April 13, 2013
The spirit of the South Burnett shone brightly at the gala launch of the region’s official flood recovery festival at the Nanango Cultural Centre on Friday night.
It proved that three floods in five weeks, on top of the massive 2011 disaster, aren’t enough to keep the spirit of the South Burnett down!
About 100 local residents, musicians, artists and council representatives gathered at the black tie gala event to officially launch the delayed Spirit of the South Burnett festival.
Ironically, the festival – which remembers the 2011 floods – was to be held earlier this year but had to be postponed … by floods.
As the audience settled in their chairs, the lights were dimmed for the premiere of a documentary about the 2011 floods.
The short film, shot and edited by local videographer Dean Love, featured interviews with people affected by the 2011 floods as well as a behind-the-scenes look at the planning of the Spirit of the South Burnett Festival.
Also launched was “In The Spirit”, a book of flood anecdotes and memories written by Sandy Towell, one of the main instigators (along with the Boots’n Bulldust committee) of the Spirit of the South Burnett festival.
Sandy said she had written the book “because the whole region needed to be acknowledged for what it has been through”.
The winner of the Spirit of the South Burnett song-writing competition, Leila May Coomber, then came on stage and was presented with a prize cheque by Rob Woodall, from Stanwell. She was then called on to perform her award-winning song live.
Copies of the CD which features Leila’s song, as well as nine other tracks by local artists, are available to buy for $10.
The audience then enjoyed a sneak peek of an excerpt from local playwright Liz Schneidewin’s new play “Spirit”, which highlights the stresses that the 2011 floods put on families.
The winners of the Spirit of the South Burnett art competition, which was judged by Brisbane artist Brian Deagon, were also announced.
All the artworks were on show as well as a wall of flood photographs prepared by Kathy Julian, from Proston.
South Burnett Deputy Mayor Cr Keith Campbell officially opened the festival.
He congratulated Sandy Towell and the Boots’n Bulldust committee for organising the event.
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Spirit of the South Burnett continues from 1:00pm to 6:00pm tomorrow in George Street, Nanango, with a family fun day.
There’ll be a street carnival with non-stop live entertainment on stage as well as performances of the play and documentary at the Cultural Centre and two art exhibitions.
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Art Competition results:
Watercolour
1. “Housetops in Flood” – Daphne Browne
2. “Mysterious Place – Wooroolin Wetlands” – Margaret Arnott
Oil and Acrylics
1. “Ficks Crossing Disaster” – Hope Marie Dutton
2. “Back To Normal” – Daphne Browne
Pastel and Charcoal
1. “Up Again” – Joanne Tollefson
Any Other Media
1. “Skape” – Philip Thomas
2. “Real People, Real Places and Faith” – June McCotter
Ceramic and Sculpture
1. “Rustic 4 Seater” – Julia Shaw
2. “Resilience” – Sandy Towell
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Songwriting Competition winner:
1. Leila May Coomber – “Unexpected Changes”
The other nine songs selected for the CD are:
Tori Somers – “Spirit of the South Burnett”
Lily Love – “Rise Again”
Bob Mouat – “Floods of Friendship”
Amber Goldsmith – “Small Town Thing”
Amanda Sempf – “It’s Our Australian Spirit”
Katie Sempf – “Catching Fish In Puddles”
Dave Coomber – “Country Spirit”
Stella Cisneros – “South Burnett In Our Blood”
Luke Green – “No Way Back Home”
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- Related article: Shake Off Your Muddy Boots And Have Some Fun!
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While Nanango’s older citizens were remembering the 2011 floods and toasting the recovery efforts, across the car park, floods were the last thing on the minds of some of the town’s younger citizens.
It wasn’t a black tie event, but the regular Nanango Blue Light disco drew the usual good crowd eager to enjoy themselves.
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