Arts

A crowd of more than 300 people enjoyed Nhill’s Community Carols last Saturday evening. Perfect weather and an idyllic setting amongst the gum trees at Jaypex Park set the scene for some wonderful music and performances...

Michael Darby, Bush Poetry Champion of Australia (2023), recites the famous Australian Christmas poem, Tangmalangaloo, by John O'Brien (Msg Patrick Hartigan). Audio produced by audio engineer, Peter Kukura.

Alison Stillwell. It dominates the Kingston township skyline and is a recognised visitor experience, but the Shine On Sunday event took the Lighthouse onto the stage. Local playwright and drama teacher Amanda Stewart’s play, “Crest of the Wave”, brought the Cape Jaffa Lighthouse story alive with a very effective use of vignettes...

The Silo Art Trail (SAT) continues to evolve, and is well-regarded as Australia’s largest outdoor gallery, connecting many communities across the Wimmera Mallee ... Wycheproof’s historical Grain Elevator Board Silos (now Graincorp), officially became illuminated green in a modest yet effective unique lighting activation.

A new book about the rivers and wetlands of the Murray-Darling Basin includes information about the Upper Murray and is now on its way to thousands of primary schools across Australia. Commissioned by the Jane Goodall Institute in London and Sydney, the book was written by the Petaurus Education Group in Albury-Wodonga.

Southern Downs Poet, Marco Gliori admits that standing behind a microphone, encouraging people to smile, steering proceedings, and sharing his community's stories has become a huge part of his life. Some of the yarns he tells are inspired by local experiences, others by distant landscapes and characters he has met, whilst taking the road less travelled.

Kate Douglas School of Dance had their inaugural end-of-year showcase, and what a show it was! After only 10 months since the dance studio opened, over 100 dancers performed on stage to an audience of 500 spectators.

Former Birchip P-12 student, Naomi McKenzie (Ferrier) has won the Emerging Artist award at this year’s prestigious Queensland Regional Art Awards (QRAA). Naomi’s winning artwork titled “Where We Meet” was a silver gelatin photographic piece, hand processed on metallic paper.

For a small town, they sure can put on a big show. A new initiative has seen an award winning indie folk duo take to the stage in Leitchville for their first and only performance in northern Victoria – and there’s more to come. Saije, an indie folk duo from Bellingen in New South Wales, came to Leitchville off the back of an extensive European tour.

Make Christmas memorable and creative by spending time crafting, dining out, decorating, giving and having fun with your friends and neighbours this December at the Birchip Neighbourhood House.

After years of neglect, the glory days of Babinda’s historic nursing quarters have been returned with a new lease of life, transforming the Art Deco beauty into a popular guesthouse in the heart of nature’s playground ... In carrying on her mother’s tradition of bringing old buildings back to life, Maggie Perpetua Nelson’s daughter, Kim Marsden, undertook the considered renovation of Babinda Quarters, reimagining it into a fresh iteration oozing creativity, character, and a good dose of quirk.

A delightful new addition to Kaniva's streets is soon to capture the hearts of residents and visitors alike. Meet Gummy, a charming children's sheep brought to life by the artistic talents of Heather Wallis, Sally Hicks and Jeanette Feder.

Chris Johnston. Announcing the launch of our new membership program, everyone is invited to come along to the Newstead Arts Hub ... Newstead Arts Hub Inc is a vibrant creative space run by our community for you – locals, artists and visitors – and located in our historic train station.  

Fond memories were rekindled recently at a reunion of Denmark’s John Clark Memorial Band, which officially marked the band’s 60th anniversary ... WA’s longest running public school band has undergone a resurgence in recent years and now has 70 students from the Denmark Primary and Senior High Schools.

Well-known local artists Kerry and Malcolm Nicholson have taken out the top award at Sheffield’s International Mural Fest 2023 held this month in Tasmania. Kerry and Malcolm won the Inder Prize People’s Choice Award with their mural "The Spirit of Adventure".

Skunkworks Community. Music has always been a powerful form of expression, a means of communication that transcends boundaries, cultures, and generations.  In Australia, music education has long been an integral part of the school curriculum, nurturing young talents and fostering a lifelong appreciation for the arts.

Once again “Big Red”, Birchip’s famous Mallee Bull, adorns the cover of the annual calendar, prepared for his yearly trip to places and countries around the world, while showing off the many aspects of life in Birchip and district.  

A book written by Greg Riach takes readers on a journey through the history of football in the western and southern districts of NSW from 1920-1976, encompassing groups 9, 10, 11, 14 and 15. Much of the content has been sourced from newspaper reports and photographs of players and teams ...

GrainGrowers has announced the winners of its annual Calendar Competition which provides Australian grain growers the opportunity to showcase the beauty of farm life through photography. This year, a significant number of high-quality entries were submitted from across the country.

Plans to propel the region as a centre of artistic excellence and complement the thriving Queensland screen industry have been unveiled in a landmark report at the recent Sunshine Coast Screen Summit. The highly anticipated Screen Production on the Sunshine Coast Report has been a year in the making, and outlines the strategic direction required for the region to foster growth in the screen industry.

Picture this: a solitary heron foraging in the muted, autumnal half-light of dawn. Or an ethereal gull hovering motionless in mid air. Or a lonely stone-curlew gazing wistfully into the artificial lights of a forbidden destination. These and more are the winning entries of the sixth annual BirdLife Australia Bird Photography Awards, which have just been announced.