SINCLAIR TOUR & TRAVEL

“I felt like I just needed to get away and find myself,” he said.

“I had the space and the freedom to be who I wanted to be.”

Andy said he is regularly drawn back to Maleny and carries fond memories of his teenage years, growing up in the 90s without technology and the outdoors of a village atmosphere.

“Going down to the Obi Obi creek and all that kind of stuff brings back a lot of memories because I spent pretty much a lot of my time swimming down there and everything like that with friends,” he said.He has especially fond memories of the Maleny Chocolate Factory.

“My god is that some of the best chocolate I have ever tasted in the world,” he says. After years of sharing his pearls of comedy gold at family barbeques – and countless people saying ‘you should write a book’, Andy finally took the plunge. While not convinced he had an entirely cohesive story - or one worth telling - it took the pandemic and some serious alone time to find the mindset to start writing. “I was quite strict in terms of the writing process, like after work every day I would write in the evenings, it was like a second full time job for me,” the Nova radio producer said.

Andy said his aim with the memoir was not only to capture his life to date but offer an escape for people to enjoy.

“If I can share stories with people and just give them a bit of a reprieve from their life whether they’re going through a tough time or they just need to have a bit of a laugh, that’s what I want,” he said.

RANGEBOW Festival’s second outing has delivered on its promises of inclusivity and fun for all. Rev’d Deb Bird (above left) said it was “a privilege to be part of a program that gathers around creativity, diversity, inclusion, reconciliation and sustainability - all things that make our world more beautiful!”.

Don’t miss The Australian Voices in Maleny

THE Australian Voices wowed audiences two years ago. The group returns with a new program in the Maleny Community Centre on Sunday 20 August 2pm.

The Australian Voices have performs locally and international to rave reviews. When The Australian Voices sings, it is “as if the gates of heaven [have] opened” (New York Times, 2013).

Founded by Stephen Leek and Graeme Morton in 1993, this Brisbane-based vocal ensemble was created with the purpose of promoting the new and ever-changing astonishing flourish of new Australian pieces, having commissioned hundreds of works, releasing eleven albums, and touring internationally.

Receiving five-star reviews from the New York Times and Limelight Magazine, The Australian Voices has brought their distinctly Australian sound to audiences in Guatemala, Mexico, China, the UK, Germany, New Caledonia, USA, Palestine and Woodford Folk Festival. Don’t miss this performance presented by the Maleny Arts Council.

Go to www.malenyartscouncil.com to book.