Mission Beach Community Cassowary Festival
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        Cassowary Festival for Mission Beach -   naturally !
​Media Release  
​
13 June 2018
Picture
The Mission Beach Community loves to celebrate and they have a lot to celebrate! 
​ 
Following the success of the inaugural Mission Beach Community Cassowary Festival last year, the  Mission Beach  community is  ready to  once again to show off their creative talent . All in the name of the Cassowary or in local Djiru Traditional Owner language, the Gunduy.
 
"The cassowary is  what everybody who  comes to Mission Beach wants to see" said  Mission Beach Visitor Centre  manager Evelyn Swarbrick.  " If I had 10 cents for every person who asked  at the visitor centre where they could see a cassowary, I would be a retired millionaire by now"
 
"It's only natural for  the Mission Beach community to want to celebrate  the cassowary , after  we are known as the  Cassowary Capital and we are  the Cassowary Coast"'  said  Mission Beach Cassowaries group spokesperson Liz Gallie,  who is  a leading advocate for promoting the ' Mission Beach - naturally!"  tourism destination branding.
 
The Mission Beach State School kids  are always excited to  participate in  projects  to celebrate the beauty of their area and to help protect cassowaries. They have  formed a choir and have been rehearsing a song written theywrote called Mission Beach Naturally -  a  magic place'.  They are also  designing temporary roadside signs promoting cassowary awareness for people driving to the festival.

Vibrant Cassowary Coast creature sculptures have been  created at a series of workshops  under the tutelage of well known art and drama  teacher Jan Davies. Both the song and  sculptures  were  made possible with Cassowary Coast Regional Council RADF Grants  and will  add vibrant additions to the festival and  the Drumming of Cassowaries Parade.
A  large scale interactive  installation incorporating the cassowary will make an exciting and significant contribution to the Cassowary Festival festival.  The' Gunduy Midja' installation created by well known Mission Beach Artists, Djiru Ttraditonal Owner   Leonard Andy and textile artist Nina Dawson will be a major drawcard to  the Cassowary Festival where the  Djiiru people will be sharing their knowledge with locals and  visitors.  The Gunduy Midja has also been funded with a  RADF grant
 
There will be  environment displays,  art and  craft workshops, guest speakers and  a great line up of local musicians to entertain throughout the day.  Local musicians will include rising music star Tay Oskee who will be travelling 'home' from successful touring to perform at the festival.
"We have an extremely  creative community"  said Mel Bowman Finn who will be  the  MC at the festival. "All our entertainers  are local so it is a true Mission Beach community  event. The awareness of this great bird brings out the best  in us all" 
 
Our aim is to celebrate Mission Beach  through our points  of difference. "The festival is a fun and creative way of  doing that.  It will  be an added attraction  for visitors  and  increase nature-based tourism business opportunities and environmental awareness ". "It's  the low key development  and 'wildness' character that creates  the real charm of Mission Beach" said Liz  " It is also the core of the 'Mission Beach naturally' branding  vision.
 
Hilary Watson owner of  Helen Wiltshire Gallery  agreed  "A community festival is a very important event. It brings life into town".  "The Cassowary Festival  is a natural fit  for Mission Beach. It  not only celebrates  the  great wildlife  we have  but also what we're here for".   "A major part of that is the relaxed  village atmosphere" said Hilary.
 
A big audience is expected with the date being in the middle of  the tourist season.  The festival aims to further Mission Beach’s reputation as a national and international tourism destination where the community helps protect cassowaries and the exceptional natural environment. Organisers hope the festival will become an annual event with benefits for the local arts and business community.
 
The full program and list of events can be found on  www.cassowaryfestival.com
Ends
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Link to photos via dropbox
 
For more information
 
Contact
Mission Beach Cassowary Festival Committee
Liz Gallie
0414 402 315
 
For the Gunduy Midja project contact Nina Dawson
0488 263 926
Contact 
cassowaryfestival@gmail.com
​
0414 402 315


  • 2019
    • About the festival >
      • 2019 PROGRAM
      • Mapping Fundraiser
      • Wasted art rubbish fish
      • Messages
      • FORUM
      • IN THE MEDIA 2019 >
        • media releases 2019
      • Sponsors 2019
    • 2018 >
      • PROGRAM 2018 >
        • Displays and Stalls 2018
        • Music
      • IN THE MEDIA 2018 >
        • Media Releases
      • Art Projects >
        • Gunduy Midja
        • Juergen and Stella Freund
        • The Cassowary Dress
        • Festival sculptures 2018
        • Mission Beach School choir
        • Bunting
      • Queens Baton Relay
    • 2017 >
      • Program 2017
      • Cassowary Sculpture Workshops
      • Media 2017
      • Thank you Ceremony
      • Kids Care
      • Trevor Proud Prints
  • Contact