Hāwea Flat woman Anna Shaw will share some of her experience of living in a remote Aboriginal community at the Festival of Colour later this month.

The former Te Kura O Tititea Mount Aspiring College (MAC) head of drama will perform her one woman show, ‘Remote Thoughts’ at the Hāwea Flat Hall.

Anna also taught music and English at MAC for many years before moving to Wellington to undertake a Masters degree in directing at Toi Whakaari followed by teaching at Wellington East Girls College.

But she dreamed of an outback adventure with husband Rick once their youngest daughter Lily (who has also performed at the Festival of Colour) flew the nest.

“I’d done a brief stint living in Kakadu and always had a fascination to return to the Top End,” Anna said.

After a drink with a friend who had returned from working in Wadeye, a remote Aboriginal community 400km from Darwin, Anna and Rick went home on a foul Wellington night and googled the area.

“The first photo that came up was Rick’s step-brother, a well known Australian musician who works in remote communities. The second photo that came up was a very good friend’s daughter who was a lawyer in Wadeye.

“They were both signs,” Anna said.

“On a whim we thought we’d go and have an adventure. Three months later we were there.”

The culture shock was huge, she said. 

“We had done an induction, stayed in a five star hotel in Darwin and learnt about kinship networks and so on.

“Next thing we’re on a plane that almost crashed flying through a storm, then we were dropped outside our new house that had just been burgled.

Acclimatisation took a while.

“It was an incredible experience and so enriching on many levels, but also so harrowing. It was incredibly tough,” Anna said.

All the children she taught were trauma affected and the environment was volatile at times, she said.

“You’re constantly treading a tightrope between hope and despair.

“Success looks very different to what success looks like in any classroom anywhere else. It’s really important to mark those successes.”

On a personal level, the cultural experience was “huge”, Anna said.

The couple intended to live in Wadeye for a year but ended up staying four.

Anna’s goal in developing ‘Remote Thoughts’ was “to shed light on what it’s really like, and the ongoing challenges of living in community”.

“Living between two cultures is never easy. It forces us to challenge any assumptions we 

may have. 

“Developing ‘Remote Thoughts’ has been an enriching and confronting experience of putting our time in Wadeye under a microscope, offering an opportunity to process and reflect upon all of the high and lows we lived through.”

Anna said since she has been rehearsing the play she’s started receiving lots of messages from friends in Wadeye. 

“It’s like the people know,” she said.

‘Remote Thoughts’ includes storytelling, acting, spoken word, original songs, and visuals.

“Be prepared to go on a journey,” she said.

‘Remote Thoughts’ takes place at the Hāwea Flat Hall on March 27 and 28. Tickets can be purchased here.