STATISTICALLY there is likely to be only 16 people in the Hunter Valley who fit the bill, but you could be one of them.
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Newcastle writer and journalist Zana Kobayashi is looking for people born on one of two dates – August 6 and 7, 1974.
Those are the two days on which a joint sitting of the Australian parliament was convened seeing members of the Senate and House of Representatives sit together as a single legislative body.
Kobayashi is interested in exploring the legacy of the Whitlam government through the eyes of individuals who have lived it. Her work will be included in an a curated group exhibition It’s timely too.
“My part of the project is to find people born on August 6 and 7,” Kobayashi said.
“During that joint sitting was the establishment of Medibank, which became Medicare.
“Through finding these people and hearing their personal histories we are hoping to gain a bit of insight in how those policies have affected every day Australians.
“These are people who are products of Gough’s era and legacy...They represent the embodiment of a progressive Australia..”
Kobayashi said on a personal level she admired Whitlam but the respondents did not need to be a fan or have a great understanding of politics.
“We just want to learn how the policies that were implemented at the time affected their lives, if they affected their lives,” she said.
“It’s about how they have experienced life in Australia. Their experience with the healthcare system, their experience as a woman in the workplace.”
It will focus on healthcare, anti-discrimination act, legal aid, education and gender equality.
“He touched on huge over arching ideas,” Kobayashi.
It’s Timely Too will feature commissioned works by Simryn Gill, Grant Stevens, Isabel and Alfredo Aquilizan, Deborah Kelly, Darren Bell, Gary Carsley and The Kingpins and new works by Hunter-based artists.
It’s Timely Too will be at The Lock Up from June 25 until August 7.
If you were born on August 6 or 7, 1974 and would like to participate, make contact on 0425 255 576 or callout@thelockup.org.au