The following is an excerpt from Leah Moneghetti’s presentation to the 2023 Royal South Street Society AGM, reflecting as a RSSS alumna on the impact that participating in the Royal South Street Society Ballarat Eisteddfod, and performing arts has had on her life:
Christopher Robin
Had wheezles
And sneezles,
They bundled him into his bed.
They gave him what goes
With a cold in the nose,
And some more for a cold
In the head.
They wondered
If wheezles
Could turn
Into measles,
If sneezles
Would turn
Into mumps;
They examined his chest
For a rash,
And the rest
Of his body for swellings and lumps.
They sent for some doctors
In sneezles
And wheezles
To tell them what ought
To be done.
All sorts and conditions
Of famous physicians
Came hurrying round
At a run.
The first stanser of ‘Sneezles’ by AA Milne and the preparation for the presentation of that poem was my very first interaction with the Royal South Street Society. As I performed the poem on the black platform stage placed in the beautiful Long Room at Her Majesty’s Theatre, I had no idea of the positive impact Royal South Street would have on my life and the pathway I would take.
My Grandma Kathleen Grist was my teacher at the time and she was very excited to teach me the art of elocution as her Father James O’Shea was one of the founders of the elocution disciplines, when South Street was in fact located in South Street.
In the years following, my connection with South Street grew to performing in the disciplines of Speech and Drama, Debating, Choral Verse Speaking, Choir, Instrumental and Band for Violin and Flute, Dancing and of course the very fun Concert Item. My path then transitioned to having students which I taught privately and through local schools and the Kerry Moore School of Ballet perform in the Speech and Drama Divisions and Dancing Divisions. There were so many wonderful memories which were created during this period and so many friendships established which I maintained today.
Upon reflection this is truly where my love and passion of learning and teaching developed.
This love and passion of learning and teaching enabled me to finish my VCE including Dance and Drama subjects, complete my Bachelor of Law and Performing Arts at Monash University, be admitted as a Solicitor in the Supreme and High Courts of Australia, my Masters of Teaching, become a Accredited Mediator, move into the areas of Risk and Compliance and most recently establish my own business ‘Moneghetti Consulting’ specialising in Risk, Compliance, Investigations, Mediation and Training. The excitement and opportunities for learning that participating in Royal South Street gave my friends and I a buzz of excitement that at the time didn’t compare to any other performing or learning opportunities. It really was a magical time of our lives. I later really enjoyed watching my students experience the same buzz of performance from the perspective of a teacher.
Throughout these periods I have remained involved in the arts through dance, drama, Bloc Music Theatre, Monash University’s Performing Arts Society, teaching in School’s or being a supporter. The arts has also continued to be a positive influence and outlet for my wellbeing.
Fast forward 30 years and seeing my son as a 5th generational performer at South Street as part of the Ballarat Grammar choir two years ago was a very proud moment and I know that my great Grandfather James O’Shea and all of the passionate and hardworking staff, volunteers, performers and idea’s people, would be very proud of the continual work and efforts of the Society. There are thousands of children, young people and individuals whom South Street has positively impacted upon their lives. And these individuals can’t go unnoticed.
One of the unforgettable learnings from South Street was the practical element of you must keep going with a smile, do your best and always be a good sportsperson. This was quickly learnt in the 12 and under 14 Open Character Division when I was approximately one third of the way through a dancing performance of Swanhilda from Coppelia and my music, back then my cassette tape, stopped and I had no music. I froze, thought, and completed my full dance, which was my first ever in point shoes to the clops of my point shoes moving around the beautiful Her Majesty’s Stage. I came off and just wanted to burst into tears. My teacher gave me a hug and said ‘O Leah; and my Mum came up from the audience and I started to cry, I was quite a strong dancer at the time and Mum calmly said, you can cry later, but not now, you did your best and you kept going, these things happen, they can seem unfair, but you kept going and you did a really good job. Despite being utterly surprised when I managed to win the division, this was a very important learning to me that the show must go on. Despite some of the challenges that I have faced, especially over the last few years that I could easily say are unfair, I have thought of this moment and focused on the learning that life will continue and I must keep going.
It is not only what happens as part of a performance that is important, but preparation and organisation is key, and this is true for all areas of life. If you fail to prepare, the saying is true, most of the time you need to be prepared to fail. In a performance you cannot turn up without any preparation, whether that is practice or sewing your laces correctly on your ballet shoes, or even complete an impromptu reading without preparation, hard work and warm up. If you did, deep down you would know that you didn’t do your best. The same goes for exams, job interviews and work presentations. The importance of preparation was key for all South Street sections and i directly transfer this to life now. Because of this learning, I have never turned up to a job interview, committee, mediation or Board presentation with preparation.
Teamwork truly is the heart of great achievement and when you are backstage about to perform you become exposed to this. From the moment the stage door is opened by a volunteer, you meet up with your teacher and friends, walk to the desk to hand in your music, wait side stage with individuals responsible for the props, lights, sound or afterwards go through to front of house to support your competition friends whilst they perform. It is a team effort, full of collaboration and contributions which makes everything work so efficiently. I have very much used this when working with a variety of organisational structures, Teams and even in drafting and implementing risk and compliance strategies. There is no point having a policy or risk assessment if people aren’t aware of it, it isn’t communicated and isn’t able to be understood.
As a child South Street also taught me Gratitude. From the round of applause for volunteers at the end of each section, to realising the time my parents spent sitting in cars whilst I ran late from practices or the time my Dad sat in the audience and listened to over 40 of the same impromptu reading from Lord of the Flies, gratitude also surrounded me and I am even more aware of this as I have become a mum and needed to navigate life for myself and my family and also teach my children to practice gratitude.
From me, as a child completing my first A.A. Milne poem to now as a Director of my own business, and from all other individuals both on and off the stage that you continue to positively influence, thank you for contributing to an organisation which provides so many opportunities for growth and learning. Whether the individual’s have had a chance to reflect and show gratitude or not, all of your contributions positive influence the next generation of individuals, performers and those wanting to work and experience the various facets of the arts. Thank you.
