Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Treasury) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Royal South Street competitions are currently underway in Ballarat. The Royal South Street Society has been conducting this annual eisteddfod for 126 years. Royal South Street is Australia’s foremost eisteddfod for promoting, fostering and encouraging participation and interest in the performing arts. Young performers from across the country compete in Ballarat in a wide variety of performing arts. From highland pipe bands, debating, modern vocal, speech and drama, dancing and callisthenics through to the famous Herald Sun Aria Awards, young people have the opportunity to demonstrate their craft and to improve through competition.

Many of Australia’s top performers have competed at South Street over its 126-year history. On Friday evening I had the opportunity to hear the advanced stage bands compete. Bands from Xavier College, Ringwood Secondary College, Blackburn High School, Eltham High School, Christian College Geelong and Balwyn High School all went through their paces. The bands were of a terrific standard, performing complex pieces, in some instances to very complex arrangements.

The evening particularly highlighted for me the importance of music in schools and the impact of passionate and dedicated music teachers. It was a most enjoyable evening and the strength of the competition is a credit to those schools. Volunteers spend hundreds of hours organising the competitions, gaining sponsors, adjudicating the performances, organising the performers and adjudicators and arranging equipment—not to mention attending the competitions, which start in February and finish in November, night after night. The president, Brian McInnis, has done a fantastic job and should be congratulated. (Time expired)