DH LAWRENCE, his trip to Australia, and its result - his eighth major novel, Kangaroo - were the focus of a unique event at the Art Gallery of NSW recently when the arts community in Sydney celebrated the 80th birthday of the nation's greatest living composer, Peter Sculthorpe.

As recorded in previous issues of Rananim, Sculthorpe is one of those Australian artists who have been inspired and influenced by Lawrence's visit to our shores in May-August, 1922....painters Garry Shead and Brett Whteley, author Patrick White, sculptor Tom Bass and a host of lesser names.

Sculthorpe wrote one of his major works, "Small Town", based on Lawrence's time In Thirroul - the "Small Town" of the title - and his composition there of Kangaroo, hailed by several critics (including JD Pringle and Professor IW Stewart) as the most important work of literature ever written in or about Australia.

The concert at the NSW Art Gallery was attended by an audience of over 100, and Sculthorpe addressed the gathering about

his piece before it was played by Australian Ensemble (as part of a series of concerts, Resonate 2009). He also read some passages
from Kangaroo, to illustrate some themes in his piece.

Sculthorpe was introduced by the Director of the Gallery, Edmund Capon, who described Sculthorpe inspiration to a generation of Australian musicologists. (Sculthorpe, a former Reader in Music at Sydney University, recently endowed a large bequest to the Conservatorium of Music, which itself is mentioned in the opening paragraph of Kangaroo).

Contemporary artist Garry Shead, whose Lawrence series of paintings has won international acclaim, attended the concert ,along with members of the DH Lawrence Society of Australia (Garry is a member of the Society, and has provided the logo for our journal, Rananim). Garry has promised to welcome a visit from Scoiety members to his studio in Bundeena later in the year.

Later this month (April) Garry will also attend another 80th birthday celebration for Peter Sculthorpe in Wollongong, where "Small Town" will be performed again.