You don’t have to be from Burnie to enjoy the new book, Dream Burnie, from musician and performer, Justin Heazlewood – any small-town escapee will get where he’s coming from. In 330 colourful pages, Dream Burnie shares stories with a host of successful artists from Burnie about the joys and horrors of growing up in the north-west town, and why those who struggled to be creative, stayed or fled.
While we celebrate those who achieve in sports, young creatives struggle with the lack of opportunities. Heazlewood’s blunt about the pros and cons – Burnie is “like Summer Bay meets Guantanamo Bay.” The lesson for young creatives seems simple – run.
And so they leave for Melbourne, London, New York – any place they might learn, practice, and make a living from the combination of gruelling hard work and talent.
For all that, there’s much affection for the area from most Burnie artists. Heazelwood is adamant. “Burnie cares. It cares a lot. Just keep believing!” Telen Rodwell is equivocal: “There’s a toxic Burnie and there’s a divine Burnie.” Josh Earl is pragmatic: “You know when guests are coming to your house, and you make the house spotless and you tidy every room, but there’s always that one room that you just dump all your s*** in there and close the door. That’s Burnie.”
Justin Heazlewood’s funny, heart-felt and beautifully designed and illustrated book offers simple advice for every young creative.
“You can’t sit back and wait for anything in life. You can’t wait for the phone to ring. You can’t wait for someone to understand your genius and want to work with you.
You basically just have to wake up every day and figure out how you’re going to make opportunities happen – almost out of thin air.”
Gutsy stuff.
Dream Burnie, by Justin Heazlewood, released February 2025, RRP $34.95, 338pp, ISBN: 978-0-646-88479-0
