Mt Kembla Mining & Heritage Festival 2005
Posted Friday, September 2, 2005
The small Village of Mt Kembla on the South Coast of NSW held its 4th Annual Festival on the 30-31 July 2005. Steeped in Mining Traditions the festival theme this year was The Past we Inherit-The Future we Build. The main focus of the event was the commemoration of the Mining Disaster of 1902 that claimed 96 lives.
To that end, period dress became the norm as the quaint little village re-invented itself to its former days. Scruffy miners strolled the streets, urchins scrambling around their feet. Colourful banners and streamers led the visitor up the tree lined main street past a colourful array ofcmarket & food vending, craft & art stalls.
Coal Shovelling & Roof Bolting competitions were held to raucous applause. Craftsmen toiled at the forge or timbers. Guided Bush Walking tours relived the town’s history & Music at the Mountain highlighted the talent of South Coast & NSW folk musicians & poets over two days and three stages.
MCs Clair Cave & Graeme Johnson, “The Rhymer from Ryde”, introduced the crowds to artists of the like of Kevin Baker, Southbound Train, Madd Marianne, Medicine Wheel, Pettibone, Lobel & the Lads, Keiran & James, The Wongawilli Dancers, Martin Doherty & the South Coast Country Music Association Allstars.
Ruby's Restaurant "Packed out"
The popular Poet’s Breakfast at Ruby’s Restaurant attracted capacity crowds with a healthy influx of local talent both young & old entertaining the crowds with a high volume of local content in their verse.
Juniors Callum & Blair McVicar were joined by Chey, Alexandria, Emily, Thomas, Keiran, Madison, Talia & Taylor represented local schools at the show.
Adults Leon Lefley, Sil Vanderveldon, Zondrea King, Trevor Taylor, Barbara Street. Phillip Donaldson, Marilyn Hawkes, “Big Jim” Chapman, Tom Taylor, Norm Whitby, Gregory North, Denise Meredith, Tom Pickard & Viv Sawyer vied for the various prizes on offer.
MT Kembla Mining & Heritage Festival Competition Results
Here’s a list of the categories and the winners.
- Champion Poet: Greg North
- Best Original Poem: Jim Chapman
- Modern Poem: Treva Taylor
- Best Traditional Poem: (over 50 years old) Tom Taylor
- Best Mining Poem: Len Lefley
- Best Female Performer: Viv Sawyer
- Encouragement Award: Norm Whitton
- Best Secondary Student: Blair McVicar
- Best Primary age poet: Alexandra Skedalis/Thalia Boys
- Best Poem about Mt Kembla or the Illawarra: Zondrai King
