When ‘The Dressmaker’ Came to Town

Bendigo and Castlemaine Libraries were delighted to welcome Rosalie Ham and Sue Maslin, the author and film producer of the highly successful Australian novel and film, ‘The Dressmaker’, to present at both libraries on Thursday 28 April.

Both events booked out quickly, with a crowd of 300+ at the Bendigo Town Hall and 200+ at Castlemaine’s Phee Broadway Theatre.

“I have heard from a number of people that Rosalie and Sue’s presentations were outstanding as they led the audience through the course of their incredible professional journeys,” said Ms Chris Kelly, Goldfields Library Corporation CEO.

“We are thrilled to have given the community the opportunity to connect with such high profile figures in the literary and film industries. What an inspiring insight into their amazing experiences, and into the process of writing a best-selling novel and transforming it into a successful film.”

The Bendigo event featured an insightful introduction and conclusion by City of Greater Bendigo Tourism Manager Kathryn MacKenzie, along with a display of sewing paraphernalia and period garments presented by Maryborough sewing machine museum Sew What.

Library Officer Jess Saunders introduced Rosalie and Sue to a very excited audience at Castlemaine, and was thrilled with the number of positive comments following the event.

Bolinda, a major supplier of eBooks to Goldfields Libraries, generously donated some MP3 copies of ‘The Dressmaker’ film for a few lucky attendees at both events.

‘The Dressmaker’ has been hailed as ‘an Australian gothic novel of love, hate and haute couture’. It is set in the fictional country town of Dungatar in the 1950s, with the plot centring around Tilly, who returns to the town to look after her ailing mother. Many aspects of the film reflect Rosalie’s own upbringing in the small town of Jerilderie, NSW.

Rosalie and Sue went to school together but parted ways until 30 years later when Sue, an award winning film producer, approached Rosalie to bring her novel to life on the big screen. The award winning film was released after seven years of production, boasting a star studded cast including Kate Winslet, Judy Davis, Liam Hemsworth and Hugo Weaving.

Those who missed out on a ticket, or would like to relive the experience, can listen to the Castlemaine presentation online, courtesy of MainFM 94.9: www.ncgrl.vic.gov.au/dressmaker