Hello and welcome again to your Weekly Wot’s Wot in Folkus…

ed.
Page 3 item in the Sydney Morning Herald today says, "In a move clearly aimed at young women, a new kind of lo-calorie Vodka Cruiser …. is being promoted in Sydney bottle shops with the offer of free condoms and the chance to win a free pole dancing kit." says it all really doesn’t it… the Thugby League driven, Alan Jones adoring, Morris Iemma controlled, cultural centre of the universe……….

INDEX
1. This Week in Folkus
2. Next Week in Folkus
3. Parish Notices
4. The Comics
5. Sport

1.

This Week In Folkus – MORE STUNNING FOLKIE QUALITY!!!
The Folkus Room, (operates out of The Serbian Cultural Centre & Club) 5 Heard St. MAWSON ACT .. eastern side of Southlands Centre and just off Athllon Drive.. CHECK OUT OUR NEW MAPS PAGE…. www.thefolkus.org.au

Friday 23 May – The Transylvaniacs In Concert … Free range, backyard-distilled folk music direct from the villages of Transylvania to the catacombs of Mawson…….. BE THERE!

2. …….
Next Week In Folkus … THREE BIG SHOWS and they’re all BEST quality to the core …BOOK NOW!
Friday 30 May .. King Curly and The Doomsday Piano with some friends of theirs; Jordan Best
Saturday 31 May .. Sat Arvo Jazz – 2pm to 5pm … floor spots plus Judi Pearce & The Arrangement
Sunday 1 June .. The Yearlings; Doctor Stovepipe

3.
Parish Notices……..

3a. The Folkus Room is offering annual subscriptions. … WE NEED YOU!

3b. The Canberra Irish Players are near to finishing rehearsals for another hit out ….Make sure you keep a night free for the Irish Community Players latest production of Bernard Farrell’s "therapeutic" comedy, "I Do Not Like Thee, Dr Fell", which will be on at the Canberra Irish Club, 6 Parkinson St, Weston, from 2nd to 5th June at 8 pm. Tickets cost $20 for Adults and $15 for Concessions, and bookings will be available at the club in a few week’s time on 62887451. Don’t miss the play that helped launch Liam Neeson’s career…

3c. Folkus on Blues is about to get happening. If you are a bluesy performer we would like to meet with you or your representative at The Folkus Room (Serbian Club, Heard St, Mawson) at midday on Saturday 31st May. If you can’t attend, or arrange a representative, and would like to be part of the Folkus initiative, please email me to that effect and I’ll see that your act is included. It would help too if band reps could come armed with a list of available dates – your diaries ladies and gentlemen.

3d. The notice with depth & C21…. Follow The Folkus into winter. The program just keeps getting better. We are also expecting to be able to present more jazz and blues/roots stuff as aficionados of those genres become more aware of the breadth of our charter.

4. … Hello John,
An old man was on his death bed, and wanted to be buried with his money. He called his priest, his doctor and his lawyer to his bedside. "Here’s $300,000 cash to be held by each of you. I trust you to put this in my coffin when I die so I can take all my money with me." At the funeral, each man put an envelope in the coffin. Riding away in a limousine, the priest suddenly broke into tears and confessed, "I only put $200,000 into the envelope because I needed $100,000 to repair the roof of the church." "Well, since we’re confiding in each other," said the doctor, "I only put $100,000 in the envelope because we needed a new X-ray machine for the pediatrics ward at the hospital which cost $200,000." The lawyer was aghast. "I’m ashamed of both of you," he exclaimed. "I want it known that when I put my envelope in that coffin, I enclosed my personal cheque for the full $300,000."

