Janelle Saffin (Page, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I want to congratulate Ms Jyllie Jackson, the CEO and Artistic Director of LightnUp Inc., which organises Lismore's hugely successful lantern parade. On Saturday, 25 June I attended what was the 18th lantern parade, another very successful parade. Each year in June the parade coincides with the year's shortest day and longest night. I want to talk a bit about some of the history of the lantern parade. It was one of those things that was seen as a good idea by Jyllie. Like a lot of things, it started off small and has grown to be hugely successful. It involves a whole community, including the schools. Everybody gets involved. At first it was seen as being maybe a bit alternative, but it has grown to be embraced by all sections of the community. In our community now, particularly in Lismore and the Northern Rivers, the lanterns are manifested in other areas as well.

LightnUp Inc. is a not-for-profit community arts enterprise and the organising group for the lantern parade. I am reading from their website, which is www.lanternparade.com/our-story/, which says:

LightnUp runs workshops and activities throughout the year, in Lismore, the Northern Rivers and throughout regional and increasingly, metropolitan Australia. The workshops and events include lantern making, shadow theatre, illuminated puppets, masks and costume making, ritual and celebration and story development.

LightnUp also hires out the lanterns, undertakes commissions and creates special lanterns and props for weddings, parties, conferences and special events.

This was something that started as somebody's good idea, notably Jyllie Jackson. When I attended the lantern parade on Saturday night it was just wonderful to see how many children and schools were involved. It was delightful that they were happy with the lanterns that they had made and were able to march in the lantern parade. The whole community gets behind it. It started with a few hundred people in 1994. I remember that in 2006 there were over 20,000 people involved. I am not too sure how many were there on Saturday night, but it was in the tens of thousands. We always worry each year, like everyone, about the rain, but so far out of 18 parades, there have only been three wet nights and the rain did not deter anyone. (Time expired)

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