PROGRAM ...................................................................................................................................................
10-12 AUGUST 2012
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Bendigo Writers Festival, launched in this National Year of Reading, is an event which celebrates all kinds of writing, for all kinds of readers. Planning for this inaugural event involved Goldfields Library Corporation CEO Carolyn Macvean and Bendigo Tourism’s Kathryn Mackenzie, and began with discussions about how it’s a perfect time for Bendigo, our city of more than 100,000 people in the heart of regional Victoria, to host a threeday festival of interviews, forums, performances, readings and workshops. We talked about how the Capital, a glorious heritage building with a suite of lovely spaces, is just right
for a writers and readers talk-fest. With the blessing of the City of Greater Bendigo’s director of City Futures, Stan Liacos, and councillor Rod Fyffe who put up his hand to become the Festival’s chairman, the Capital became host and presenter of Bendigo Writers Festival. Without the vision of the Capital’s director, David Lloyd, the idea would never have become reality. The Capital’s marketing director, Jacoba Kelly, has been instrumental in managing the festival as it took shape. La Trobe University’s Sue Gillett and Sarah Mayor Cox joined in to help program our festival. Their optimism and expertise are invaluable.
The involvement of writers Di Dempsey and John Charalambous, Dawn Rasmussen from Bendigo Writers Council, and Ian Irvine from Bendigo TAFE has also been crucial, as we gradually joined all the dots to make the picture come together. Bendigo TAFE has shown courage in tough times, backing the excellence of their writing courses with an investment in the future. And Telstra Business Centres Bendigo are backing some of the most important people in town – our volunteers, who will be there to help our program run smoothly. (We hope you forgive the inevitable hiccups.) The Wheeler Centre in Mel-
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bourne has also invested in our part of Victoria, and we are grateful for their interest and support. Bendigo Weekly – Bendigo’s independent community newspaper – is proud to be behind Bendigo Writers Festival. We think Bendigo is one of the finest places to live in the world, a small city with a big heart, an intriguing history, and increasingly good food and wine. It’s so good, you could write a book about it. Or create a festival within it... Bendigo Writers Festival. We hope you can join us and be part of it. We promise you will be very welcome. Rosemary Sorensen