News FlashDo you have an interesting story about the 2009 competitions?If you do then we would love to hear about it, and post it on our new page "news flash". Click 104,101,114,101 to email the details of your story. History repeats itself with dancing daugters Justine Barber - A Perfect Score Royal South Street celebrates its 130th Anniversary Brother and sister win the U14 and U16 Leannie McInnis memorial award
History repeats itself with dancing daugters
Lucy Pyke also danced in this years Courier Classical Ballet Solo, her mum Lisa won this section in 1978. This is the first time in the history of the competitions that a mother and daughter have won this prestigious section. PREVIOUS WINNERS OF THE COURIER CLASSICAL BALLET SOLO 1945 Patricia Bryson, Northcote 1946 June Storen, Sth Melbourne Justine Barber - A Perfect Score
Little did Justine know when leaving Devonport at 6.30am on the day of her performance, then travelling to Launceston, catching a flight to Melbourne and then having her mum drive a hire car to Ballarat along with her Nan as her cheer squad, that she would obtain the almost impossible… a perfect score.
“I wanted to compete in Ballarat as South Street is the biggest Eisteddfod and it offers the opportunity to sing with a backing track with vocals which I find really cool. I thought the feedback would be good for any improvement that I needed to make to my performance. I didn't go to win, just for the experience.” Justine loves singing it makes her really happy. Before performing Justine is constantly telling herself to slow down, she never gets nervous, just really excited. “When the Adjudicator announced that I had won and got the perfect score I then realised I did do a great performance. I was amazed and shocked. I could see my mum and my nan in the audience and they were very excited. I really wanted my dad to be there but he was away working, he is the singer in the family. The most amazing thing was that after I was given the award the other competitors gave me a group hug.” See Justine's new film clip "It's a beautiful day" on U tube.
Royal South Street celebrates its 130th Anniversary
On July 10, 1879 a group of eight young men, students at the Central State Night School number 33, came together through the instigation of William Duguid Hill. At their first meeting, they proposed to meet every Friday night and indulge their passion for reading, lectures, public speaking, and debating. And so was born the South Street Debating Society, which derived its name from the fact that its first meetings were held in a small hall in South Street, Ballarat. Because of the wealth created by the discovery of gold in the country’s richest goldfield, Ballarat was endowed with many prosperous and generous businessmen who gave generously of their time and wealth to the growth of Ballarat, including the growth of the South Street Debating Society. An early committee of the Society included F. Besemeres (President), W.D. Hill (Secretary), R. Maddern (Treasurer), L. Prichard, W.J.Richards, W.E. Thomas, and F.J. Williams. The Society quickly outgrew the South Street Hall, and in 1886 the Skipton Street Hall was built. In 1891, singing and music were introduced in conjunction with the annual demonstrations of the Society, and so the South Street Competitions came into being. Prizes in that year totalled 60 guineas, and some 260 entries were received. These inaugural competitions opened on June 16th and closed ten days later on the 26th. On the final night, the prize distribution, a high tea, and a concert were held. The prize presentation ceremony was chaired by the Mayor, C.C. Shoppee; the Governor of the Colony of Victoria, Lord Hopetoun, presented the prizes, and the Hon. Alfred Deakin MP gave an address. The Concert which terminated the proceedings was conducted by John Robson, and the orchestra was under the baton of Harry West. Describing the competition in 1891, a later Secretary of the Society, Lyle Blackman, commented ‘Ballarat discarded the gold of the earth for the gold of the human mind and voice, and took its place among the cultural cities of the world’. The South Street competitions grew at such a rate that, by 1902, entries (including some from interstate) exceeded 3,500, some adjudicators were brought from overseas, attendances were more than 50,000, and the competitions ran for 5 weeks. The enormous numbers of people involved in the Eisteddfod were boosted by special trains bringing great crowds from Melbourne, Geelong, Maryborough, Daylesford, and Skipton. Needing a venue able to hold such large audiences, the Society built The Coliseum in 1908; this reputably could hold 8000 people, and was built in 77 days. At the same time, the hall in Skipton Street was relocated so as to be adjacent to The Coliseum, and the former was renamed The Atheneum Hall. Other venues were used as well, and sometimes competitors had to repeat their performances in 2 locations! On a March morning in 1936 disaster struck, and in a few minutes The Coliseum was reduced to ashes by fire. A stunned Ballarat public surveyed the ruins, acutely aware of the possible loss of the Competitions. The Society then found what a host of generous admirers it had by the donation of sufficient funds to renovate the Alfred Hall, which had been erected in 1867 as a venue to entertain Prince Alfred, the Duke of Edinburgh, and once more the Competitions were able to be held. In July 1965, the Society purchased Her Majesty's Theatre in Lydiard Street South. Dressing rooms were added, and upgrades made to the stage and the lighting. In 1987 an agreement was signed between the Society and the City of Ballarat, transferring the freehold of the venue to the City. This was part of an arrangement with the State Government to fund major repairs, upgrades, and restoration of the building to the "heritage authenticity" we know today. Her Majesty's Theatre is Australia's oldest continuously operating lyric theatre, having opened in 1875. The Royal South Street Society (the Society was granted "Royal" status in 1962 for services to the community) today stages the longest running and one of the largest Australian eisteddfods. The Royal South Street Society competitions have always been about people – competitors, adjudicators, administrators, and volunteers. In 2008 the competitions attracted 6,689 entries, which equates to more than 10,000 competitors making in excess of 40,000 on-stage appearances across sixteen disciplines, watched by a paying audience of 29,187 people. Prizes and trophies in 2008 totalled $91,250. The total input of volunteers to stage the Eisteddfod last year was upward of 10,000 hours. The 2009 competitions will commence on 27 July, with a record number of entries received.
