Review of 'A Good Bloke' and other events at Artstate Bathurst

This year was Bathurst’s turn to host Artstate – a four-year Regional Arts NSW project that showcases the skills of creative practitioners working regionally in the fields of music, filmmaking, the visual arts and theatre. One of the themes for this year’s event explored a ‘sense of place’ and how it is integral to regional identity and community. Indeed, the opening ceremony, curated by Becky Russell and staged at Bathurst’s monumental Courthouse Courtyard, evoked the ancient and continuing Indigenous connection to place, with elders performing a purifying smoking ceremony. Recognising the land’s original custodians set a very inclusive tone to the proceedings.