Festival to bring towns together

AN UPCOMING music festival will offer support and educational advice about bushfire resilience through music.

Producer Eleanor Rigden said the Festival of Small Halls Resilience Tour was a regional festival that used the power of music to bring people together to discuss recovery from natural disasters.

“Festival of Small Halls celebrates the best in communities – the courage, the hospitality, the sense of kinship and looking out for your mates,” she said.

“We’ve seen so many communities use Festival of Small Halls shows to bring folks together, celebrate their resilience and treat each other to a good night out at the local hall.”

Ms Rigden said the inspiration came from the Glen Aplin community, which created a show last year to engage the community and prepare for bushfire season.

“Spookily, the preparation came in handy, as just a few days later, the bushfire returned to the Southern Downs,” she said.

“After hearing members of the community had picked up survival strategies at the show – while still floating out of a wonderful show feeling like magic – we knew we could use this model to further support communities.”

As part of the show, the audience will have the opportunity to get to know their local rural fire brigade team and hear about how to get ready for the next bushfire season, while also listening to performances by two folk and contemporary acoustic artists.

The show will visit 10 Southern Downs communities, including Glen Aplin, Eukey, Wallangarra, Dalveen, Cunningham, Leyburn, Allora, Freestone, Karara and Mount Colliery, beginning on September 1.