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Tickets for Perth NAIDOC Ball already high in demand
by Stephen Hagan
T
he main topic of discussion at the first national NAIDOC meeting for 2013 in Canberra held over the weekend was on the seating capacity for the NAIDOC Black Tie Ball in the host city. Although the purpose of the Canberra meeting I attended in my capacity as national committee member was to decide on
a winner for the Poster Competition - which the committee went through several elimination rounds before deciding on an eventual winner to promote this year’s theme We value the vision: Yirrkala Bark Petitions 1963 - a significant amount of discussion time was however entered into on the NAIDOC Ball. After the crammed conditions in Hobart, due
National NAIDOC Committee members Bilawara Lee (Darwin), John Paul Janke (Canberra), Tammy Solonec (Perth) and Ann Weldon (Sydney)
Ben Mitchell (Cairns), Steve Widders (Armidale) and Stephen Hagan (Toowoomba)
to limited seating capacity options for large venue events on the Apple Isle, the committee was keen on securing one of the bigger venues in Perth to accommodate the usual high demand for tickets. There is no doubting the annual NAIDOC Ball is the premier social event on our cultural calendar and accommodating the huge demand for tickets that goes with such an event has placed an enormous amount of pressure on past and present NAIDOC committees to accommodate. Before Hobart, the venues for the previous NAIDOC Balls in Cairns, Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney held around the 1000 seat mark. Darwin was the exception, as the only outdoor event - held on the lawns of SkyCity Darwin Casino overlooking the spectacular Arafura Sea at sunset - seated a couple of thousand NAIDOC supporters. This year’s NAIDOC Ball will be held in the opulent Ballroom of the Perth Convention Exhibition Centre which has the capacity to seat 1200 lucky ticket holders in comfort. Tickets will go on sale at the end of May through Ticketek. There has been a demand for an earlier release date for tickets so travellers from eastern states in particular can make arrangements to book flights and accommodation. Should
an earlier ticket sales release date happen a notice will appear on the NAIDOC website http:// www.naidoc.org.au before the end of this week. So great has the demand for tickets been this year the committee has agreed, at our meeting over the weekend, that a limit of only one table of 10 can be purchased by a single credit card holder and a maximum of 4 individual tickets be bought per single credit card holder. The entertainment line up is outstanding as usual and the hosts for this year is a welcome back of an old hand and an introduction of a high profile new personality. So the advice from our co-Chairs Anne Martin and Ben Mitchell is to keep an eye out for the Ticketek release dates and get in early. “We’re excited about this year’s venue and the vast array of entertainers who will ensure a wonderful night is had by all,” Ms Martin said. “Those fortunate to get their hands on tickets and are travelling to the beautiful city of Perth should purchase their airline seats now and take a couple of days off work to take in the wonderful attractions of the picturesque city on the Swan River,” said Mr Mitchell in anticipation of the release date and the usual mad rush that see tickets snapped up in half an hour of going on sale.
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