A huge cast of actors are rehearsing their lines in preparation for one of Jarrahdale’s most anticipated events.
The Jarrahdale Ghost Walk is on again on Saturday, April 20.
The beloved annual fundraiser devised and hosted by the Jarrahdale Heritage Society has been operating for over 30 years and attracts up to 300 audience members each year.
Many of the actors hail from Jarrahdale, and quite a few young talents have signed up this year.
Hana Willis plays ‘Alice’, a school girl whose friend is threatening to play truant because she’s nervous about sitting her exams. This will be her third time performing in the Jarrahdale Ghost Walk.
“It’s really fun. This year’s script is a conversation that Sienna and I would actually have with each other,” she said.
“Yeah, dressing up as people from history is kinda fun,” Sienna Young (‘Beatrice’) said.
“And performing at night gives it a different atmosphere,” Lydia Willis, who plays Bonnie, said.
There has also been interest from further afield, with a few Rockingham players joining the stellar cast.
“And there are two women who have been playing ghosts for over 20 years. They’re a pair of naturals too,” Society president Diana Henniker said.
Visitors will be led on a two-kilometre circuit of the historical timber town, and greeted by spectres from the past. Ten different scenes will document the lives and occupations of the town’s ancestors from the late 1800s to the 1940s.
The town doctor, who owned the first car in Jarrahdale, will be joined by the bootmaker, rector, midwife, shopkeeper, and a variety of other people employed in occupations which supported the mill workers. And women’s work will be given its rightful place in this version of history.
Scripts have been artfully devised by members of the Jarrahdale Heritage Society, with special attention placed on historical accuracy.
Audience members will be serenaded by Australian bush music at the Bruno Giannati Hall before the walk begins, and the Heritage Choir will also join in the fun.
As always, there will be a sausage sizzle run by the SJ Lions Club, and the Heritage Society will be serving hot drinks and snacks inside the hall.
Diana Henniker said the community had been incredibly generous with donations for the raffle.
“We’ve got so many raffle prizes, it’ll be well worth buying a ticket, so don’t forget to bring some cash,” she said.
“And every child receives a raffle ticket for a $25 bank account with the Bendigo Bank.”
Doors open at 6pm for registrations and the first group of 25 heads off at 7pm, with each subsequent group leaving at seven-minute intervals. Walkers are asked to bring sturdy walking shoes, torches and insect repellent.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children, with pre-schoolers free.
Groups of eight or more can pre-book and collect tickets at the door.
