The Boy Who Found His Way Home by Jillian Boyd-Bowie
CIAF and The Grin and Tonic Theatre Troupe presents The Boy Who Found His Way Home by Jillian Boyd-Bowie
6:30-8:30 pm Tuesday 7 July 2026 | Tank 5, Tanks Arts Centre | BUY TICKETS
Young lothamo has been living large in the big city with his PS5, cold aircon and Kayo. Now he’s in the Straits looking like a fish out of water trying to swim his way back home to his family, his identity and his cultural code.
The local fishing competition is on. Can he prove himself alongside his local Bala as they encounter no-filter Aunties, Mango season chores, a mathapaipa tour guide and the scary death angel of the deep?
This hilarious story of homecoming is a nathakain funny, deep story about place, language and culture written by acclaimed Torres Strait writer Jillian Boyd-Bowie, starring Jimi Bani (Mabo, The Straits), Richard Bani and Likiki Millett, and made by the team that brought you Lucky and the Flight of the Sky Puppies, Othello and My Name is Jimi.
PG - Parental guidance
The Boy Who Found His Way Home is delivered in partnership between Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF) and Grin and Tonic Theatre, written by Jillian Boyd-Bowie, and supported by Gab Titui, the Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA), Bright Moon Trust and the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland.
JILLIAN BOYD-BOWIE
A mother, grandmother, mentor, published author, poet, playwright, business owner, CEO, and community advocate, Jillian is a Zenadth Kes woman from the Samsep, Zagareb, and Meuram tribes of Erub and Mer. She was born and raised on Waibene (Thursday Island), in Zenadth Kes (Torres Strait).
Jillian’s first book Bakir and Bi was a winner at the 2012 Black&write! Fellowship competition with State Library Queensland. Bakir and Bi achieved international acclaim when it was chosen for the White Raven’s Catalogue produced by the International Youth Library in Germany. Published by Magabala Books in Broome, WA, Bakir and Bi went on to be displayed at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in Italy in 2014.
The sequel to Bakir and Bi, Bid Buai - Dolphin People was published in March 2021 by Balboa Press.
Jillian’s poetry is moving, thought-provoking, and comes from a deep place of self-discovery as she uses her craft to positively impact social change. Her poetry comes highly commended by Judges of the 2018 Oodgeroo Noonuccal Poetry Prize, published in Overland Journal Magazine October 2018, and Borderless Transnational Feminist Australian Anthology.
Cultured Pearl, Jillian’s short story about her life and purpose was published in the Growing up Torres Strait Islander in Australia collection in 2024.
As Jillian embarks on a new chapter of her writing career from page to stage, May 2025 found Jillian debuting as a playwright when her inaugural play The Boy Who Found His Way Home premiered at Gab Titui Cultural Centre on Waibene with outstanding reviews.