Centre for Stories

'Rule Breakers' is our opportunity to celebrate the individual and unique stories and achievements of Curtin University’s Women in STEMM. Together, let’s share in their pursuit of excellence, and listen to the important lessons they teach everyone, no matter your gender.

This recording is from an event held on 5 August 2020. Sisonke Msimang, Ron Bradfield Jnr, Colin Archibald, and Kylie Bracknell share personal stories in the context of recent events around the world and the BLM movement. This event was made possible with support from Beaufort Rotary Club.

Backstories was a one day multi-sited storytelling festival located in the suburbs of Western Australia. Reaching from Mandurah to Wanneroo, the Backstories festival provided new opportunities for storytellers to share stories in local backyards. Anju Sivarajah is a storyteller born in Sri Lanka and predominantly raised in Australia. Anju was a witness to extreme violent genocide in Sri Lanka when...

Backstories was a one day multi-sited storytelling festival located in the suburbs of Western Australia. Reaching from Mandurah to Wanneroo, the Backstories festival provided new opportunities for storytellers to share stories in local backyards. A migrant family in a new city, a mad dash from a group of bullies, and a conversation with a stranger on a plane. Shamit shows us three moments across t...

Backstories was a one day multi-sited storytelling festival located in the suburbs of Western Australia. Reaching from Mandurah to Wanneroo, the Backstories festival provided new opportunities for storytellers to share stories in local backyards. "Despite society’s expectations, which disabled me far more than my body did, I have outlived my expiry date many times over." Sandi Parsons considers he...

Backstories was a one day multi-sited storytelling festival located in the suburbs of Western Australia. Reaching from Mandurah to Wanneroo, the Backstories festival provided new opportunities for storytellers to share stories in local backyards. Ron shares the story of a West Australian and a Victorian – an unlikely friendship and its impact across a lifetime.

Backstories was a one day multi-sited storytelling festival located in the suburbs of Western Australia. Reaching from Mandurah to Wanneroo, the Backstories festival provided new opportunities for storytellers to share stories in local backyards. Shenali Perera is a creative writer, storyteller, artist, boxer and backyard comedian (her family would tell you). Born in Sri Lanka, Shenali grew up in...

Saga Sisterhood is a transformative performance project for women from communities who identify as South Asian that come from non-performer backgrounds but all have something to say about love, friendship, belonging, family and identity. When Sankari Sivaramalingam moved away from home in her twenties, she quickly found her confidence through self-expression. A spontaneous haircut lead to another,...

Saga Sisterhood is a transformative performance project for women from communities who identify as South Asian that come from non-performer backgrounds but all have something to say about love, friendship, belonging, family and identity. Anju Sivarajah was a witness to extreme violent genocide in Sri Lanka when she was 5 years old. She reflects on the effects of Sri Lanka’s civil war, and her mixe...

Saga Sisterhood is a transformative performance project for women from communities who identify as South Asian that come from non-performer backgrounds but all have something to say about love, friendship, belonging, family and identity. After her mother passed away, Asha Kiani dedicated her life to honouring her mum's memory and spirit. But she soon found herself stuck in a continuing cycle of tr...

Love, Always is a collection of stories about how time and distance significantly alters the terrain of family and belonging. In this series, we explore the lives of three individuals on the verge of adulthood, who offer us a deeper glimpse into their struggles and desires. Dira is a second year Early Childhood international student in her early 20s. She came to Perth for exchange and studied at C...

Love, Always is a collection of stories about how time and distance significantly alters the terrain of family and belonging. In this series, we explore the lives of three individuals on the verge of adulthood, who offer us a deeper glimpse into their struggles and desires. Gayatri Ramesh is a 24 year old medical student, currently majoring in Podiatry at the University of Western Australia. She g...

In collaboration with the School of Education and Curtin University’s Place Activation, Lunchtime Stories was a project that involved five international students sharing their experiences at Curtin, and around Western Australia. The five storytellers went through a series of workshops with Story Trainer, Michael Abercromby, where they learned to share their story with confidence in a succinct and...

