Local Kids Discover the Joy of Their Heritage — Through Song and Story

A heartwarming new musical is helping local children fall in love with their family language, one song at a time.

Each week, twenty children gather at a Blacktown community centre (La Valette) to rehearse Journey to Treasure Island — a joyful original musical about friendship and adventure on the high seas. What makes it special isn’t just the story of pirates and lost treasure, but the language it’s told in: Maltese, the mother tongue of these children’s families.

The show is the creation of performer and educator Maria Cauchi Simpson, an original cast member of The Phantom of the Opera. Growing up, Maria never learned to speak Maltese herself — so when she set out to help young people connect with their heritage, she decided to learn right alongside them. With translation and pronunciation support from Maltese teacher Ivan Cauchi, and a beautiful performance space generously provided by La Valette Blacktown, rehearsals became something joyful: singing, dancing and storytelling that brought a language to life.

The debut performance sold out, with more than 200 people cheering the cast on. Families grew closer, new friendships blossomed, and the Maltese community across Western Sydney came together with real pride. Some children even found themselves proudly chatting and singing away in Maltese with grandparents back home over WhatsApp.

“Watching our children grow in confidence, language and culture through this wonderful production has filled us with immense pride and joy… Grazzi ħafna!”
— a proud parent

“We loved being part of this show! We made so many new friends and learned Maltese in such a fun way — ‘merhba fid-dinja maġika tagħna’ — welcome to our magical world!”
— the cast

Inspired by the response, Maria is already planning a second production.