forty thousand and two

FESCH.TV INFORMIERT:

At least forty thousand Australians overseas had registered their intent with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) to return to Australia during the Covid-19 crisis.

‘forty thousand and two’ depicts Jess and Patrick – two lucky people that survived getting sick with Covid-19 while living in London and were able to enter the ‘lucky country.’

There is no ordered queue for people wishing to return to Australia. Due to the imposed ‘travel caps,’ commercial airlines can be scarce and exorbitantly priced, meaning many vulnerable people miss out. We saw a one-way economy ticket from London to Sydney priced at £38 000 ($AU 71 400). We were fortunate to book a government facilitated repatriation flight (a little cheaper than £38 000!), flying into Darwin’s RAAF base, and quarantining at our own expense at Howard Springs Centre for National Resilience.

By excluding the difficulty of accessing a route to Australia, and the requirements and protocols needed to expedite just getting on a plane, we focus on the journey. We also celebrate the natural beauty of Australia, and its inevitable restorative qualities.

‘forty thousand and two’ is not just about Covid-19 and its devastating and disruptive global consequences. It is about how two people navigate knowing their place in the world, traversing belonging and what ‘home’ may mean after time away.

We would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which ‘forty thousand and two’ was produced and pay respects to Elders past, present and emerging.