ACTIVIST COMPLETES BUSK OF ENDURANCE

A NON-BINARY musician and their “mind dog” PJ braved the rain and the cold as part of a 60-hour endurance busk intended to promote social justice.

No matter the weather, Quin Thomson busked every day last week in Hobart’s CBD for five to six hours at a time, with each session focused on a different social cause.

Quin said there was no shortage of social causes they wanted to champion, including climate change, transgender

rights and the loneliness epidemic. “My reason for being is to advocate for change. My inspiration for being here is Greta Thunberg, who sits outside for hours on end for the climate,” Quin said.

“Outdoor performances are well known to be hellish. It’s really merciless. There’s wind, I got rained on the first day.

“By the time I got inside my trolley was full of water.”

Quin is one of the buskers who received a Hobart City Council grant intended to inject some

bustle back into the city’s streetscape.

Council’s events committee chair Zelinda Sherlock said their new Busking and Street Performance Program was proving popular, and that busking permits were still available.

“The aim was to activate more parts of our city with street performance and create more stages for local talent to be showcased and enjoyed,” Dr Sherlock said.

“We also wanted to encourage a greater variety of performers.”