After an extraordinary meeting of the Henry Lawson Festival of Arts committee in January a recommendation was moved at Weddin Shire Council's monthly meeting last week to cancel the event for 2021.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
During the General Manager's report at the February meeting Glen Carroll said at the meeting on January 6 the committee resolved to recommend to Council that the 2021 Henry Lawson Festival be cancelled due to the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic.
The Committee resolved to hold the next Festival in 2022 on the June long weekend.
"It is unfortunate but that is the way things are going and I guess that's the way it is," Mr Carroll said.
At the January meeting of the Festival committee it was resolved to recommend to Council that a full strategic review of the Festival be undertaken in 2021 and that a grant funding application be submitted under the BBRF Round 5 to fund the review.
As the grant funding is not retrospective there was discussion that Council may fund the review to expedite the process and would need to be considered by Council.
It was also resolved to recommend to Council that the festival website be reviewed/upgraded. It is proposed that this be undertaken after the Festival strategic review is completed.
The recommendation on the motion that was moved at the meeting included:
- the 2021 Grenfell Henry Lawson Festival of Arts be cancelled due to the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic
- a full strategic review of the Festival be undertaken
- Council fund the review to expedite the process and that funding be sourced at a subsequent Quarterly Budget Review
- the Festival website be reviewed/upgraded upon completion of the review
- if grant funding cannot be obtained, Council fund the website upgrade with funding to be sourced at a subsequent Quarterly Budget Review.
Cr Diprose said he would support the recommendation and stated he thought it was a good use of time and will give the committee plenty of time to get the plan going.
The recommendation was moved by Cr Diprose and seconded by Cr Parlett before it was carried unanimously.
