Goodbye Melaleuca

Do we "own" our children? Are they required to walk through the world to sing your praises? Artist Eric Corey has taken back a valuable painting that he once gave to his niece Jenny and her husband Alan. A line has been crossed that Eric cannot live with. A confrontation over custody of a work of art raises questions of the value of artistic integrity and explores "ownership" of those things we create."Goodbye Melaleuca" was shortlisted in the 1995 George Landen Dann Award. It was presented at Spotlight Theatre Company, Benowa, on June 7th, 1996.Interview with the AuthorQ - Why should I read a stage play?A – I think a good story is a good story. I try to reach out on an emotional level. Most people find it engaging and easy to read. And a play is just a movie in your mind.Q - What inspired you to write Goodbye Melaleuca?A – Like my other plays, The Captains and The Kings, Sylvia Terry, A Kind of Belgium and even Spades, I am fascinated by the dynamics within the family and in this case the extended family. It involves an uncle and niece. This play primarily works with the concept of father and child, the adventure of the creator and the creation. There is an importance to the artist that his work must always sing the creator's wishes. Once again, it involves drama, conflict, betrayal and lost love.It's told through three actors and it questions whether we own anything we create. What about our children? Do we really own them? Are they just a blank screen for their father or mother to project their lives on to? This has fascinated me. I don't want to offer any answers. Just throw it up there for the reader.Q - So, why should readers give this book a try?A – It's a very quick, tight, interesting little story. It's an emotional journey. For the past thirty years, it has been Mark Barkley's great pleasure to have created work that has been appreciated by various audiences throughout Brisbane, within Australia and online.Primarily his focus had been on being a playwright within the 90's. But recently his sole focus has turned to creating the book series The Sabienn Feel Adventures.He has had several plays which have enjoyed a successful theatrical staging or reading within Australia. ("The Captains and The Kings"-1995, "Goodbye Melaleuca"-1996, "Sylvia Terry"-1998 and "A Kind of Belgium"-2000) Two of the plays featured here have been short listed in the George Landen Dann award, Queensland's premium award for excellence in playwriting. ("The Captains and The Kings"-1992 and "Goodbye Melaleuca"-1995).He also created the short film "Spades" as writer/director and this was short listed in the top ten films of the third annual What's On Short Cut Film Fest and screened in 2001 at the Brisbane Powerhouse.In 2007, he rewrote and updated his book "The Big Sugar Election" which was originally completed in 1990.Currently he is offering books in his fantasy adventure novel series The Sabienn Feel Adventures. "When The Stone Shepherds Awaken" completed in 2015 is the first book in this series, which is now free and on offer with its companion piece, "Stories From The Distant Planet", which is also free.Keep an eye out for more to come.