In collaboration with the School of Education and Curtin University’s Place Activation, Lunchtime Stories was a project that involved five international students sharing their experiences at Curtin, and around Western Australia. The five storytellers went through a series of workshops with Story Trainer, Michael Abercromby, where they learned to share their story with confidence in a succinct and...

In collaboration with the School of Education and Curtin University’s Place Activation, Lunchtime Stories was a project that involved five international students sharing their experiences at Curtin, and around Western Australia. The five storytellers went through a series of workshops with Story Trainer, Michael Abercromby, where they learned to share their story with confidence in a succinct and...

In collaboration with the School of Education and Curtin University’s Place Activation, Lunchtime Stories was a project that involved five international students sharing their experiences at Curtin, and around Western Australia. The five storytellers went through a series of workshops with Story Trainer, Michael Abercromby, where they learned to share their story with confidence in a succinct and...

In collaboration with the School of Education and Curtin University’s Place Activation, Lunchtime Stories was a project that involved five international students sharing their experiences at Curtin, and around Western Australia. The five storytellers went through a series of workshops with Story Trainer, Michael Abercromby, where they learned to share their story with confidence in a succinct and...

Yirga Gelaw Woldeyes was born in the holy town of Lalibela, Ethiopia. He is a writer, researcher and poet, using his native language of Amharic to reflect on Ethiopia’s history of loss and resilience. On 25 April 2019, Yirga shared his story at Bread & Butter. – COMING UP AT THE CENTRE FOR STORIES Life Writing with Rosemary Stevens – September 14- November 2, 2019 This 7-week course offers an inti...

Ron Bradfield Junior is a saltwater fella from Bardi Country but grew up in Geraldton, WA. He now calls Whadjuk Boodjah his home. On 20 March 2019, Ron shared his story at Bread & Butter for World Storytelling Day. – COMING UP AT THE CENTRE FOR STORIES Bread & Butter with Zenatalla Ibrahim – August 29, 2019 Bread & Butter is a monthly dinner and storytelling event designed to make you think deeply...

Tammy Bux is a strategist by day and storyteller by night. She is passionate about encouraging people to celebrate their challenges and triumphs through storytelling. She loves how sharing stories allows us to open our hearts and minds and deeply connect with one another. On 29 November 2018, Tammy shared her story at Bread & Butter. – COMING UP AT THE CENTRE FOR STORIES Spotlight on Indonesia – A...

Matthew and Daniel Bacon are two remarkable young natural storytellers bound to leave you with a lasting impression, and many laughs along the way. They tell stories about self-love, identity, and queer resilience. On March 29 2018, Matt and Dan shared their stories at Bread & Butter. – COMING UP AT THE CENTRE FOR STORIES Literary Mixers: Kelly Van Nelson and Scott Patrick Mitchell – August 8, 201...

Sandi Parsons considers her guardianship of gifted lungs one of her many victories in her ongoing battle with Cystic Fibrosis. She was 38 when she underwent a double lung transplant. On 28 June 2018, Sandi shared her story at Bread & Butter. – COMING UP AT THE CENTRE FOR STORIES Fem Book Club – August 21, 2019 Fem Book Club is an introduction to a diverse range of texts by women about women. Throu...

Roaring 90's is a collection of stories from our community elders collected throughout 2018. This collection of stories features the memories of yesteryear; accounts of war, racism, technological triumph, assimilation and social change. Vern Gooch is not quite 90, but his story was so special that we thought we’d make an exception. He was 86 when this story was recorded. Vern is a survivor of the...

Roaring 90's is a collection of stories from our community elders collected throughout 2018. This collection of stories features the memories of yesteryear; accounts of war, racism, technological triumph, assimilation and social change. Doug Sedgwick was 91 when this story was recorded. He shares his memories of Perth and Subiaco in the old days and reflects on his life: the destructive reality of...

Roaring 90's is a collection of stories from our community elders collected throughout 2018. This collection of stories features the memories of yesteryear; accounts of war, racism, technological triumph, assimilation and social change. Azra Hodgkinson was 91-year-old when this story was collected. She is a Pakistani woman from Lahore. In this interview, she reflects on the many changes in her lif...