Creative canvas

There is something a little whimsical and childlike about dipping a brush into paint and dragging it over a canvas. Even if you haven’t attempted a painting since your kindy days, you are sure to find the magic again at Pinot and Piccaso.

Now, painting is a lot more fun. Grab a glass of your favourite, tuck into some nibblies and be guided through creating your very own masterpiece. You don’t need any experience or artistic abilities – just an open mind and willingness to give it a go.

Rest assured you are in good hands with new owners Katrina Humphries and Debbie Lennon, who also own the award-winning Redcliffe studio and one in Nundah Village. They decided to expand their operation to Bundaberg after many happy family holidays here over the past 20 years.

Paint and sip experiences are becoming more popular and rightly so. They are a fun night out that you can experience by yourself, or with a group of your faves. They are perfect for birthday or team building events, Christmas parties, baby showers, hen’s or kids parties – they have even held divorce parties!

For something more intimate, book a studio space for yourself, or have the Pinot and Picasso team come to you with a mobile or pop-up event.

WORDS BY LARINE STATHAM-BLAIR

You’d be hard pressed to find an Australian who doesn’t know the Icehouse song ‘Great Southern Land’. It’s as iconic as vegemite on toast. In 40 years the band has had 28 platinum albums, eight Top 10 albums and more than 30 Top 40 singles. Their music transcends age and demographics.

Yet, Icehouse’s founder and creative lead, Iva Davies, denies he’s one of the greatest lyricists of our time. From an early age he admired the likes of Peter Gabriel, David Bowie, Pink Floyd and Joni Mitchell. “They have set a benchmark for me that I will never even go close to. In a way, it’s kind of depressing. When you admire somebody’s body of work, and then realise that you’ve only dipped your toe in the water. You know, you will never attain that kind of artistic success.”

It’s an incredibly incongruous belief for an award-winning, world-famous pop rock star from country New South Wales, who plays the bagpipes, oboe and guitar. Iva’s played in symphony orchestras and composed scores for ballets and Hollywood motion pictures, like Master and Commander. He pioneered the use of electric synthesisers in mainstream music. He’s been inducted into the Australian Songwriters Hall of Fame, and was presented with an Order of Australia medal for services to music, entertainment and the community.

Iva admits he’s received a lot of correspondence over the years about songs like ‘Don’t Believe Anymore’. “Many people have thanked me for writing that song,” he said. “It’s probably the most personal song I wrote. My own situation, which produced that song, was an incredibly unhappy period for me. One letter I received from an 18-year-old woman was in a dreadfully abusive situation and felt she had no way of getting out of it. When she heard that song, it kind of saved her life, because she realised that somebody was as unhappy as she was. Now that’s a bizarre kind of gift to give to the world in a way, but nonetheless, it means a lot to a lot of people. And I’m acutely aware of that.”

It’s one of the reasons Icehouse never tire of playing their hits. The other is the unpredictable nature of Icehouse, which has had 19 members in 40 years.

“The dynamic of a band is a very fluid one. We allow variability … the show will never follow the script, which puts a lot of adrenaline into the evening and an element of excitement,” Iva said.

The humble 68-year-old, who will perform at Lighthouse Rock at Burnett Heads this October, attributes Icehouse’s success to luck and support.

“I was drawn to music at a very young age and incredibly lucky that I had good teachers,” he said. From there Iva just “jumped in at the deep end”. “I was making it up as I went along and just kind of winging it,” he said.

There are plenty of Aussie colloquialisms that we use every day but may not have ever given thought to where they came from. Take ‘Dorrie Evans’ for example. Dorrie was the interfering self-appointed concierge character in the 1970s hit television show, Number 96. Yet, most of us know it to mean to be someone who’s nosey or a ‘sticky beak’. In Murri or indigenous slang, Dorrie means to ‘take a look around’.

It’s why the PCCC (Port Curtis Coral Coast Aboriginal Peoples Charitable Trust) named their first nations career event, Dorrie Day. They could have gone for a traditional name like Bundaberg Jobs Expo, but that wouldn’t have done their event justice. It’s a laid back, fun-filled career day with a difference.

Dorrie Day is an out-of-the box, hands-on career event for students in years 6 to 12. Outdoors in the sunshine, they show indigenous youth the exciting opportunities that are available to them that they may not have considered in the past. It’s a relaxed, informal environment – outside the confines of four walls - to ask questions, think differently and understand the personal growth, pride and satisfaction they can gain from having a fulfilling career. It shows them work doesn’t have to be something dull, where you turn up just to earn a paycheque and go home. Dorrie Day is all about broadening minds and showing students they are capable of great things.

The event connects indigenous youth to potential employers and raises awareness among the business community of the cultural supports available to their young indigenous employees. Indigenous guest speakers share stories about their experiences in the workforce; pathways taken, opportunities gifted, and opportunities missed. It’s a candid conversation, baring all bones, talking about the real struggles that are faced and ways to overcome them in partnership with local businesses.

Dorrie Day isn’t focussed squarely on filling job vacancies. It’s about history, growth, dreams and change. PCCC’s aim is for students to leave the event, asking what their ideal future will look like as an individual, but also how do they see their collective future as a culture and local community.

Last year, more than 50 exhibitors attended and 40 students gained work experience from the event.

Dorrie Day is just one of the many programs and events run by PCCC that aim to improve the lives of Aboriginal people who belong to four local tribes. The PCCC oversee their native title, negotiate land use agreements and manage, invest and administer their funds in the way of education and training, cultural projects, elder assistance, sporting scholarships, and the like.

Come