Arts

Through the recounting of various court cases Jamelle provides an insight into the country court system and that of the local reporters who cover the cases. Jamelle spoke to numerous country journalists who acknowledged the difficulty in writing about local people who’ve appeared in court and the retribution they sometimes faced when names and details are published in their local paper.

TAFE NSW Moss Vale is empowering a career musician and Abba tribute band bass player to call the tune on the next chapter in his career: as a farmer. Simon Tonks, 64, has enjoyed a long and illustrious music career, including stints as house engineer/producer at recording giant Sony Music, making records, mixing live shows, and writing television music.

Joanna Tucker. Yorke Peninsula’s premier national park will be hosting an open day for the Narungga community and other visitors to learn about co-management as part of Reconciliation Week. The Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park co-management board is hosting the event ... Narungga Nation Aboriginal Corporation director Jay Milera ... has been practising art for more than 15 years ...

Susannah Begbie grew up in Eden Monaro, practises as a rural doctor, and has written a prize-winning debut novel, The Deed, set in the Riverina. Australian Rural & Regional News contributor, Aedeen Cremin, strongly recommends The Deed, which she concludes is "ultimately a morality tale - a highly enjoyable one" and was able to quiz Susannah about her work, her characters and some plot choices.

A black comedy that becomes a feel-good novel? Hard to believe, but this book manages it and does so with style and charm. At first sight the characters are cartoonish ... Why would we want to read about them? Well, it’s worth doing because the first quick sketch is filled out with a sure hand, adding relief, light and shade and very soon the reader can identify with at least some of the characters. It’s still a cartoon, but now a cartoon for a lovely tapestry set in a fertile landscape.

From little things big things grow and when Mark Hewson made a stained glass window for his new home in Torbay back in the early 1980s he was unaware that it would mark the beginning of a career that would span more than 40 years.  Mark, and his equally-talented wife, Paris Johansen, have now designed, sculptured, moulded and soldered literally thousands of glass artworks.

It's the time of year when many people start wearing beanies. The Alice Springs Beanie Festival is almost here, and we recently had a visiting tutor, Tanya Hattingh, conduct workshops at various venues to help create entries for the festival.

Greater Shepparton City Council, through its destination brand Shepparton & Goulburn Valley, is excited to announce a new addition to the Moooving Art herd.

The 2024 Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour is a celebration of the mountain and adventure sport world.  Sharing over 2 1/2 hours of the most exhilarating short films from  explorers, runners, mountain bikers, skiers, paddlers and climbers  from around the globe.

Filmmaker Jordan Edmeades has an ambitious plan to create a Kyogle Film Academy with weekly workshops held at the Kyogle Cinema.  “I’m in discussions with Richard and Cheryl Harris from Kyogle Cinema to hire out Cinema 3 (the Cinematography Museum theatre) as the teaching studio,” Jordan said.

Peko Park was lively as Mudburra musician Ray Dimaakarri Dixon and Jingili musician Stuart Joel Nugget, along with other musicians, performed at the Tennant Creek stop of the Water of Life Tour ... In addition to the music, there were discussions about the effects of fracking in the Barkly region and how the community can collaborate to prevent it.

Artist Uncle 'Deadly' Arthur has been transforming Wyreema State School, last Wednesday completing various pieces of Indigenous artifacts around the school environment.

Serena Kirby. Denmark's newest painting group is encouraging artists to step outside and embrace the great outdoors. Taking its name from the French word for ‘out-of-doors’ the ‘plein air’ painters group is the brainchild of Kat Lamb who started the group two months ago.

Denmark's singing soul comprises folk, barbershop, gospel, world music, sea shanties, early music, new music and Baroque. There are many local choirs to perform at the Denmark Festival of Voice ... The Festival of Voice from May 31 to June 3 provides an introduction to community singing at its best.

What's happening rather soon is the gallery’s bi-annual Clay Works Exhibition; expect to find all things clay related ... If you are walking past the G check out Max the Crocodile in the window, I think perhaps Sir Max may be more appropriate.

Casterton local and Year 10 student at The Hamilton and Alexandra College, Sarah Crowle, is heading to New York City to perform under the bright lights of Broadway. Sarah auditioned at the Victorian Dance Festival, held in Melbourne during April, and received an invitation to attend the New York City Musical Theatre Summer Intensive program.

Improvements at the Kyogle Memorial Institute were finished just in time for the latest production by Village Hall Players. 37 Postcards  still has performances this week...

You’re invited to the launch of Miffy & Mack in Maldon - a book of cartoons for children of all ages by local resident Anita Sinclair.  With the support of Maldon’s Athenaeum Library,  Miffy and Mack will make their appearance at the Maldon Community Centre on Saturday 18 May, from 2pm to 4pm.

Country music fans came from as far north as Childers and Maryborough, Kyogle in the south, and all points in between as Nobby School of the Arts became the venue for another Country Music Walk Up festival over three days last weekend ... Thirty six artists were programmed to perform on Friday in front of a near capacity hall as big hats, coloured hair and cowboy boots became normal attire.

Kurrajong Performance Group enjoyed a successful premiere of their play ‘When Juliet Met Johnny’ over the weekend. They had their opening show on Friday and a huge closing show on Sunday, with over 750 people filling the CRC Theatre at Narrandera across the two days.

Mark Poynter, a fellow of the Institute of Foresters of Australia (now Forestry Australia) reviews The Forest Wars. The author, Professor David Lindenmayer, responds ... "The Forest Wars  purports to portray the ‘ugly truth’ about what happens in wood production forests": Poynter ... "As I point out in the book there are some key problems with the industry": Lindenmayer.