Page 34 - Tropic Magazine Issue 32

TROPIC • COVER STORY

Tjapukai Dance Theatre, born out of
the basement of a shopping centre in
Kuranda, was Australia’s first Aboriginal
tourist attraction. It all started when
Don and Judy got the local Aboriginal
community involved in more mainstream
theatre productions, and found they had
both talent and a passion for performing
and writing. “Initially, it was simply about “They arrested the performers for who In all, the ensemble toured the world
wanting to write a play,” Judy said. “It was knows what and we’d get calls from them 25 times and at one stage performed 58
fun, crazy, made-up – but they loved it.” from the watch-house.” shows over 60 days on four continents.
Opening night proved a huge success, Despite the challenges, the Don and Judy say it was a socialist
with 200 people turning up to watch. professionalism of the show, coupled enterprise belonging to the Djabugay and
Judy becomes emotional when she recalls with clever marketing, saw Tjapukai Yirrganydji people, the Chapman family,
the impact it had. “At the end of the show, quickly outgrow its tiny location. Indigenous Business Australia (IBA)
the matriarchal elder at the time came The show moved into a new theatre space and the original investors including
up to me and said never in her life did in Kuranda before its third home on the Freemans.
she think that she would be somewhere 25 acres at Caravonica, where it became Don also ensured the ownership of the
where all these people were standing known as Tjapukai Aboriginal land in Caravonica remains in the hands
up and cheering for her people. It was a Cultural Park. of the Aboriginal peoples, despite the
standing ovation.” It was there that was pioneered First closure of the park.
It was certainly a different time, and Don Nations truth-telling in tourism
and Judy say there were many challenges, through the production of the film
including a lack of tourism in Kuranda The Story of Survival.
and the ever-present local police. By then, Tjapukai had become a truly It became an inoperable
“The police stopped us every single night global icon, with a visit by Queen
for the first year, searching our car for Elizabeth II and the late Prince Phillip in partnership for us
drugs,” she said. 2002 among the highlights.
Don Freeman

In 2009, Don and Judy sold their stake
to IBA, citing irreparable differences in
vision. “It needed investment – you can’t
keep flogging the same thing forever,
but we couldn’t come to agreement
on the vision.”
The Freemans had wanted to build an
all Indigenous-run hotel on the land.
IBA had it’s own vision and bought
the Freemans and the Aboriginal
stakeholders out, proceeding to
invest millions of dollars renovating
the building, which closed its doors for
good last year due to financial insecurity.

Tjapukai at Expo ‘88

34 • Tropic • Issue 32