Official opening for the heating of the hall

There were a few in the Village who braved the cold and dreary conditions yesterday morning for the monthly morning tea on in the School of Arts. Whilst the morning teas are always a great chance to catch up with neighbours and community members, as well as sampling some of the excellent food on offer, yesterday's was also the official opening of the heating of the hall which was attended by Paul Stephenson the chairman of the Veolia Mulwaree Trust, Gareth Ward MP and Juliet Arkwright Mayor of the Wingecarribee shire.

The School of Arts committee members Beth Macdonald, John Symons and Gary Johnson were successful in their application last year for a grant of $10,000 from the Veolia Mulwaree Trust to complete the long anticipated central ducted heating for the hall. We have been working on fundraising for this heating the past few years through all of our various functions so we can utilise the hall in a better way through the cold months of a Burrawang winter.

From left to right: Beth Macdonald, John Symons & Gary Johnson (committee members) Juliet Arkwright (Mayor) Gareth Ward (MP) and Paul Stephenson (Chairman Veolia Mulwaree Trust)

Paul gave us all a bit of an insight to the work that the Trust does giving back generously to small communities and community groups like the School of Arts. He was not only impressed with the application that was lodged, and the timeliness in which the project was completed, but the excellent way in which the Burrawang School of Arts is run and maintained. He said it was one of the best small country halls he has seen.

Juliet spoke of her admiration for the Burrawang village and the model of the School of Arts which is run by community members and owned by community members. The way in which we "roll up our sleeves and get on with it" was something that she tells many other Southern Highland communities should model their own small halls on and was a credit to us all.

The switch was flicked and the hall heated up in no time!

Paul Stephenson and Burrawang School of Arts President Simone Joseph

The School of Arts committee would like to thank everyone for all their contributions at various fundraisers for the heating over the past few years, and of course to Veolia for their generous grant. This asset will be enjoyed by us all - long may we all enjoy a warm hall in the many cold winters to come!

If you haven't been to monthly morning tea in a while it's a good reminder to come along. It's a great chance to catch up with other members of the village whilst enjoying some old fashioned country cooking and tea and coffee! Make sure you come along next month.

Trivia Night 2013

We had our biggest night yet for the Annual Trivia Night held at the School of Arts on Saturday night with over 160 people in attendance. 20 tables sat down and got stuck into the 10 rounds of questions on offer from the quiz master Geoff Goodfellow.

There were some great impromptu performances as well as a fabulous gourmet hamper that was raffled off. It was a close call with just one point getting the winners over the line at the end!

Thanks to everyone that attended and supported this great community event - we look forward to doing it all again next year!

Upcoming Event: Trivia Night 9th February 2013

The annual School of Arts Trivia Night is fast approaching so be sure to book your tickets and tables now! It's always a great fun, filled with fun impromptu performances, great questions and prizes. You can read about last year's event here.

Quizmaster Geoff Goodfellow will be back as well as prizes for 1st & last places, best impromptu performance and best table name and of course raffle and lucky door prizes.

Saturday 9th February 2013

Burrawang School of Arts

7.00pm for a 7.30pm SHARP start

Tickets $20 per head for tables of 8

BYO drinks & nibbles (don't forget your wine glasses)

Bookings essential! Register online here or call Cath on 0405 151 651 or Simone on 0417 407 092

Village Christmas Party 2012

Last night we held the annual Christmas Party at the School of Arts for local residents to enjoy. In true Burrawang style, the mists and drizzle rolled in and the temperature dropped just in time for the start of the party.

The event is a thank you from the School of Arts committee to the village for all their continual support throughout the year at various fundraisers and events.

A delicious free dinner of local sausages and coleslaw kept everyone happy.

President of the School of Arts Simone Joseph-Kleeman welcomed guests

As did a very special performance from The Menzies family of Silent Night for everyone.

Santa made a special appearance much to the delight of all the children there. More so when they all lined up and received some lollies!

Events like these are what make our Village the special place it is - a wonderful diverse community who come together and support each other and keep traditions alive.

We would like to wish A very Merry Christmas to all residents and supporters of the Burrawang School of Arts. Thank you for all your support in 2012, we are looking forward to bringing you all another great year of events in 2013!

Southern Highlands Community Hospice Project Morning tea

On Saturday the 3rd November the Burrawang School of Arts held the monthly morning tea which this month was hosted by Guest speaker, Daphne Robertson, Project Manager for the Southern Highlands Community Hospice project. Daphne explained to attendees where the pilot shops were situated in Bowral as well as the hopes for expansion into other areas of the Highlands and Goulburn.

Daphne explained when and how the hospice will be built telling us that plans are well and truly established for building of the hospice to take place in 2013, in Bowral. This will be a community owned and operated hospice and will not be dependant upon government funding. The hospice will offer palliative care for patients near the end of life - for all ages. Covering both private health funded patients as well as those without. Donations of good quality clothing and furniture etc are welcomed to the Hospice shops in Bowral. Volunteers will always be needed to assist in the shops, for event management or for admin assistance.

Daphne answered questions put forward by the 40 odd people that attended the morning tea as well as our Mayor Julie Arkwright as well as Gareth Ward MP. Further details can be found on hospice website www.shchospice.org.au or by contacting the office on 02 4861 4050.

Lawsons Auction - Sunday 21st October 2012

It was a beautiful Spring day for the second Auction held by Lawsons this year in the School of Arts. The Hall looked beautiful filled with all the amazing pieces that were available for purchase during the 4 hour live, on site auction.

Furniture, jewelery, artwork and other precious items were all on display for people to view from Saturday and then again on Sunday morning prior to the auction beginning at midday.

Hard working committee members of the School of Arts were there working hard to provide food and drink for auction goers - always working hard to raise money for the hall when we can!

It was a successful day for both Lawsons and all the lucky buyers who managed to pick up a few bargains throughout the afternoon. We look forward to seeing another auction again in the Hall in the new year.

Duelin Piano Show - a great success!

Well what a night!

There were 110 in attendance, ages ranging from 3 to 92 – and we were all highly entertained. From the first note to the last, one encore was not enough at the end, but then maybe 100 encores wouldn’t have been enough either!

The boys hammered out the music, Hughie Scott-Murray & Michael McGlynn on the pianos and Peter Clarke on the drums, his playing only enhancing the beat to each song played. The songs ranged from Louis Armstrong to Pink, as did their voices, which were quite awe-inspiring.  An interview article in the Southern Highlands News said it best “the boys are like a human juke-box”. 

Not only could they play, but they also stirred up lots of friendly rivalry across the audience – calling for people from one side of the room to the other to out sing one another, then for the men versus the women, high and low went the tunes. 

A question asked “should they come back?” created a rousing roar of “yes” from the audience and the boys said they’d love to. So, watch out for future announcements - they'll be back next year - if you weren’t there this time, you won’t want to miss out next time!