about the lovely Sweet Peas all around the garden at 19 Blue Self Contained Holiday Cottage only 15 minutes from Hobart, they would be flocking here. Well they do flock anyway . We have some availability in January but get in quick because word is getting around that 19 Blue is special!!

They Have a Glorious Scent.

Can You read and write? Are you literate? I know I take my ability do so for granted. In the character of Mary James, told in Her Story she, like many of the convict women, was illiterate. Not so much has changed as Margaret Burns told me after Her Story today when we have come out of character and are getting to know our audience. Margaret used to work in Corrective Services in NSW prisons teaching inmates to read and write (sadly the funding was cut, what’s new?). She described teaching a big, tattooed man in his mid-thirties to read and the tears that rolled down his cheek as he read his first words.
Nothing much has changed since the Cascades Female Factory was operational.
Pictured are Margaret Burns and her friend Judy Hiscock who were moved by Her Story today.

Margaret and Judy After Her Story .

Once again the Sisters of Charity visiting group experienced our wonderful play Her Story yesterday and they LOVED it. The Sisters of Charity used to walk up the Rivulet and visit the Catholic convict women continuing their ministry, which was started in Ireland, of visiting prisoners. The group sang the words of Abide With Me with Mary and it rang out around the prison walls. Evocative? YES!!!

The Sisters of Charity organisation have commissioned Live History! to write and perform a play at their National Conference next year in May.  We, and they, are very excited about this project!!

The Sisters of Charity Group visit Her Story

Mary has a new smock/coat. Judith is always on the look out for additions to our Live History wardrobe and this warm smock/coat caught her eye at last Saturdays’ South Hobart Primary School Fair. Perfect for Mary James in our production of Her Story at the Cascades Female Factory every day @ 12 noon.

Mary Wearing her New Smock Just About to Start Her Story.

Guests love staying at 19 Blue our Holiday Cottage in Blackmans Bay.  There are so many reasons why it is so popular but one of them would be that guests can come down and visit our four Barnevelder chickens and bring them any food scraps they may have. We call them The Alices because we can’t tell them apart.  The Alices live the life of Reilly with a sun umbrella to protect them on hot days or rain and straw to scratch around in.

Recently The Alices had some lovely clean straw courtesy of the Richmond Strawberry Farm (and Gumtree) – they

The Alices and their Sun Umbrella

love it!!