Page 35 - Tropic Magazine Issue 32

TROPIC • COVER STORY

Goa is a state in western India with a blend of
Indian and Portuguese cultures, sweetened with
sun, sea, sand and spirituality. It’s renowned for
being the psychedelic trance birthplace and
capital of the world.
The Freeman’s history with Goa dates back to the
1970s when Judy drove from Amsterdam, through
Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and onto India,
attracted by the region’s gurus as
she explored her spirituality. Fast forward a
few years and she returned with Don – whom
she’d met in Guatemala – and their two young
children. Back then, the pair was heavily involved
in self-funded community theatre projects, using
Don’s experience on Broadway. They also exported
clothes and hand-painted silk scarves to enable
them to keep reinvesting in the shows.
Don and Judy continue to spend much of their
time in their home above the famous Shiva Valley
(pending the pandemic), where they’d been
instrumental in the origins of the Goa cultural
scene. In the meantime, you might catch them
selling handmade vintage kantha quilts at markets
around Cairns.

Otherwise known as psychedelic trance or
simply psy. A genre of techno music built on pulsing Don and Judy in Goa, 1980
rhythms with mystic undertones, upward motions,
and central climactic peaks.

Who Don & Judy are listening to:

The Freeman’s 50-acre property is part of
The Agile Project’s relocation of wallabies
Raja Ram Aya from their shrinking habitat on Cairns’
1200 micrograms JNetic Northern Beaches. Dozens of adults have
Tristan DJ Martian been released on the property, while 20
Dickster Psymon hand-raised joeys are in an enclosure
Ajja One Tasty Morsel learning to look after themselves in the
Jimbo ... and more
wild. “We have to rehabilitate them,” Judy
said. “They’ve already doubled in size and
soon we will open the gates. They’ll come
back at night until they don’t come back
anymore. We’ve got this lovely big property
and it’s got a vibe about it, so we share it.”
Since acquiring the property in the 1980s,
Don and Judy have revegetated the land,
planting thousands of trees to transform
what was once barren farmland back to a
more natural state.

Goa night life MORE: freemanproductions.com.au

35 • tropicnow.com.au