townsville

North Australian Festival of Arts (NAFA): Wonderland Under the Stars

Wonderland Under the Stars set to dazzle at NAFA COVID Safe

Strand Park will transform into a 1950’s style open-air theatre when Wonderland Spiegeltent’s Wonderland Under the Stars opens next month as part of the North Australian Festival of Arts (NAFA) COVID Safe.

Running across two huge weeks, Wonderland Under the Stars will include performances from international acclaimed Casus Circus with their show Knee Deep and ARIA Hall of Fame recipient Russell Morris and Queensland icons Busby Marou.

Wonderland Spiegeltent director Melissa Head said she was excited to transform the Wonderland Spiegeltent experience.

“We’ve been experimenting with an outdoor live high wire act for a little while now, and with COVID-19 it has fast-forwarded ways we can present. It’s given us the perfect excuse to turn the whole show into an open-air magical experience,” Ms Head said.

“I have wanted to produce an open-air event for quite a while, as I love the atmosphere and the backdrop of stunning North Queensland sunsets.”

Ms Head said families were in for plenty of fun with the outdoor experience.

“Part of the ethos of Wonderland Spiegeltent has always been to create a magical escape for audiences through live performance. Casus Circus is mind-blowing and will have everyone, young and old, marveling at superhuman, acrobatic feats,” she said. “Also for the families, there will be outdoor movie nights and carnival favorites too – freshly spun fairy floss and hot popcorn with The Wave Swinger amusement ride and more.”

Ms. Head said she anticipated great audience turnout for Wonderland Under the Stars.

“The thirst for live entertainment by both audience members and performers is currently stronger than ever. Entertainment feeds the soul and we can connect the audience in an open-air, COVID-safe way,” she said.

Community and Cultural Development Committee chairperson, Ann-Maree Greaney, said Wonderland Under the Stars was an event that was not to be missed.

“The Wonderland Spiegeltent team does an incredible job transforming Strand Park, and I’m sure they are going to do a spectacular job of turning the space into Wonderland Under the Stars,” Cr Greaney said.

“This is just one of many events that will activate different suburbs and bring visitors into our beautiful city to enjoy more than five weeks of art and entertainment.”

 

NAFA COVID Safe is delivered by Townsville City Council and supported by the Queensland Government and Tourism & Events Queensland and runs from 18 September to 25 October.

 

Tickets for Wonderland Under the Stars are on sale now. To book your tickets, head to nafa-tsv.com.au.

Increase your suburb’s blurb appeal with Townsville Street Library project

Take a book, give a book, share a book.

 

That is the motto that will spread across our city when the Townsville Street Library project competition kicks off this week.

 

Street libraries are small, colourful outdoor boxes that can house a number of books and are easily accessible for everyone in the community.

 

Community and Cultural Development Committee chairperson, Ann-Maree Greaney, said the project involved members of the community applying to become a Street Librarian and installing one of 100 Street Libraries on offer at their property.

 

“This is a great way to get your family, neighbours or community together to decorate your Street Library, fill it with pre-loved books, and know that you are giving your community something good to read and a dose of happiness,” Cr Greaney said.

 

“To get involved, you can apply for a Street Library through the Council website. If you’re successful you’ll receive a Street Librarian Starter Pack, which will have vouchers for supplies so you can decorate the library with the help of your neighbours and get your Street Library up and running.

 

“Once they’re ready to go, people from the neighbourhood can take whichever books interest them, and when they’re done they can either return them to a Street Library or pass them on to their friends.”

 

Cr Greaney said the Townsville Street Library project was a great way to encourage small acts of kindness.

 

“You can take a book or give a book with the Townsville Street Library project. It is a very simple way of sharing what we have with neighbours and friends who will appreciate it,” she said.

 

“Now more than ever we need to form meaningful connections with the people who live around us, especially the elderly and young families.

 

“We are going through a lifechanging period in history, so it’s important to remember to reach out to the people around you. Street libraries are an easy way to start a conversation with people in your neighbourhood that you haven’t spoken with before.”

 

Applications for the Townsville Street Library project are now open and close on Sunday, 13 September.

 

To register, head to https://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/tsl

 

Last call to showcase Townsville’s hidden gems

There is just one week left for locals to submit a video of their favourite Townsville destination to go in the running to win a $500 staycation or a $100 gift card to spend at a local business.

Residents are being encouraged to make the most of the beautiful winter days (and nights) and take videos of their favourite spots across the region.

Community and Cultural Development Committee Chair Cr Ann-Maree Greaney encouraged residents to be creative and get involved.

“So far, Council has had over 80 submissions to the competition, and they showcase some unique and diverse parts of our region,” Cr Greaney said.

“The competition closes on 31 July so there is still some time for anyone wanting to participate to take a video of whatever part of the region you decide to visit before the closing date.

“I’d love to see more people showcasing how gorgeous this part of the world is in winter so that we can share that with the rest of Australia.

“We have a very passionate and creative community so I’m sure we will see some more fantastic entries before then.”

Entries will be used to create a Townsville Tourism show reel to market the unique facets of the Townsville region and attract tourist and holidaymakers into the city as we recover from the impacts of COVID-19.

For more information and to enter the competition, visit: www.townsville.qld.gov.au/shines

 

Care Army Journey Begins in Townsville

Here at YWAM Townsville, we are helping to extend the reach of Queensland’s Care Army across the state’s north by coordinating our local volunteers to provide much-needed support to seniors through the pandemic. The Minister for Communities and Minister for Disability Services and Seniors and Member for
Mundingburra Coralee O’Rourke visited us today to see first-hand the role we are playing in rolling out the Care Army in Townsville.

The Care Army was announced on April 1 by Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, as a way to look out for those most at risk from COVID-19. Mrs O’Rourke said the Care Army’s main aim was to help seniors stay home and stay safe.

“We know that people who are aged over 70, 65 years and older with a chronic health condition or over 50 if they’re of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent are particularly at risk of serious complications from this virus,” she said. “The Care Army plays a crucial role in making sure older Queenslanders have enough food, access to all their medication needs, and are able to stay socially connected while isolating in their homes.

Here at YWAM we play a key role in coordinating the Care Army in Townsville, working with local community groups to pinpoint the greatest need for volunteers. We will connect vulnerable Queenslanders to the volunteers and community groups that can deliver the requested support.

For more information, visit:  https://www.covid19.qld.gov.au/carearmy

Interview with Coralee O’Rourke Final .wav