I was humbled to be granted an Honorary Doctorate from UWA last week. At the ceremony, I spoke of the primacy of Indigenous thinking in the cultural landscape of Australia – you can see the video on Facebook here.

Whilst there’s only Pak Panggah’s and my name on this Helpmann, it so belongs to the whole magnificent Satan Jawa team. The statuette got delivered by members of the MSO to Solo last night, so that it can sit overlooking the rice paddies around Pak Panggah’s house, a symbol of Australia’s love for great Indonesian artists.
Thanks to all at asiaTOPA and MSO for making it happen.

The Rabbits, a show I helped the brilliant Kate Miller-Heidke compose the music for, has won four Helpmann Awards, including Best Original Score and Best New Australian Work.

It’s an adaption of the Shaun Tan and John Marsden book of the same name and premiered at the Perth Festival in February this year.

Bookings are now open for the Melbourne Festival season. It sold out in Perth – get in quick.

With great joy, I accepted a Helpmann Award for Best Musical Score for my work on the Expressions Dance Show When Time Stops

It of course belongs to that amazing group The Camerata of St John’s who memorized swathes of my music, and performed it amidst leaping dancers. I’ve never felt more supported by any group of musicians ever.

In good news, they received their own recognition at the APRA Art Music Awards, receiving the Queensland State Award. At those same awards, Cath Crock was recognised with the Award for Excellence by an Individual for her work with the Hush Foundation, commissioners of much fine music, one tiny part of which is my work Suspended on the Hush 13 CD.

Well, who’d have guessed that? I am the happy recipient of not one but two 2013 Helpmann Awards for my work on the STC show ‘Secret River’.

The awards were for Best Musical Direction and Best Original Score.

‘Secret River’ also picked up awards for Best Play, Best New Australian Work, Best Direction of a Play for Neil Armfield and Best Supporting Actor in a Play for Colin Moody.

The Helpmann Awards “recognize distinguished artistic achievement and excellence across the major disciplines of Australia’s live performance industry.” The full list of winners can be seen here.

The ceremony was held on the 29th July in the Sydney Opera House, presented by my old friend and colleague Eddie Perfect and new friend and colleague Christie Whelan-Browne. Which is all well and good, but I wasn’t there sharing the fun with them – I was with my dear family in Germany, and sent acceptance speeches by video.

These awards belong to every member of the Secret River family, and I can’t wait to chop the statuettes up into the dozens of pieces required to disperse amongst the deserving many.