Celine Foenander talks with Donna Jackson and Mick Thomas. The footage from a recent ABC interview features some of the numbers from the show.

Amanda Smith interview with Donna Jackson about the wonder substance that turned bad.
Performance of Antarctica - one of the songs Mark Seymour wrote for Dust by Mick Thomas, with members of the Victorian Trade Union and Willin Women choirs.

In October 2009, Hubcap Productions and Regional Arts Victoria with the Asbestos Diseases Society of Victoria presented the 2009 Victorian Tour of Dust to Geelong, Shepparton and Sale.

Brought to you by the artists behind the critically acclaimed We Built this City, Dust brings to life the story of those affected by asbestos-related diseases.

Set in two parts, Dust delivers a roving performance incorporating sideshow, rock ‘n’ roll, fi lm and a vortex of dust! A traditional approach unfolds for the second half, featuring Mick Thomas from Weddings Parties Anything with a choir of 50 voices made up of local singers and performers. The production incorporates local stories and experiences with asbestos.

This fast-paced multi-media theatre production takes its audience on an almighty journey. A peek into Australian homes from the not too distant past, reveals domestic products exposed families to asbestos; toothpaste, playdough, hair dryers and cigarette fi lters were all made with asbestos. Have you checked your shed? Did you check the electric blanket, and the surgical thread?

Asbestos was mined primarily in WA and manufactured by James Hardie Industries. By the 1950’s, a quarter of all houses built in Australia were clad with asbestos cement sheets. It was used by handymen to knock up a boat shed or add an extra room on the family home until the late 1980’s. Their overalls were washed by housewives and the asbestos dust residue swept up by their children. Currently there are hundreds of people facing asbestos-related illness including lung cancers. The number of illnesses from exposure is expected to peak in the year 2020.

Far from being depressing or polemical, this production is joyous, touching and inspirational. Like the people who battled James Hardie Industries and won, Dust represents guts, determination and the Australian fighting spirit.

Produced by Hubcap Productions and Regional Arts Victoria in partnership with The Asbestos Diseases Society of Victoria (ADSVIC).

Dust is terrific in both senses of the word. It is a highly entertaining, deeply stimulating night of multimedia theatre and is also a terrifying insight into corporate greed and the pain and injustice experienced by countless people.