{"id":358695,"date":"2025-03-20T21:39:50","date_gmt":"2025-03-20T11:39:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=358695"},"modified":"2025-03-21T17:13:00","modified_gmt":"2025-03-21T07:13:00","slug":"aunty-ruth-steals-the-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2025\/03\/20\/aunty-ruth-steals-the-show\/","title":{"rendered":"Aunty Ruth Steals The Show!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Former Murgon SHS student, playwright and director Leah Purcell with Aunty Ruth Hegarty during the Q&A<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

March 20, 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n

Two local superstars travelled back to the South Burnett this week for a very special event at Murgon State High School.<\/p>\n

Award-winning actor \/ playwright \/ director Leah Purcell (born and raised in Murgon) joined award-winning author Dr Ruth Hegarty (grew up in Cherbourg) on stage before an audience of friends, relatives, students and visitors.<\/p>\n

Leah was accompanied by actors Melodie Reynolds-Diarra and Shakira Clanton – and a supporting stage crew – fresh from sold-out performances of the play, “Is That You Ruthie?”, at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre in Brisbane.<\/p>\n

The play, written by Leah, is based on the autobiographical books by Aunty Ruth:\u00a0 “Is That You Ruthie?” (published by the University of Queensland Press in 1999) and “Buthalangi: A Maranoa Woman” (published in 2022).<\/strong><\/p>\n

The books – and the play crafted by Leah from them – tell the stories of Ruthie (Munya) and her mother Ruby-Anne (Buthalangi).<\/p>\n

Ruby’s parents voluntarily came to the then-Barambah Mission (now Cherbourg) during the Great Depression after her father’s business began to fail. It was supposed to be for a short stay … but Ruby and her baby Ruth, who had been born six months earlier in Mitchell, were immediately shunted off into the Dormitory system from which there was no escape.<\/p>\n

And there was no language … Ruby was forbidden from speaking Gunggari to her little girl.<\/p>\n

When Ruth was just old enough to start school, Ruby was sent out to work as a domestic servant and Ruth was left on her own in the Girls Dormitory – subject to the strict discipline of the time, and with only a band of close girlfriends to keep her going. It seems she was often in trouble, with the call “Is That You, Ruthie?” from the matron often echoing down the halls.<\/p>\n

When she turned 14, Ruth, too, was sent out to work …<\/p>\n

Aunty Ruth’s book, “Is That You Ruthie?”, won the David Unaipon Award in 1998.<\/p>\n

It is filled with laughter and tears, and immediately inspired Leah Purcell to think about writing a stage version after she first read it.<\/p>\n

But it was the continued urging from Aunty Ruth – now almost 96 – who pointed out she wasn’t getting any younger which prompted Leah to quickly finish the work.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Is That Ruthie?” went on to win a Matilda Award last year after its initial run on stage in Brisbane.<\/p>\n

Leah promised to bring her play home when she was guest speaker at last year’s Murgon State High School awards night, but there wasn’t enough time to organise a full production.<\/p>\n

Instead, the actors staged a “reading”, delivering their lines with much enthusiasm while Leah explained the stage directions.<\/p>\n

However, there was still some live action – including dancing and singing – by Melodie and Shakira.<\/p>\n

At the end, the audience gave the performance, and Aunty Ruth Hegarty, a standing ovation.<\/p>\n

Aunty Ruth then fielded questions from the floor in a short Q&A session.<\/p>\n

Murgon SHS principal Craig Homer said it was an incredible opportunity and privilege for the school to host the performance.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“It is a rare opportunity for our school to share one of the critical stories for our young people, ” he said.<\/p>\n

Fifty students also travelled to QPAC last week to view the live stage production.<\/p>\n

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