Creswick’s own local choir, the Creswick Chorus, is preparing to be part of a special massed choir concert bringing songs of the Torres Strait Islands to Ballarat’s Goods Shed Terminus Theatre – and to the state’s Melbourne Recital Centre.

The upcoming Ballarat concert on Sunday December 1 will follow a similar Boite Voices: Maiem – Songs of the Torres Strait Islands massed choir performance the previous evening at 7pm in the state’s Melbourne Recital Centre.

ALWAYS LIVE and The Boîte, in collaboration with Artistic Director Deb Lowah Clark, Cultural Director Luke Captain, and Choir Director Stella Savy (pictured above at front row far right) are joining forces to present the very special massed choir concerts at both venues.

Boite Voices is a massed choir project involving hundreds of singers from all over Victoria who will come together under the Artistic Direction of proud Meriam artist and educator Deb Lowah Clark and Cultural Direction of Luke Captain to perform traditional and original songs of the Torres Strait Islands.

ALWAYS LIVE is a state-wide celebration of contemporary live music supported by the Victorian government through Visit Victoria and Creative Victoria.

The massed choirs concert will feature songs in English, Meriam Mir and Kala Lagaw Ya, and is a rare chance to experience the culture and stories of the traditional peoples of Zenadth Kes, the Torres Strait Islands.

The culture-rich Ballarat event happens Sunday 1 December from 2:30pm-3:45pm with tickets to be part of the Ballarat audience through trybooking online. Tickets to the Melbourne concert are available through the Melbourne Recital Centre website.

Words: Eve Lamb

Early bird ticket sales have opened for this year’s BestWool/BestLamb and BetterBeef conferences to be held on June 19-20 in Ballarat, at The Goods Shed.

Agriculture Victoria Senior Specialist, Lyndon Kubeil said this was the first time since 2019 that the two conferences would be held together and in the new location of Ballarat.

“We are holding everything under the one roof this year – the sheep and the beef industry conferences, the dinner and the trade displays will all be at The Goods Shed, an exciting new venue near Ballarat Railway Station,” said Mr Kubeil.

The event will start on Wednesday 19 June at 9 am with registrations for the BestWool/BestLamb conference, followed by a combined dinner for the beef and sheep industries at 6 pm that night.

The BetterBeef conference will be held the following day on Thursday 20 June.

The program will include keynote addresses and concurrent sessions, giving participants the ability to tailor their time to suit their needs and interests.

Mr Kubeil said there will be an excellent line up of presenters, including agribusiness professionals John Francis from Agrista and Cam Nicholson from Nicon Rural Services, who are presenting on both days and are sure to draw a crowd.

The ‘John Francis’ session ‘Thriving under pressure – are you ready for the next challenge?’ will help producers make more informed decisions when faced with obstacles impacting their farm business.

‘Cam Nicholson’s presentation on “Grazing Management – balancing the compromise” will show us how to make better decisions and find the right strategic balance between the plant and the animal in a grazing enterprise.

Ticket sales will be capped this year to accommodate the size of the new venue.

“We encourage people to book early and be rewarded with early bird discounts on tickets, with a 1-day conference ticket only $80 and a full package two-day conference and dinner ticket for $200.”

Early bird tickets close on Friday 31 with more information available from Lyndon Kubeil on 0418 532 085 or by visiting the Agriculture Victoria events page online to learn more.