Bob’s Blog
Hello Everyone
Well it’s that time of year again with the River of Art Festival in full swing. It’s wonderful to see such diverse displays of visual and performing arts as a part of the Festival.
As all members of the Club are aware, this Saturday’s Busking Competition in Narooma is a significant part of the River of Art program; it’s the last major event in the 2018 River of Art Festival. We have heaps of buskers and hot spots and all signs lead to an outstanding day of busking. Many thanks to everyone who has put up their hands to help. Let’s hope the weather is great and the crowds come out to support our buskers.Such an event of course would not be possible without the dedication and commitment of our Busking Competition organisers Sandra and John Doyle and their team of workers. Thank you Sandra and John for your great work; our Club thanks you for all the work you put into this great event.
Don’t forget our monthly markets follow on Sunday.
This Thursday, our guest speaker is Australian wildlife activist Fiona McCuaig. Fiona has been involved with wildlife activism for over 20 years. She has volunteered in wildlife rehabilitation in Africa, America and Sri Lanka, volunteered in several zoos around the world, and was with Sea Shepherd for 2½ years including three anti-whaling campaigns in Antarctica and the Faroe Islands. Fiona is also passionate about the necessity of healthy oceans.
Next Thursday (31 May): We host Moruya Rotary for our annual Cinders Trophy trivia competition. I understand Moruya has been practicing for the past few weeks in the forlorn hope that they will retain the trophy. I have full confidence in our Narooma team; I’m sure we will win easily.
Have a great week.
Out and About
Busking Festival round up
Our Busking Festival and Competition this Saturday promises to be sensational with 55 busker registrations from Victoria, Canberra, Sydney, and out to Cowra and Gundagai. Our hard working coordinator Sandra Doyle anticipates that Narooma will fill with wonderful music ranging from country, blues, jazz and rock, to Scottish bagpipes, as well as dancers, poets and circus acts.
Each act will play at four or five of the 35 busker hot spots around town sponsored by the adjacent businesses. Extra busker hot spots this year are at the SoART Gallery and School of Arts’ Studios, on NATA Oval and near Quarterdeck.’ A programme listing each busking act and the timetable for each hot spot (9am-3pm) is available online and in hard copy on the day from the Rotary Busking Information Stall opposite the Ice Creamery, from the Visitors’ Centre and from the yellow Rotary-vested Busker Vote sellers. Profiles of some of the registered buskers are on the website and on Facebook.
A concert from 4pm at the Golf Club will feature a variety of performers from the day, with awards to be presented after 5pm.
Busker votes explained: Not all buskers will be competing. For those that are, spectators can vote for their favourite busker for the People’s Choice prize of $1,000 by buying a special busker vote from our sellers; each vote costs $1. Back in the Festival office at Easts Van Park, our helpers will count votes for each busker to determine the winner. If the purchaser writes their name on the back of each vote, they enter a lucky draw. Each busker keeps any coin they collect.’
Narooma’s four judges, who will include Cr Lindsay Brown and Fiona Brown from Slightly Twisted Productions, will roam around listening to competitors throughout the day to judge the overall winner. Again the prize is $1,000.
Symons will operate a free bus through the day to ferry people between busking hot spots which extend from the Plaza to the Flat.’
Narooma Lions, Quota, CWA and VIEW Clubs are all pitching in as well as many other volunteers.
Four busking sites will operate on NATA Oval (behind the Visitors’ Centre). Also on NATA will be a display of about 30 classic cars from the Classic and Vintage Motor Club of Eurobodalla, the Montague Motoring Club, Verona Classics and the Groupe Auto Classiche, as well as new cars from the AMH Group of Moruya.
The Festival is hosted by our Club, partnered with River of Art, and is part of the Australian National Busking Championships (ANBC).
Renewable Energy Expo at Moruya
Moruya Rotary is looking at running the Renewable Energy Expo on a trial basis in October, possibly in St Mary’s Community Hall and adjacent carpark. While the Moruya Board is supportive, the Club’s involvement depends on people putting up their hands to form a small working party to plan and run it. Should Moruya decide to go ahead, Frank and others have offered to help with the ‘know how’.
The Moruya bulletin said, ‘overall it has the potential to be a fine project – challenging, imaginative, and of high community benefit’. Should Moruya run with it and it is successful, the proposal is for Moruya and Narooma to host it alternative years. Watch this space.
Cinders, where knowledge is power
Bring ‘all the weird, wonderful and utterly useless facts in your arsenal’, as well as like-minded friends, to our Cinders Challenge next week when we plan to wrest the trophy back from Moruya. Should be a great night and lots of fun. Please make sure you let President Bob know your numbers by Tuesday at 4pm.