Arts

A magpie with a broken leg is featured on a new mural at Old Bonalbo School. The magpie scores food all around the village. “Everyone thinks the magpie is their magpie,” a resident said.

Lillian Colless had her dream come true when a monument to the fishermen of Evans Head was unveiled ... as part of a Fishermen’s Reunion weekend. The monument honours the fishing industry – in the 1950s there were 70 trawlers fishing out of Evans Head.

Robin Letts. It was 1948, the year after I had left the Royal Australian Naval College at HMAS “Cerberus”, to take up a position with the family newspaper, “The Donald Times” ... During an informal chat prior to the running of the 1948 Melbourne Cup, Howard had told me of a small wager he had made on a horse called Rimfire, to be ridden by Birchip jockey, Ray Neville.

A New South Wales musician has expressed his love for Warumungu country in a recently released song titled Threeways ... "We had travelled over 170,000 kilometres and performed more than 270 shows, and we had come to a fork in the road. We were nearly broke, busted and there was nothing for miles": Kevin Sullivan.

Blake Lee. In just 15 days’ time, Birchip’s main street will become a vibrant, action packed site for locals and tourists alike as the community comes together to host the Mali Heart Street Art Festival. The March long weekend is set to be an eventful one for Birchip, with travellers from all across the state choosing to spend their weekend in the area to enjoy the hospitality and activities on offer with the locals.

Fine art lovers rejoice - the Cascade Art Gallery re-opens next week ... The fine art gallery’s opening will be a boost for the town of Maldon, which has been feeling the pinch with the temporary closure of the Kangaroo hotel, the loss of a restaurant and the impending closure of Le Sel.

An exciting new radio play is about to hit the airwaves. ‘Trouble At Towong’ has been written by Carol Lowden and centres on the alleged appearance of Squizzy Taylor at the Towong Cup meeting of 1927. Carol is a Mansfield writer with ties to the Upper Murray and a particular interest in the Towong races.

Serena Kirby. The coming performances of ‘When Birds Take Flight’ will take audiences on a poetic and musical journey that symbolises the migratory path of birds between Denmark and Siberia. The musical collaboration for voice and instruments has been created by composer/lyricist Louise McKenna and poet and spoken word performer, Jen Fraser, and takes the form of a story-song cycle.

Patricia Gill. Denmark Arts founder Andre Steyl, who died at 78 two weeks short of his 79 birthday, had estimated that he had clocked up ‘roughly’ 40 years involvement in community arts. The South African-born and raised life member and a ‘legend’ of Denmark Arts suffered and survived poliomyelitis in his adolescence, and was left with partial paralysis.

Well known and loved throughout the Clarence Valley for his deadly digeridoo skills and cultural performances, proud Bundjalung youth Lennox Monaghan is set to make his on screen debut in the upcoming Stan original feature film Windcatcher ... Lennox plays Percy Boy, a young Aboriginal child living in a small country town...

Hitting the Queensland roads in February and March, audiences in Gympie, Townsville, Cairns, Rockhampton, and Bundaberg are destined to be uplifted and enthralled by six stories of strength and resilience in the one original and heart-warming theatre production of GRIT. Developed in 2022 after Gympie’s devastating floods ...

Greg Davis likes to photograph buildings. Somehow, he captures the essence of a building in his pictures showing the character and history of a town through bricks and mortar ... That trip included Warwick, Stanthorpe – and Kyogle.

If you’re interested in the history of the goldfields, here’s an event not to be missed: the launch of historian Marjorie Theobald’s latest book The Goldfields Re-Imagined: Militant Miners, Miscreants and Poor Mary Anne ... Speaking to the [Tarrangower] Times about her book, Marjorie said that the most interesting period of Castlemaine’s history was the early goldfields days.

I don’t really consider myself a horsey-person so I wasn't sure what to expect from the cover of Second Chance by Diana Thurgood. It turns out this heart-warming true story is actually a ripper read.  Second Chance is Diana Thurgood's first book and it’s a story the author justifiably felt compelled to write about one of her long-time friends, Tiffany Williams.

Lillardia Briggs-Houston, a Wiradjuri, Gangulu and Yorta Yorta multidisciplinary artist and fashion designer based in Narrandera, has won a 12-month mentorship with Country Road fashion label. Lillardia says her practice is more than a business, it’s a culmination of cultural identity, expression and cultural heritage with fashion and art as the by-product.

Jex Lopez is mostly known as a singer songwriting pianist. A vaudevillian cabaret noir artist, her music and style is intrinsically tied to her identity as a queer Latina Meztiça with Portuguese Indian heritage.

Richmond Landcare is delighted to unveil the talented winners of the River of Reconciliation Art Award, a milestone initiative aimed at fostering reconciliation through the power of art ... The main prize was awarded to Tywana Caldwell for her captivating artwork titled "Baluun – River."

A lone performer. An unseen script. A show without borders. Join Australian comedian, and Helpmann award-winning actor, Darren Gilshenan as he boldly steps onto the stage, opens an envelope, and reads a script for the very first time, in front of a full house. White Rabbit, Red Rabbit is a groundbreaking play from Iranian writer Nassim Soleimanpour.

The Charlton Neighbourhood House was proud to represent all the community involved with the Nyernila Art Trail project at the recent Victorian Community History Awards held in Melbourne at the Arts Centre. Presented by Public Record Office Victoria in partnership with the Royal Historical Society of Victoria...

Patricia Gill. The Big 30 Whizzbangaversary Exhibitionist Brave New Works operated on half the budget of BNW29 but exceeded all expectations with 45 works in the festival. Most of these were from Denmark artists but there was the occasional international artist and others from elsewhere in WA adding their talent to the three days of fun...

Vicky Wilson. The final stage of Denmark Baroque’s Fairy Queen project was completed in January, culminating three years’ work to complete an ambitious program. Started in 2021 and stalled by Covid restrictions in 2022, the project focused on community capacity building of the performing arts in the Great Southern.

Will Hunter. Wallaroo has a new mural in its main street ... The work is a reproduction of the piece, Wallaroo 1951, created by internationally recognised artist Jeffrey Smart, and depicts some of the town’s iconic heritage buildings and identities.