Eumeralla (2020)

Just a little over 4 hours drive from Melbourne lies a battlefield haunted with the memory of war and loss of life. Walking on this land, you are surrounded by restless warrior-spirits. A powerful feeling. A fearful feeling. An inescapable feeling. The name Eumeralla is unlikely to be among the theaters of war that you could name. The history of battles fought and the lives that were lost is almost unknown to anyone outside the Aboriginal community. It is more than 170 years since the last shots rang out in the country of the Gunditjmara - but the land is not silent. The voices of those who lost their lives in defense of their country ring in your ears as you stand amongst the lava flow of south west Victoria. Unlike other theaters of war such as ANZAC Cove and the Somme, where peace was declared and relationships restored with the Turks and Germans, no such peace was declared in the resistance wars, no such restoration. Whilst the Gunditjmara uphold the memory of their warriors slain, most Australians are yet to understand this history. Without this understanding, there can be no resolution - and as such, the land remains haunted. Eumeralla is A War Requiem, named in honor of one of the most brutal resistance wars fought on this continent. It will be sung entirely in the ancient dialects of the Gunditjmara people and it is designed for non-Indigenous Australians to sing along-side Indigenous brothers and sisters.