Fred Smith OAM live on stage as part of his Sparrows of Kabul tour, playing in Rutherglen on August 23.
aRTS Rutherglen is getting ready to host its first live performance in six years with the Sparrows of Kabul musical heading to the region next month.
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The story showcases the compelling personal account of Australia’s 20-year involvement in Afghanistan, through the lens of singing diplomat, Fred Smith OAM.
Fred was the first Australian diplomat to be sent to work alongside Australian, US and Dutch soldiers in Afghanistan's province of Uruzgan in 2009, and was among the last to leave, four years later.
Throughout his time in the province, he would create songs and perform them for the soldiers, with some lending a hand alongside him on stage.
Fred Smith, from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, plays guitars and sings for a crowd of Afghanistan evacuees at a temporary camp in Australia's main operating base in the Middle East.
Photo by
LACW Jacqueline Forrester
The Sparrows of Kabul was inspired by Fred’s return to Afghanistan in 2020, working at Kabul International Airport to help evacuate passport and visa holders when Kabul fell under Taliban control.
One year after, in an adrenaline fuelled two-week frenzy in hotel quarantine, a new incarnation of his original was created, and has toured Australia, New Zealand and Holland since 2022.
Fred said the show had been a long-term project, which he felt he was uniquely placed to tell.
“The songs are very story driven, each of them has a perspective on Australia’s mission in Afghanistan,” he said.
“Given soldiers don’t usually speak of their encounters, and the project was to the determinant of my superannuation balance, it has been a long-term passion project of mine.”
Smith was awarded an Order of Australia Medal at this year’s Kings Birthday Honours, which he will collect in September.
Lyrics from the song, Sapper’s Lullaby, are engraved in marble at the Australian plot at the centuries old British War Cemetery in Kabul.
The Sparrows of Kabul was inspired by Fred’s return to Afghanistan in 2020, working at Kabul International Airport to help evacuate passport and visa holders when Kabul fell under Taliban control.
Fred also had his experience featured on the ABC’s television program, Australian Story in 2013.
Although the tour is drawing towards its conclusion, Fred said its message remained important.
“26,000 young Australians served in Afghanistan,” he said.
“This show is important for Australians to understand their experiences.
“It’s important that those who served don't walk around as strangers to Australians, like the Vietnam veterans did.”
Fred has remained an avid guitarist since the age of nine and said a trip to the Philippines at age 11, inspired him further.
“I learnt a lot about the Spanish guitar in the Philippines, which was a major influence on how I play the instrument,” he said.
Simultaneous percussionist and pianist Carl Pannuzzo and double bass guitarist Liz Frenchan will accompany Fred on stage at the Rutherglen performance.
aRTs Rutherglen president Beth Rankine said the event was a fantastic opportunity to have someone of Fred’s calibre, visit and perform in the region.
Tickets for the performance are on sale and can be purchased at https://events.humanitix.com/sparrows-of-kabul-with-fred-smith/tickets.
See the show
When: Saturday, August 23
Where: Rutherglen Senior Citizen Hall, 12 Douglas Street, Rutherglen
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