Then wear the gold hat, if that will move her;
if you can bounce high, bounce for her too,
Till she cry "Lover, gold-hatted, high-bouncing lover,
I must have you!"                          Thomas Parke D’Invilliers .. (F Scott Fitzgerald)

Stay Well & Truly Silly Gentle Folk

Bill Arnett
The Folkus Room
Canberra’s Acoustic Preference
61-2-62627265
0407 434 469       www.thefolkus.org.au
"No Strangers Come Here – Just Friends We Have Not Yet Met"

Roman Replica Mosaic Workshop

All Welcome, suited to beginners and those with some mosaic experience

About this workshop:

Sydney based mosaic artist, Christina Macaulay, will guide participants through some of the traditional laying techniques to create a replica of a segment of a roman mosaic, 25cm square. A choice of 5 roman mosaic templates will be provided. The method we will learn is a traditional laying technique as taught by the Mosaic School in Ravenna, Italy.

The material we work with is unglazed porcelain tile which offers a similar palette to the marble used in roman mosaics of the 2nd and 3rd century. Christina will cover a range of mosaic methods, but the workshop will focus on the laying style that achieves the look of the traditional mosaics of the early Roman period. This course provides a solid foundation in design and techniques which will enable participants to continue on with more ambitious mosaic projects at home.You will also be provided with information about materials used in both traditional and contemporary mosaic works, adhesives suited to specific situations, and some basic rules about mosaic design and laying styles.We will also cover setting up a home workshop and occupational health and safety issues that relate to mosaic practice. Course notes will be provided.
 

About your Tutor:

Christina Macaulay is a Sydney mosaic artist based at the Lennox St. Studios in Newtown. Christina trained in mosaic at the Ravenna School in Italy and with Emma Biggs in London. She teaches at her Newtown Studio and the Mosman Community College and has taught residential courses at the MacGregor Summer and Winter Schools. In Spring 2008 she will teach at the Grafton Artfest. Christina has completed several commissions for private clients in Sydney and Canberra and exhibits her work locally. She is a skilled tutor who enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge and skills in this ancient art form with her students.

Where: Strathnairn Arts Centre HOLT ACT
When: Sat. 2ND & Sun. 3RD AUGUST

Cost: $275 per person (Includes tuition, all materials, grouts, adhesive, backing board and use of tools)

For enrolment details please contact Christina on
P:02 9557 9550, M: 0403 988 545 or E: [email protected]
 

www.studiomosaico.com.au

Attracting tourists from India to Victoria

By Rama Gaind

Jennifer Hutchison, as the CEO of Yarra Valley and Dandenongs Marketing, takes pride in selling the many tourism attributes of this Victorian region to the national and overseas market.
In particular, she has been investigating market strategies involved in attracting international tourists.
Speaking of the numerous ways in which this could be done, Ms Hutchison’s eagerness could not be curtailed. A goodwill mission to China and Hong Kong has proved successful, with a trip to India set to reap dividends in the very near future.
Ms Hutchison is quick to point out that tangible inroads are also being made into the Indian market by tourist offices in Sydney, Gold Coast, Port Douglas and Port Stephens.
The Yarra Valley and the Dandenongs region gets around 26% of the international visitors that come to Melbourne.
“We know that the international percentage is higher than we can measure,” she said. “Yarra Valley and the Dandenongs is as big as Switzerland. However, Dandenong is not as sophisticated as the Yarra Valley.”
About an hour’s drive out of Melbourne, venturing into this region is an experience that should not be overlooked.
Statistics show that for the year ending December 2007, there were almost 1.5 million overnight visitors to Victoria, with 325,161 visiting regional Victoria. An estimated 26,718 people visited the Yarra Valley and the Dandenongs, which represents annual average growth of 8%.
Ms Hutchison’s enthusiasm for future tourism growth cannot be contained as she elaborated on her visit to India last year as part of a tourism delegation.
She pointed out that 30 million Indians travelled outside India every year, with visitor expenditure from India being AUD$232 on trips to Australia during 2004.
Official statistics reveal that for the year ended December 2007, tourists from India to Victoria had increased by 13.8%. About 32,375 visitors of Indian origin visited Victoria – an increase of 10.8%. This trend is likely to increase with forecasts of almost 135,000 in 2016, a jump of over 16%.
Ms Hutchison recalled fond memories of her short stay in India when crucial meetings were held with tourism representatives in Mumbai, New Delhi and Jaipur.
“First stop was in Mumbai where we met with 90 travel agents and told them about Dandenong, penguins on Phillip Island and the Yarra Valley,” Ms Hutchison said.
“After a little hesitancy in grasping the geographical standing of the Dandenongs, it was referred to as Melbourne’s hill station,” she said. “I am confident that it will lead to a good yield with the honeymoon and incentive market. “
In the capital of New Delhi, it was a day of presentations with Thomas Cook and Cox and Kings, a company which celebrates 250 years in 2008.
“Then it was on to Jaipur for six days for a trade show in which 40 different Australian tour operators and 100 agents from all over Australia. I was very happy with the trade mission. There was excellent input by representatives of the trade industry, who worked sincerely and were enthusiastic about learning more.
“I’m excited about the possibilities for Australia and have high aspirations … I was amazed at the burgeoning wine industry in India, cool climate wines that are soft on the palate.”
While in India, she didn’t let the opportunity go by without visiting Udaipur with her husband. She stayed at Fateh Prakash Palace which is classified as a Grand Heritage Palace. It was a soothing break from the rigours of city life with picturesque views of Lake Pichola, Jagmandir Island Palace, Lake Palace and the Sajjangarh Fort.
Away from the hectic work schedule, Ms Hutchison got caught up with the cricketmania sweeping the country as she backed the winners when India won the 20-20 cricket and it was a “fascinating experience” to be in the crowd when India won against Pakistan.
“The crowd was happy to learn that we were Australian.“

