AustLit

'When the Lismore station closed in 2003 more than 250 people turned up to protest the closing of the rail service. The strong interest in the "Railway Wonderland" project reflects the depth of feeling in the region related to the loss of this part of the economic and social fabric. The main character of Ana is inspired by the many stories of Italian immigration to the area.

Two years in the making, Generator developed "Railway Wonderland" through a series of Creative Development residencies and community consultations. Inspired by local stories of the region we engaged with local writers, actors, musicians, Rail Corp staff, historians, community choirs and local lobbyist groups. We began in 2009 with a call out to local writers to submit short stories that were then performed at the 2010 Byron Bay Writers Festival. These stories partly informed the first creative development held in October 2010. We used the Writers Festival platform to share the project's vision with the community and establish awareness and generate media interest in the project. We invited local musicians, actors and designers to the 2010 /2011 development to inform the process and we held a public showing for community feedback.' Source: www.generator.org.au/ (Sighted 29/03/2012).