Over the past year I’ve been involved with a new Australian play called As Told By The Boys Who Fed Me Apples. Written by Rosemary Johns, it’s about our nation’s unknown warhorse ‘Sandy’.
The story of Sandy is compelling, beginning with his origins in the Victorian town of Tallangatta, where his life on the farm was transformed to the Australian Imperial Force. As a ‘charger’ for Major General William Bridges, he travelled to Egypt, France and England, but what made Sandy unique, is that he was the only horse (out of 136,000) to return home.
Now his story is finally being told.
I first met the playwright Rosemary Johns through the Friends of Sandy Society, which has been campaigning for a memorial statue to be erected at his burial site in Maribyrnong, Melbourne. Rosemary, who also wrote the critically acclaimed Black Box 149, put extensive research and passion into writing As Told By The Boys Who Fed Me Apples, becoming somewhat the voice for those very soldiers who were Sandy’s true friends.
As a dramaturge ‘in training’ I was delighted to help provide props, costumes and publicity for the play (and what knowledge I could offer on the subject!). Having also been a riding member of the Creswick Light Horse Troop for the past five years, I’ve become quite familiar with WWI military details, especially regarding Gallipoli.
My saddle proudly hung above the stage and parts of my uniform came in handy for actor Dion Mills, in the play’s first version, and then Andre Jewson in the more recent production. Both men brought to the stage their own vision and essence of the war-ravaged characters they portrayed. In the role of Sandy, Miklos Gerely caught my attention as he created all the persona of an actual horse, not to mention being the first real classical mine artist that I’ve come to know.
The rest of the crew, including Shane Grant (lighting), Michael Havir (sound), Kylie Russell (stage manager) and Peter Mumford (production design) were amazing, not just regarding talent, but for their sheer effort and dedication. Greg Carroll, who is well known at Melbourne Opera, added to this powerful show with his likeminded direction.
The actor Terrence Mann once said “Movies will make you famous, Television will make you rich, but theatre will make you good.” Having been involved with As Told By The Boys Who Fed Me Apples, that quote makes perfect sense.
Read my review A Horses Tale here.
To get an idea of what the Australian warhorse went through, watch the below trailer from the 1987 classic movie The Lighthorsemen
