Revel in great storytelling, unexpected voices and shared wisdom spanning the ages.

The theme is:  

Plot Twist - Stories You Never Saw Coming

Sometimes, life throws you a curveball. This September, get ready to hear six performers from the deaf/hard of hearing and deaf/blind community share stories of change. New paths can be invigorating and exciting, or confusing and downright scary. Regardless, the only constant in life is change, so come hear a night of stories about forging your own path, wherever that path takes you…

Our performer line-up:  

Team 20s: Nyanakuek Kuol, also known as Anna, is originally from South Sudan and is studying for a BA in Psychology, with a special passion for helping deaf individuals with mental health issues. She is also a disability support worker, currently working on a project to support deaf migrants. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, being in nature, hiking, going to the beach and spending time with loved ones.

Team 30s: Julia Murphy is a qualified Teacher of the Deaf, working in early education, and is also a certified Deaf Interpreter. Deaf from birth, her first language is Auslan (Australian Sign Language). Her passion lies in language development and empowering young Deaf and Hard of Hearing children to discover their identities. She also loves travel, nature, sport and the Carlton Blues.

Team 40s: Catherine Miller is from a Deaf family in Hobart. She grew up with both Auslan and English and was mainstreamed — an experience that significantly shaped her perspective on life and who she is. Catherine then moved to the mainland to become a teacher of the deaf. Catherine became a parent for the first time in her late 30s, which was a delightful surprise. She moved away from education during that period and focused on supporting deaf children outside of the schooling sector as well as working as a policy writer for Deaf Australia, and hasn’t looked back.

Team 50s: Joanna Agius OAM is a profoundly Deaf and proud Narungga woman with connections to the Kaurna, Ngarrindjeri and Wirungu nations in South Australia. A strong advocate for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Aboriginal people in Australia, Joanne founded Deaf Aboriginal Services in 2020. She was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in 2020 for her contributions to people who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and to the Deaf Aboriginal community.

Team 60s: Heather Lawson has been involved in the deaf community all her life. She was born deaf and Auslan is her first language. During her early 20s, Heather started to lose her vision as a result of Usher Syndrome Type 1, which is genetic. During that challenging time she learned to use tactile Auslan, and was able to develop the confidence and the skills to achieve many goals, including skydiving, rock climbing /abseiling, climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge and more. She has presented at various deaf, deafblind and disability related conferences and passionately advocates for deafblind people to have access to information and training to improve their knowledge and skills. 

Team 70s: Breda Carty worked in deaf education for many years and is now a historian. She has lived in three Australian states and the USA. She has seen (and worked toward) many changes in deaf people’s lives over the years. The older she gets, the more stories she has!

Generation Women is an award-winning cross-generational storytelling night founded in New York in 2017, Sydney in 2018, and Melbourne in 2020. Each month, six women of note read an original piece on a theme. Of those women, one is in her 20s, her 30s, her 40s, her 50s, her 60s, and her 70s+.

This event is proudly presented by Generation Women Australia, founded by Donna Logue, and is held in support of Deaf Awareness Week. The event has been curated by Irene Holub and Melissa Bryson who will also host. Generation Women was created by Georgia Clark.

Times: Doors at 6.30pm, Show starts at 7pm
Pricing: Member $15+bf | Non-member $25+bf (Become a member here)

Note: Enter the discount code associated with your membership to access your member discount.

www.generationwomenaus.com