One such sub-committee is the Historical Sub-Committee The Society has a huge amount of paper records accumulated over 130 years - guide books (each of which represent the annual program for the Competitions), lists of Competition results, cuttings from newspapers, photographs, etc. The Society also holds a small number of other items related to the Competitions, such as costumes, instruments, props, trophies, and memorabilia. The Society has formed an Historical Sub-Committee, whose task it is to catalogue all of these holdings in electronic format and obtain advice as to how the irreplaceable records of the Society can be preserved. As each paper record of the Society is converted to electronic format, there will be links to them on the Society's website (www.royalsouthstreet.com.au) to give the public better access to the Society’s collection. As with all businesses, South Street has encountered increasing costs. At the present time, only 60% of its income is derived from the sale of guide books and tickets. And it is only very recently that the Eisteddfod has been successful in obtaining some Government funding. This has resulted in local and other businesses being asked to sponsor the shortfall in Society funds, something that businesses have by and large taken on board since it is estimated the Eisteddfod brings 15 million dollars into the Ballarat economy. Until recently, the Society has operated with volunteer Directors who are assisted by a full time paid secretary and an office administrator. Now a marketing manager has been appointed to look to the future viability of the Society and to ensure that businesses that support the Society derive the maximum benefit from their involvement. Adjudication provides competitors with a benchmark for their performance and is seen as one of the most important aspects of the eisteddfod. Adjudicators value the opportunity to work at the Competitions, and South Street has prided itself on selecting the best adjudicators available for each discipline. Adjudicators have come from all states of Australia and many from England, beginning with Professor F.W. Beard in 1902. South Street continues to address the needs of the arts. Its artistic policy includes: As the 2009 Competitions approach, the challenge for the Ballarat community is to be with South Street as it functions with its renewed energy.
Brother and sister win the U14 and U16 Leannie McInnis memorial award
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Ellie Michael followed in her mothers footsteps dancing her way to victory on Saturday 3rd October in the 2009 Courier Classical Ballet Solo. Ellie's mum and teacher Anita won this section in 1984 and 1986. Ellie is a student of the Carole Oliver School of Ballet and has had a successful year at South Street winning all of her solos.
In the years that followed, the Competitions expanded into many areas – singing and music were extended, and acting, dance, and calisthenics introduced; even competitions in spelling, typewriting, cooking, gum leaf playing, gymnastics, and school aerobics have been held on occasions. So began a “cultural” experience for thousands of men and women, boys and girls, of all ages. The first Choral Contest was held in 1897. Brass Bands commenced in 1900 and became immensely popular; bands travelled from all over Australia, New Zealand, and England to perform in Ballarat, including the world famous Besses O’ th’ Barn Band. Part of the performance of bands in the early days was a march from Doveton Street to Bridge Street (now The Bridge Mall). They also attracted huge crowds to the City Oval for aspects of the competition. Bands would also play selections in the Britannia Bandstand, opposite the Mechanics Institute in Sturt Street. 1902 saw Ballarat host a full-scale military tattoo that achieved fame throughout the Commonwealth. Calisthenics commenced in 1903; in 1904, an impetus was given this section by the presentation of the “Coltman Shield” (a valuable and imposing trophy valued, in 1904, at 20 guineas) for Gymnastic contests in apparatus and free exercise. South Street is now Australia's premier Calisthenics competition; in 2008, 4,400 Calisthenics competitors made 19,500 on-stage performances in 4 weeks.
Changes, though, are afoot for the Society as the 2009 Competitions approach. It has been a valuable feature of the Society that the Board and the discipline chairpersons have served for long periods of time. However, this means that they are getting older. So, at an administrative level, succession planning has been put in place. The chairperson of each discipline now has a younger deputy, who not only learns the tasks carried out by the chairperson but may also have fresh ideas to input. The size of the Board has been reduced to 8 to facilitate decision-making. And various sub-committees have been set up to assist the Board and the chairperson of each discipline.
Gretel and Sam Hayden were thrilled to win the Leanne McInnis memorial awards in this years Speech and Drama competitions. Gretel won the award in the under 16 division and Sam won it in Under 14. They have both been participating in Speech and Drama at Royal South Street for a number of years, and are students of Sally Vawdrey. It is special to note that Leanne McInnis was in fact Sally’s first speech art student. The Memorial awards were presented to Sam and Gretel by Leanne’s father Brian.