This Thursday sees the 45th time that local and regional talent in Dance; Vocal; Instrumental; Speech and Drama will be showcased in a multi-week extravaganza. The annual Dubbo Eisteddfod starts tomorrow and will continue on for 24 days. The City of Dubbo Eisteddfod Society makes full use of all areas of the Dubbo Regional Theatre and Convention Centre with performances in both the Joyce Schneider Auditorium and the Macquarie Auditorium – often at the same time. I encourage you to have a look at some of the wonderful talent we have in our region. My thanks go to the hard-working volunteers who make this possible each and every year and who create a fantastic annual event for Dubbo on a shoestring budget.
Way back in 1986 I started studying Science at the University of Sydney and I heard about a hands-on science exhibition that had been opened in Canberra in 1980 in an unused space at the Ainslie Public School. I thought the concept sounded fantastic and wanted to be involved in some way. I contacted the founder of the exhibition, Australian National University (ANU) Professor Mike Gore, and asked if I could work at the exhibition in my holidays. He explained that they only used local Canberra students as exhibitors and they were mostly volunteers. I didn’t want to give up that easily and my persistence paid off in that I was the first person from outside of the ACT engaged as an exhibitor at the interactive science centre (and paid a VERY modest honorarium). That small interactive science centre that I worked at was called Questacon and not only do they now have a dedicated building in Canberra (a joint Australia-Japan Bicentennial Project) but the Shell Questacon Science Circus is recognised as the most extensive and longest running touring science outreach program in the world. A total of 27 million people have engaged with Questacon via the centre in Canberra and via travelling exhibitions and outreach programs. Dubbo residents have a chance to experience the awe of science this Saturday when the Science Circus will be at Ray Clarke Pavilion at the Showground from 10am to 3pm. If you want to see me relive my youth, the organisers are going to let me be part of a show at 10.30am where my hands will be set on fire.
Tune into the Perrett Report tonight on Sky Business News where I will be speaking with Janine about all things Dubbo and then I look forward to seeing many Dubbo people in Bathurst this Sunday at Round three of the Evocities MTB Series. Unfortunately this time I will be a spectator not a competitor. Look at “Evocities MTB Series” on Facebook for the latest updates and photos of the event.
Councillor Mathew Dickerson
Mayor of the City of Dubbo