Media Release - Festivals and Murals
QUANDONG FESTIVAL AND MURAL FUNDING SUCCESS
The Flinders Ranges Council has been successful in it’s applications to hold the Quorn Quandong Festival in 2022 funded by Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal Future Drought Fund and to create dreamtime story boards in Hawker funded by the Indigenous Languages and Arts Program through the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications.
Mayor Greg Flint said these projects are a great addition to the rapidly growing event and art scene for the Council area with funding to the value of $139,000 being awarded for the Quorn Quandong Festival and just over $20,400 being received for the story boards project.
“The Quandong Festival has been on the Councils radar for a couple of years and will be a great way to celebrate the completion of the Pithi Kawi – Quorn Bush Tucker Trail and help stamp Quorn as a Bush Tucker Capital.”
It is envisaged that the Festival will run over a couple of days. “We are keen to link with local native food producers and chefs and really use the Festival to showcase what is on offer in our area and encourage more people to look at either growing native foods or adding them to their menus.”
A date for the Quorn Quandong Festival hasn’t been decided on yet however the Council want to make sure that the whole Council area is involved in the Festival.
Regarding the other successful funding, Mayor Flint went on to say that “the Adnyamathanha Dreaming – Story Boards in Hawker will involve working collaboratively with a local artist to create five story boards based on Adnyamathanha dreaming stories and feature Yura Ngawrala (Adnyamathanha language) and English translations. They will be erected near the tourist information and parking bay and will really lift that area in terms of its visual appeal and create a real point of interest in the town.”
Local artist Juanella McKenzie will be engaged to undertake the works. “Juanella grew up spending a great deal of time on her family’s homestead at Yappala, near Hawker, where her Elders taught her the stories of the Adnyamathanha, her Grandfather’s people, as they painted. She now draws most of her inspiration from the dreaming stories of Yarta (Earth or Land) that she loves.”
Juanella will collaborate with local elders and draw on their in-depth cultural knowledge to accurately provide the stories in their language.