Chimp Family Fun Day 2008

Mogo Zoo’s chimpanzee exhibit is in its final stages of completion. Our dream is almost a reality. Holly and Luis would love you to join us for this special occasion.

When: Sunday, 1st June, 2008 – 9am to 4pm

Where: Mogo Zoo, 222 Tomakin Road, Mogo, NSW

Entry: Normal admission prices apply – adults $20, children $10, families $54 (2 adults & 2 children 3-15 yrs)

The day will be fun-packed filled with activities including a jumping castle, cartoon characters handing out treats for the kids, show bags, animal dress-up parade and special keeper talks.

Holly’s 20th Birthday Party Raffle

The first 20 tickets drawn will help celebrate Holly’s 20th birthday with a private party to be held on the Chimp Family Fun Day on 1st June, 2008

Raffle tickets are $2 each and can be pre-purchased from the Zoo’s reception.

The raffle will be drawn on 1st June, 2008 

The Live in Canberra and Skilled and Business Migration Program team returned from South Africa last week with many strong leads for future skilled and business migration as a result of the Live in Canberra seminar series held in Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria.

Over 300 highly qualified South Africans attended the seminars that included presentations from several Brumbies players who promoted the opportunities in Canberra for skilled and business migrants. Live in Canberra supporter Premium Placements Director, Jandy Godfrey was also on hand to inform people of the many job opportunities in Canberra.

Several South Africans who have already chosen Canberra as their destination to live and work attended the seminars. New ACT Darters Netball coach, Bronwyn Bock-Jonathan brought her family along to the Cape Town seminar to learn more about life in our capital before their arrival in June.

The presence of the Brumbies players at the seminars sparked plenty of interest, with the players having high profiles in South Africa. Brumby and Wallaby, Guy Sherperdson was raised in Canberra and spoke very highly of Canberra as a place to live and work.

The team liaised with several South African based migration agents leading up to the visit and invited their clients to attend the seminars. As a result the team was able to speak directly to people already committed to moving to Australia who possessed the skills needed in Canberra. The association with the migration agents has proven very successful, with some committing to visit Canberra to be better able to promote the city to their clients.

New enquiries from South Africa are still being received daily with the visit accounting for a significant spike in website visits and requests for Live in Canberra information packs.

With the ACT Government committing further funding to address the skills shortage in Canberra the Live in Canberra and Skilled and Business Migration team will continue to work together to target overseas markets.
 

Media contact: Jeremy Lasek, Executive Director, Live in Canberra
Mobile: 0417 652 771