“When Phillip Noyce first drove into the Wollombi Valley almost half a century ago, he recalled how he clattered over colonial history.

“Parts of the road were stone, built by chain-gang convict labour,” said the acclaimed film director and Wollombi vineyard owner.

Yet as he drove into Wollombi, Phillip Noyce was also heading deep into much older history. For thousands of years, Aboriginal groups gathered for ceremonies around Wollombi. In time, Mr Noyce’s eyes were opened to the Aboriginal culture in the valley, as he marvelled at rock art in caves.

Tonight in Wollombi, Phillip Noyce is sharing a piece of his own art that opened eyes around the world to the shocking treatment of Aboriginal people. His film, Rabbit-Proof Fence, is being screened as part of the village’s Flicks on the Green series. The director will also be participating in a question-and-answer session. Mr Noyce is looking forward to the film screening in Wollombi, whose name is derived from an Aboriginal word for ‘meeting place’.”