Letters to Lindy

Lindy Chamberlain did not murder her baby Azaria at the then Ayres Rock, but through the 80s and 90s many Australians took a vicious pleasure in the myth that she did. It was so strong and divisive an idea that thousands felt compelled to write to Mrs Chamberlain, with everything from death threats and accusations to support, and later, remorse. The messages often included stories from the writers’ lives, the most poignant from confused witnesses and people who knew Lindy beforehand, like the young woman whose daughter was born in the same hospital on the same day as Azaria, or Regan and Aiden, Lindy’s beloved children. Mrs Chamberlain stored every single note and object she received. Together they are a vivid snapshot of Australia’s collective ideas about the case, and how, for a little while, the juicier story won out.

By weaving the letters into Lindy’s story as it unfolded, the play shows Lindy in the eye of the storm, seeing this image of herself formed which bore no relation whatsoever to what she was really like. Jeanette Cronin presents the real Lindy: a practical, intelligent country mother, a devout Seventh Day Adventist with an impish sense of humour. Cronin captures Lindy’s extraordinary resilience, her ability to roll her eyes and laugh at the more insane of the notes and take comfort in those from friends. Lindy’s distinctive Mount Isa accent is immediately recognisable, as is her style. Her costumes are based on the now iconic images: young, naïve Lindy in an almost embarrassingly revealing cotton dress she made herself; pregnant with the heavy page boy hair cut in court; her prison dress; and older Mrs Chamberlain-Creighton in vivid shawls and leggings. To see these images fleshed out with the real personality challenges the perception of Lindy as a cold-faced murderer, which of course she never was.

Alana Valentine brings out the individual voices inside what was a mass social movement. So while Letters to Lindy is about the horror Lindy felt at being accused and jailed at the very time she should have been able to mourn, it’s also about how Australia related to her. The letters are recited by performers Glenn Hazeldine, Jane Phegan and Phillip Hinton, each taking on the character of the writer. Beautifully directed by Darren Yap and paced, the play uses symbols evoking the central tragedy: that Azaria was taken by a dingo. Black booties, a small white jump suit, a blood-stained matinee jacket all evoke the missing baby to gut-wrenching effect. The action takes place in Lindy’s suburban house, with lighting and sound design bringing other settings in, symbolic of the real events and awful public opinion intruding into her world.

Virtually every Australian born after 1975 will have had an opinion on the Chamberlain case, and Letters to Lindy is powerful evocation of that time. It’s a moving story that will have audiences laughing, crying and shaking their heads in disbelief.

Cathy Bannister

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Photographer: Lisa Tomasetti