30.12.07
Planning for the 2009 event is well underway with the entire committee from this year's event re-elected at the Annual meeting in November. Currently the committee are looking to engage a guest performer/performers prior to funding applications. The event is planned for March 2009 with a firm date to be confirmed in the new year. The website will be shortly expanded to include a Photo Gallery of the 2007 event. Stay tuned for further updates as the year progresses.
15.11.07 -Annual Meeting
CHAIRMAN'S REPORT - WAIKERIE EVENTS 21 INC - 2007
Firstly, I would like to express my delight at the success of Music on the Murray, River Murray Art Prize and Exhibition and Sunday Fun Day and commend the committee for their hard work and enthusiasm. With rain forecast several days before the event, the Committee pulled together to change the entire infrastructure of the event just a few days before the performance. Music on the Murray featured guest performers Pot-Pourri, combining their unique talents with Artistic Director Timothy Sexton and the Adelaide Art Orchestra, Adelaide Philharmonia Chorus together with the combined Riverland Choirs, to bring together a spectacular musical program. Australia's leading music theatre ensemble Pot-Pourri presented a unique and innovative blend of opera, classical music, musical theatre, cabaret and comedy. Local artists Desiree Frahn , Darin Trandafil, Alexa Knight-Betts, Marie Williams also performed, highlighting the tremendous talent right on our doorstep.
The Sunday Fun Day provided an opportunity for families to sample the River Murray culture and produce, while enjoying performances by The Ticklish Allsorts, local band Tossed Salad and local dance groups Tinkerbelle and Waikerie Calisthenics Group. The Warbles Show was also staged on the Sunday providing an entertaining, interactive and fun show that children and parents thoroughly enjoyed.
I must especially thank the Waikerie Hotel Motel who again supported the event as major sponsors. I must also acknowledge and thank the following for their financial support of the event:
-
Arts SA
-
Festivals Australia
-
South Australian Tourism Commission
-
Riverland Water
-
Boar's Rock
-
District Council of Loxton Waikerie
-
WIN Television
-
Crusta Fruit Juices Pty Ltd
-
Many other local businesses who supported the event
"The Culture of the River Murray" - River Murray Art Prize and Exhibition commenced on Friday 20th April 2007 with an opening night cocktail function. The Art Prize and Exhibition attracted over 80 entries in 2D and 3D categories with a total prize pool of $7000 and the engagement of a professional curator, Susan Jenkins (whom I highly commend for her professionalism) and an expert panel of judges. The result was a first class exhibition that ensures to be a regular event on South Australia's visual arts map. The exhibition attendance increased from the 2005 Art Show attracting in excess of 800 visitors over the week from across the state.
Thanks to the following sponsors of the event:
-
Country Arts SA
-
South Australian Murray Darling Basin NRM Board
-
South Australian Tourism Commission
-
Waikerie Hotel Motel
-
District Council of Loxton Waikerie
-
AC Kleemann & Sons
-
McCoy Menswear
-
Noble Chartered Accountants
-
The Mitolo Group
The number of volunteers from this community who assisted to make these events a success is humbling and there are too many mention each of them individually. I would like to sincerely thank them all for their invaluable contribution. I would especially like to thank the following people who donated significant amounts of time to ensure the success of the events:
It is with optimism and enthusiasm that I look forward to growing the event even further in 2009 and encourage that more of the community become directly involved in this highly rewarding experience.
Stephen Noble -Chairman
8.11.07 Annual Meeting
Events 21, the management committee of the Music on the Murray Festival, have announced their annual Meeting this week to be held at the Waikerie Hotel, Oscars Lounge on Thursday 15th of November from 7.30pm with and open invitation to the community to attend.The future of the event looking in good hands as the entire committee from this year's event keen to stay on for the 2009 event. Chairman of the committee Mr. Stephen Noble encourages all interested persons in the community to come along to the annual meeting and take the opportunity to examine the success of this year's event and hear a little about the plans for the future. The current committee is keen to see some new injection of personnel and will be making further positions available on the general committee for anyone who is keen to contribute to this world class event. In times of rural financial hardship, the tourism dollar is critical for small communities to survive and the success of such events in our town and region brings incredible benefits to the area.
The Music on the Murray Festival included a very successful Art Show which this year provided artists from around the Riverland and South Australia an opportunity to display and sell their works from an extremely professional exhibition. The committee is encouraging interested persons from the Arts community to join them, particularly on a subcommittee, to forge greater success for this event. The committee this year faced some huge challenges to see the event through, battling extreme weather conditions which threatened to derail the program. The huge marquee on the oval proved a popular alternative and the committee now is looking for guidance from the community as to such arrangements for 2009.
The committee is keen for Waikerie to embrace the successes of the previous events and provide a solid platform for the event to grow and continue its success. This won't happen without community input and enthusiasm. Don't just be proud of this event being right here on our doorstep, get involved and be a part of its future.
The committee of Music on the Murray have made some pretty tough decisions over the past two days to see that the event goes ahead despite the weather forecast. .
The event will no longer go ahead on the water, as the forecast direct from the Weather Bureau advised us of strong winds and rain , particularly in our set up period.
We have secured a large marquee for the two days of the event which will now be staged on the Waikerie Football oval adjacent to the riverfront .
Parking will now be in the old caravan park and the only entrance gate on Saturday night will be from that car park behind the players change room. Tickets will be available at the gate until 7pm sharp.
The marquee will house all of our expected patrons with room for approximately 400 extras should they now decide to come due to the event being indoors.
We still have a fully professional stage set up inside the marquee including big screen projection.
We look forward to a successful event and further encourage all to attend.
The Sunday Family Fun Day will go ahead as planned also on the Oval under the marquee. All tickets at the gate.