Two big events for You Connect

Central Coast charity You Connect, which provides programs, supports and housing for people with disabilities and mental health diagnoses, has two big events coming up.

A NAIDOC celebration day will be held on Wednesday, June 28, from 8am-2pm at the Gosford centre, 24 Glennie St West.

The event will be a day to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

There will be a smoking ceremony and acknowledgement of Country followed by indigenous painting, games and traditional music with Kyle Freeman, a Wiradjuri man.

The group will also hold an exhibition, I Shine, on Friday,

June 23, at The Entrance Gallery in Battley Ave.

The arts fiesta will be held

Frantastics set for annual concert

The popular Frantastics Choir will present its annual performance for family and friends at 1 pm on Monday, August 14, the Walter Baker Hall (corner of Blackwall and Victoria Rds, Woy Woy).

The one-hour program will include solos by seasoned performers Thayer Donaldson, Pam Brown and Douglas Kent and experienced newcomers Laraine Day, Catherine Broady and Mark Corderoy.

The amazing Golden Girls, augmented by new members, will also perform a Gershwin medley a capella.

Choral items will include I Still Call Australia Home, a Gershwin medley, a Seekers medley, Puttin’ on the Ritz and many more well-known from 5-8pm and continue online thereafter. People are invited to submit paintings, photographs, drawings, sculptures, dances, songs, and videos – anything that makes them shine – for inclusion in the exhibition, with submissions closing on June 19.

The opening night fiesta will include music and food, along with the amazing artworks.

A group of local professional artists from the Five Strings Collaborative will give feedback to all artists on the night.

For full details on how to submit an entry and the arts fiesta go to you-connect.com. au/i-shine or call 0424 548 305. For information on the NAIDOC celebration day email Belinda.Fidler@you-connect. com.au

Source: You Connect songs.

Comic skits will complete the program.

Afternoon tea will be provided by choir members following the performance. Entry is $10 with no booked seats so early arrival is advised.

The northern route through the Central Coast is top priority for the fast train (indicative image only)

The Sydney to Newcastle high-speed rail network, backed by a $500M commitment from the Federal Government, is the first priority for the newly appointed Board of the High Speed Rail Authority. Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King, said the first step would be planning and corridor works for the Sydney to Newcastle