On Friday, September 4 the Casula Powerhouse theatre will screen Aussie flick Last Cab to Darwin at 7.30pm.
The film is a balance of drama and humour, and it unites some of Australia’s finest actors in a story about life and love.
Director Jeremy Sims has worked on the project for 13 years, since its inception as a play at the Sydney Opera House, but has now realised his dream of bringing it to the screen.
Rex (Michael Caton, pictured) is a cab driver who has never left Broken Hill. When he discovers he doesn’t have long to live, he decides to drive through the heart of the country to Darwin, where new euthanasia laws could enable him to control his fate.
Unwilling to burden them, or even talk about his condition, Rex leaves behind his best friend and lover Polly (Ningali Lawford-Wolf) and his crew of drinking buddies, and sets off on the 3000km journey.
Along the way, on his very Australian odyssey, Rex meets people who force him to re-evaluate his life. With pitch perfect performances from the leads and a supporting cast that includes Mark Coles Smith, Emma Hamilton and Jacki Weaver, Last Cab to Darwin will draw both tears and laughter.
♦ The Macarthur Bowel Cancer Support Group will meet on Monday, September 7 at 7pm in the Wests Leagues Club Acacia/Eucalyptus Room. The meeting will include a talk on clinical trials. People who have or have had a diagnosis of bowel cancer and their carers or partners are welcome. For further details or to RSVP please call Bobbie on 0477741569 during office hours or email Roberta.Elston@sswahs.nsw.gov.au.
♦ The NSW Greens are holding a forum this Sunday (August 30) to discuss a Wollondilly Shire Council planning proposal for thousands of new homes in Appin. The forum, between 2pm And 4pm, will be held in the Appin community hall. David Shoebridge, the Greens NSW Planning and Local Government spokesperson will be speaking at the forum. All interested local residents are welcomed to attend the forum.
♦ Operation Titan, a highway patrol operation involving police from across the whole South West Metropolitan region was run over two days last week across the Liverpool area targeting both state and local roads to address the relatively high number of crashes in the area. Police issued over 100 traffic infringement notices and carried out almost 1650 breath tests. The most infringements were issued for unregistered vehicles and speeding offences. A number of fines were also issued for incorrect and/or non-restraint usage. Operation Titan will be returning to the south west in coming weeks.
♦ Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre presents a production of I Am Jack, on Tuesday, September 1, at noon and at 6pm. Based on the book by Susanne Gervay, I Am Jack explores the insidious taunting and teasing that bullies are so adept at inflicting on their victims as well as the roles that family and schools can play in responding. The one-man play takes you into the life of Jack, a smart and funny child who is being bullied. What starts as an off-the-cuff joke during a handball competition, soon turns into a set of circumstances whereby Jack is no longer safe in the playground. But with the use of self expression through photography, Jack begins to make sense of his world; of his relationships with others, and most importantly, with himself.
