Heading further north from Magnetic Island are the multi-skilled co- directors of Cranky Curlew Productions -Penelope Sheridan and George Hirst . Conservationists and activists , their films have won severaal awards . A longtime campaigner for the release of Julian Assange , who once lived on the island, Hirst drew the following cartoon for the Magnetinc Times newspaper, of which he was editor, when it was suggested a monument to the WiklLeaks founder should be erected on Maggie..
George's widespread experience includes being an Information officer for the Nattional Gallery of Australia. In the l990s he was involved in a series of solo exhibitions , travelling and teaching drawing and painting. He even coordinated the art installations for the new Parlaiment House in Canberra.
Pen had widespred experience in theatre at the Backpack Community Threatre Company, Warrnambool,Victoria. She also went to New York in 20ll and undertook an intensive film editing course at the Edit Centre .
There she picked up an editing credit on Leah Meyerhoff's award winning, first narrative feature film, I believe in Unicorns, and on the documentary Best kept secret directed by Samantha Buck. As a film editor, Penelope’s eye for detail and passion for the wide gamut of visual, written and performance-based creativity was finally rolled into one.
As Cranky Curlew much of their work has focused on environmental issues with global warming front and centre. In 2014 Cranky Curlew created an art event to coincide with a world-wide day of action on climate change.
They produced the, now viral, Heads in Sand event which inspired activists in Bondi to create an even bigger Heads in Sand to coincide with the G20 meetings. Following suit, many locations around the world produced their own Heads in Sand events. In 2020 Cranky Curlew’s Heads in Sand image featured in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.
Pen has worked in administration in several island medical centres and has a new position at Atherton. George is busy preparing the island home for sale before joining her .
