Last year I really only went to Burnie but this year we also staged something a little special in Launceston (pronounced Lonceston), so I spent a few days on the road, visiting and taking in the very green rolling hills, and small very English towns and bi-ways. And it is very, very beautiful.

The climate can be harsh, cold and very changeable; not at all like the heat I have been used to further north. The architecture and the people of Tasmania reflect this. There are some absolutely beautiful old buildings and the Tasmanians are hardy and down to earth. There’s little pretence in Tasmania. It’s so small, too, that getting from one place to another is pretty quick. The funny local inversion of this short distance travel is that Tasmanians apparently balk at driving more than an hour to do anything; the opposite, say of outback Queenslanders who’ll drive for a day for a beer!

In Launceston we partnered with the film society and the local Federal Member, Michael Ferguson, to put on a screening of Raymond Longfords 1918 classic silent film, The Sentimental Bloke, with Jen Anderson and the Larrikins playing the score that Jen composed for the film live. I always love this event, because putting up a silent classic with live music to a contemporary audience is just about the best thing Big Screen does. The audience always loves it; Jen’s score is terrific, and the sense of excitement before and after is always a great mood to be around.

There were a couple of things that made Launceston very special. First up, the performance by Jen and the band was the last before they headed off to the Pordenone silent film festival in Italy to perform with The Bloke to a sell-out audience of over 750 people. And secondly, the partnership with Michael Ferguson was an unusual one. Michael saw the film at a parliamentary screening last year and fell in love with it, so he lobbied hard to get the film to his hometown. For me it is the perfect blend of politics and people. It was a great feeling to be able to stand in front of the audience and introduce the film and the band, after all the work that had been done by the film society, Michael Ferguson’s office and the Big Screen team to get the film there. It was even better to be there afterwards to the rapturous applause and to see the delight on the faces of all those who attended.

So on to Burnie.