BIG SKY APPROACHING

Words of Wonder – that’s the theme stringing together the seventh Big Sky Readers and Writers Festival in Geraldton this month.

As always there will be something for everyone; lovers of words, pictures, music, song, art and of course, food!

Spread across three days and nine venues in the City of Greater Geraldton, Big Sky Readers and Writers Festival – Words of Wonder, begins with sessions for youth on Friday, September 9 in the Geraldton Senior College Library, Mullewa District High School and Our Lady of Mt Carmel, Mullewa.

The official launch will take place at the Geraldton Regional Library at 5.30pm Friday, September 10, with MC William Yeoman, Books Editor and Senior Arts Writer for the West Australian. Most sessions will then be at Geraldton Universities Centre - apart from when chef and author, Emmanuel Mollois, reveals the secrets of a French kitchen on Saturday morning at Durack Institute of Technology; and a bit of Poetry in the Pub at Walkaway Tavern that evening; and the wrap up of the festival with a Literary Lunch at Bentwood Olive Grove at 1pm on Sunday.

High profile Australian identity and household name - twice voted Australia’s most admired woman - Ita Buttrose, will headline this year’s festival with the Keynote Address at Queens Park Theatre on Saturday, September 10 at 9am.

Pick up one of the pink programs in various locations in the City (you can be certain to find them at the Library) and register for the events as soon as possible. You don't want to miss out!

Inaugural Randolph Stow lecture at UWA

Dr Gabrielle Carey will speak at the inaugural annual Randolph Stow lecture:

‘Getting to Know Randolph Stow: towards a portrait of the artist as a young man’

The lecture is held on Tue 20 September at St George's College Chapel, Crawley from 5.30 - 7pm.

"Gabrielle Carey will speak about Randolph Stow from the point of view of a reader, a scholar and a writer as well as from the perspective of the daughter of a dear friend, born from several generations of family friendships spanning Geraldton to the Swan Valley. What do we really know of this famously reclusive and most enigmatic of writers? Carey has begun the task of trying to get to know Randolph Stow only after coming to terms with the possibility that her subject may have preferred to remain unknown and possibly, ultimately, unknowable."

Everyone is welcome; wine and cheese will be served after the lecture. More at:

http://www.news.uwa.edu.au/201108223838/events/inaugural-annual-randolph-stow-lecture

Geraldton Senior College researching the foreshore

Another morning with the Heritage Services full of enthusiastic young people! Simon Keemink brought his Year 10 class along to look at the way Geraldton foreshore and Marine Terrace have changed over the years. The students consulted the maps, photographs and articles featuring the foreshore.

September Oral History Morning

Join us for Robert Cornell's stories about farming and life in Binnu on Wed 21 Sept at 10am.

In August's oral history morning Harry Moorhead had the audience in stitches more than once with his memories and stories about Mullewa and his clothing business.

Harry Moorhead on Mullewa.

Second round for Merry-go-round consultation

The first of a series of three community workshops to prepare a Precinct Plan for the iconic Merry-go-round precinct on the foreshore was held on Wednesday August 17, with a small group of participants sharing their experiences and memories of the area and the values they associated with these experiences.

“The fact the Merry-go-round is a community icon shone through at the first workshop,” Andrea Selvey, the Director of Creative Communities, said. “The memories shared involved common themes of playing in the area as teenagers and using the area as a meeting place. The precinct was described as ‘neutral ground’ where people of all backgrounds could gather and participants also stressed the importance of the Moreton Bay Fig tree to the precinct,” said Ms Selvey.

After sharing their experiences in the precinct, workshop participants were then asked to look to the future and describe what experiences they wanted the precinct to offer and what values should be incorporated into its future planning.

“Participants wanted the area to remain an all hours meeting place for all ages and backgrounds,” Ms Selvey said.

“They also stressed future play equipment should incorporate the mobility of the Merry-go-round, capturing an element of adventure and unpredictability while preserving the history of the original, incorporating links to Randolph Stow and telling the story of the area.”

The next workshop will be held on Thursday, 1 September at 5.30pm and will encourage participants to take an active role in designing the precinct. A consultant landscape architect will be in attendance to guide discussion on how the area could be designed and landscaped.

The final workshop, the review workshop, on Thursday 22 September will allow the community to review a draft precinct plan or plans prepared by the landscape architect

RSVP is requested no later than two days before each workshop to geraldton@gregrowe.com
Light refreshments will be available.

Finding My Place researching family history

It was wonderful to see Heritage Services packed with young Finding My Place students learning hands-on about conducting family research earlier this month. The students familiarised themselves with the resources available in the internet and at the Library, and used the microfilm readers to find out details about their family history.



Some of the Finding My Place students using the microfilm viewers and internet resources.

Finding My Place is a WA Public Library Program that encourages learning and suggests career opportunities through motivational and informative workshops. More information about the program can be found here:

http://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=353878371749755;res=IELHSS

Geraldton Song :)

Take a fresh look:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmE1JpZx2mI