Arts & Culture

If you thought poetry was a dying art, think again because a university academic from Wagga Wagga has just picked up a $15,000 prize for his work. Dr Lachlan Brown, a senior lecturer in English at Charles Sturt University’s School of Social Work and Arts, was recently announced the winner of the 40th annual Newcastle Poetry Prize. His poem, Any Saturday, 2021:...

The first tickets for performances at the new $18.95 million Goulburn Performing Arts Centre will go on sale at 3 pm today (Tuesday, 23 November). After almost five years of planning and construction – compounded by the effects of COVID-19 – the performing arts centre is preparing for its official opening and season launch in March 2022. “We are right at the...

Wagga Wagga is the first stop on a national tour for the Australian War Memorial's (AWM) Ink in the Lines exhibition, which examines the tales told by military tattoos. The Director of the AWM, Matt Anderson, will be in the city at 11 am on Saturday 20 November to officially launch Ink in the Lines, which is the centrepiece of three...

It was the status symbol back in the early 1900s - the Waratah bedroom suite, carved in the arts and crafts design by Robert Prenzel and only available in the equally fancy department store of the day - Farmer and Co. Advertised for the princely sum of 350 pounds, the suite was made from the finest Tasmanian fiddleback blackwood. Such was...

Collaborating artist Patrick Russell describes Goulburn's Lieder Theatre artistic director Chrisjohn Hancock as a true Renaissance man. Reserved for the best artists, inventors and scientists, the title’s original holder was polymath Leonardo da Vinci. Chrisjohn is today’s version, a genius with deep compassion and commitment to community building, as evidenced by his life and work. “I have known him for...

It was a quiet Sunday night in front of the television for some of Cootamundra’s residents when – to their unexpected delight – a name from days past broadcast into their living rooms. Howse – huh? – that rings a bell. Yeah, she's Ken Smillie's daughter. He was the shire's district engineer for many years. She married Andrew Howse, the...

With winter releasing its icy grip on 2021, you might imagine the snow resorts would be falling quiet for a few months. Not so. The party is about to get started in Thredbo as three days of non-stop live music comes to town in January next year. The soulful tunes of blues will fill the air at Thredbo Village as...

The new $18.95 million Goulburn Performing Arts Centre (GPAC) is nearing completion, with its grand opening expected in early 2022. Built on the site of the old Goulburn Town Hall, the centre will be a state-of-the-art theatre able to seat 400 patrons. Beginning in late 2019, construction has been highly complex due to the narrow boundaries of the site and...

Eurobodalla will be home to two new sculptures made by renowned Blue Mountains-based sculptor Terrance Plowright OAM. Terrance Plowright has more than 35 years of experience in the industry and believes his works reveal the innate intelligence of all life and the profoundly powerful nature of existence. Director of Community, Arts and Recreation at Eurobodalla Shire Council, Kathy Arthur said...

Live performances will be making a comeback to the Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre stage from early November, with a number of popular local acts ushering in the change. Under the NSW Government’s Recovery NSW Roadmap, the theatre is operating at 75 per cent capacity. Theatre manager Carissa Campbell said she's thrilled to be welcoming back both performers and patrons and...

UPDATED 2 November: Due to the strong interest in the NSW Blue Plaques Program, communities across the state will have an additional two weeks to nominate heritage places linked to notable personalities and events for recognition. The deadline for Blue Plaque nominations from MPs and MLCs has been extended to 14 November, giving communities additional time to make suggestions to their local...

The machinery shed is a sacred place for many people on the farm. It's the place where you might hear some swearing, but more than likely it's the place where knowledge is passed down from father and mother to son and daughter. It's usually the heartbeat of a farm, where all the parts that make things happen live, and mostly...

I wrote a romance novel once. OK, I wrote away to the company that publishes romance novels to get their guide on how to write one. The fact they actually produce a writing guide should have warned me off, but no, I was already so in love with my potential hero, I was blind to everything else. I thought I...

It's been 17 long years since Touie and Denise Smith purchased the Liberty Theatre in Yass. Originally wanting to restore the theatre, in 2014, after consistent issues in the development process, the couple determined they would instead try to sell the theatre back to the community. Seven years later and they are still looking for a community-minded buyer and they...

Moruya's spectacular Riverlights Festival will return in 2022, with the event to coincide with the 90th anniversary of the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge on 19 March. With a harbour bridge theme, spectators will see illuminated models of the iconic landmark floating down the Moruya River, bringing much-needed joy to local families, as well as attracting visitors to the...

While COVID-19 has forced the closure of shows and festivals in many of our cities, it has put the village of Gunning on the virtual map. Last year was to be the first for the Gunning Arts Festival, a coming together of all that was culturally good in the small rural community about 30 km from Gundaroo and a bit further...