Tangent Talk: Dear Son

 
Get the story behind the story with our Tangent Talk event at the State Library of South Australia.

Along with his own vivid and poignant prose and poetry, author and editor Thomas Mayo invited 12 contributors to write a letter to their son, father or nephew, bringing together a range of perspectives that offered a celebration of First Nations manhood. Renowned First Nations theatre makers, Isaac Drandic and John Harvey have adapted these letters into a world premiere theatre work, Dear Son (Letters and Reflections from First Nations fathers and sons).

Before you see the show, join us for a drink and discussion about the themes of the show in “Reflections from First Nations Father and Sons”. We’re joined by an insightful panel including, former footballer, artist and media identity Gavin Wanganeen, HeadSpace Aboriginal peer practitioner Robert Jeffrey and Flinders Uni lecturer in nursing and health sciences, former OT and former Indigenous Project Officer at UniSA Tirritpa Ritchie .

Date: Monday, 16 June 2025

Time: 5.30pm for a 6.00pm start. Concluding at 7.00pm.

Location: Hetzel Lecture Theatre
Institute Building, State Library of South Australia
North Terrace, Adelaide 5000.

Tickets: $10 including a wine from SC Pannell

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Please contact marketing@statetheatrecompany.com.au if you have any questions.

Robert Jeffrey
Robert Jeffery is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) Peer Support Worker, currently working with headspace in Edinburgh North and Marion, as well as Safehaven in Salisbury on Thursday and Friday evenings. Passionate about supporting mental health within the ATSI community, Robert brings lived experience and resilience to his work.
Raised in a low-income area of Sydney, Robert overcame a tough upbringing and early challenges with the law. A turning point came when he joined a program for young Indigenous men, which helped him begin reshaping his path. Eventually, a move to Uluru sparked a new chapter—where he met his partner. Today, Robert is a proud father of two, a homeowner, and dreams of returning to Uluru with his family to show their children where their parents’ journey began.

Gavin Wanganeen
Gavin Wanganeen is a former AFL Player, two time Premiership winner, member of the AFL Hall of Fame and Brownlow Medalist. He is now working as an Artist, painting stories that remind him of his Aboriginal heritage.
Gavin was born in Mount Gambier, South Australia, and is a descendent of the Kokatha people of the Western Desert in South Australia. The Kokatha people hold the Tjukupa (lore) and have a strong connection to country, the night sky and stories in the stars – a source of inspiration for Gavin’s paintings.
Gavin’s AFL career spanned 300 senior games at the Essendon and Port Adelaide Football Clubs, earning him countless accolades, including the dedication of a grandstand at Adelaide Oval in 2015, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the game.
Gavin blazed a trail as the first Indigenous player to receive a Brownlow medal and reach 300 games. Having retired from the AFL over a decade ago, he continues to inspire and break new ground through his work as a contemporary Indigenous artist.
He is dad to 5 children.

Tirritpa Ritchie
Tirritpa Ritchie is a Kaurna man from Adelaide, South Australia. With cultural ties to Narrunga, Ngarrindjeri, Adnmaytha, Kokatha, Wirangu and Dunghutti. He is the father of two children.
Tirritpa’s previous work history includes; multiple public service roles, such as youth mentoring in education, welfare and tenancy in housing, rehabilitation in corrections, and youth work in social services. He worked as an OT delivering paediatric OT services to metro and remote communities in South Australia including his home community, a highlight of his career. Tirritpa worked as a researcher at the South Australian Medical Health Research Institute. He has worked as a Lecturer at the University of South Australia, and Flinders University developing Aboriginal Health curriculum, strategic implementation, planning and content delivery.
Tirritpa is a former Deputy Chair of Indigenous Allied Health Australia, a national member-based organisation for allied health professionals, a leader for workforce development and support, to improve the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.