Apart from providing an experience of and insight into John Shaw Neilson, this play also tells us something about the times in which he lived and wrote. It is excellent drama and can also provide the basis for a monologue.
Five senior Aussie men, some of them mates since war service, meet one morning each week in a gym. They exercise together, chew the fat, laugh, tease and sing. They solve the problems of the world, agreeing to disagree. When secrets, differences and loss of trust threaten to destroy the long established friendships, they learn that ‘difference’ is more a matter of point of view.
The play is set in Mauritius where Matthew Flinders was detained for 6 years while returning from his explorations around Australia to England. It deals with the relationships he established in Mauritius with his captors and families on the island, including Delphine, the estate owner's daughter. At the same time there are shifts in place to his relationships at home, including his wife and Joseph Banks.