The 2010 program for Narrandera's John O'Brien Festival is now available. It is subject to slight changes, check back later for the most current edition. If you would like the newspaper supplement printed edition mailed to you, please ask for one via the contact form.
>>> Program for Narrandera's John O'Brien Festival in 2010 (PDF) - Last updated 8th March (Right click and choose "Save As")
>>> Ticket Order Form for Narrandera's John O'Brien Festival in 2010 (PDF)
Irish Trivia NightTest your Irish knowledge along with other general knowledge at the Narrandera Golf Club on St Patrick’s Day, and enjoy an evening full of fun and laughter. Organise your own table of 8 people or come along and you will be put on a table of fellow trivia buffs.
Sound Workshop
A special treat for all those budding sound engineers who want the know-how of sound mixing for concerts and events with Chris Kschenka from Custom Music.
Flora and Fauna Tour
A bus tour showing some of Narrandera’s great assets including the Fisheries and the Wetlands and see how many koalas you can spot at the Narrandera Common. All tours are accompanied by interesting and informative commentary.
Heritage Tour
Hop on the Lion’s Train and be shown around Narrandera’s fascinating old buildings, along with interesting stories and anecdotes.
Heritage House and John O’Brien Poetry Competition
Enjoy Bush Tucker at the John O’Brien Heritage House (the old Presbytery where Fr. Patrick Hartigan, under the pseudonym of John O’Brien) lived and penned many of his poems. Stay and listen to the poets as they recite a John O’Brien poem.
Poets Breakfasts: Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Each day has a different compere. This is an opportunity for budding performers to test their recitation skills in a friendly atmosphere with like-minded people. Lots of fun, laughter and enjoyment for everyone, held in the old-time atmosphere of the Pioneer Hall.
Workshop with Dr. June Factor
This is a workshop designed for budding writers of children’s books and encouraging children to write for themselves. Dr June Factor is Australia's best-known researcher in children's folklore, and her book Captain Cook Chased a Chook: Children's Folklore in Australia (1988) is the leading scholarly work on the subject. Other works include the series containing “All Right Vegemite” and “Far Out, Brussel Sprout”.
Welcome Walk Up
Enjoy time in the beautiful surrounds of the Narrandera Park and be entertained in word and song by talented poets and musicians as they exhibit their talents. Anyone is welcome to perform. This is your chance to show what you can do.
Wool, Sweat and Tears
Geoffrey continues his long line of themed performances with a show that includes his winning style of combining verse, music and comedy. This time the show is again a typical entertaining/informing production. Something for everyone, this show features the wool industry, the squatters and the shearers. It has traditional songs, unheard of songs, much loved verse, obscure verse all sprinkled with humour and tasty tit-bits. The performance has history and comedy, it has music and verse, and it has Geoffrey’s trademark: audience participation.
Irish Luncheon
Enjoy a traditional Irish Luncheon and be entertained by talented artists, Noel Stallard and Maria Forde. Noel will perform his own works as well as those of John O’Brien and Maria will thrill you with her talent as she performs songs from her latest CD, “Little Black Rose”.
Fully Sick, Mate
Since his first performance in 2003 Greg North has gone on to become the 2008 and 2009 male Bush Poetry Champion of Australia and is now a regular at many Bush Poetry events. Greg's quirky humour and obvious gift for entertaining are apparent whenever he takes the stage. He also has a wonderful gift for accents, which makes him unique among bush verse entertainers. Known as “The Man of Many Hats”, this year he is performing his new show “Fully Sick, Mate.” This will be followed by Bronnie Ware who writes songs of the life she has experienced and the landscapes she has observed. Her style is one of variety, from alternate, to roots, from country to folk, and every now and then you can hear a hint of bush balladry. Bronnie's music can be strangely haunting and sometimes hypnotic, but mainly her music is unique.
The Borderless Workshop – Maureen O’Brien
An hour of songs and stories from Maureen about the experiences of women in the diaspora from Ireland, both convict and 'free settlers', the latter group not always finding themselves so free. Very informative and illuminating.
Women of the Bush
Ever popular, Chloe and Jason Roweth return to Narrandera again and entertain us with songs and dance music collected from the extraordinary repertoires of Sally Sloane, Val Turton, Susan Colley and Carrie Milliner, women of the Australian bush whose names should be better known throughout Australia as great tradition bearers. Full of stories and songs and some fascinating snippets of bush life; a unique and entertaining show.
Blackboard Music Concert
This is for our younger musicians and bands to hone their performance skills. Join Mike and Tracie at the Top Pub for some great sounds.
Bush Poetry Competition
Do you like reciting poetry? Do you think you have talent in that direction? Download an entry form from the participation page and enter into the poetry competition. If you just like to listen, come and hear this line-up of talent as they compete for the first prize.
In Concert: Ami Williamson and Maria Forde
Two wonderful voices will entertain you during this session.
Ami Williamson, daughter of famous Australian singer John Williamson, will amaze you with the breadth and depth of her talent as she sings anything from pop to opera – a great entertainer with a great voice.
Maria Forde, an Irish- Australian, has always straddled both sides of her heritage in her songwriting. Incorporating the sweet melodies that are the trademark of the Irish musical heritage, with observations of Australia, along with her personal experiences, Maria has blossomed into one of Australia’s premier songwriters.
Session Magic
Take your instrument and your voice to the Charles Sturt Hotel’s Beer Garden and join fellow musos for a jam session. If you can’t play or sing, just go along and enjoy the entertainment.
Rotary Art & Photography Exhibition
Thursday evening is the official opening of the Festival and offers an opportunity to view the talents of many artists in a relaxing and congenial atmosphere. If you can’t make the opening night, take time out over the days of the Festival to visit this great exhibition of paintings and photographs from contestants near and far. A great variety of works will be on display and will be available for sale during the exhibition.
Bingo
The big prize of $150 is waiting for the lucky winner of the main game. Try out your luck and have an evening of fun. You have to be in it to win it!
Around the Boree Log
Join Noel and Gregory as they come together to bring new life and understanding to John O’Brien’s great poems. Noel Stallard is at his best as he performs in character of John O’Brien with Gregory North, our Australian Bush Poetry Champion, more than ably assisting him as his curate.
The Game is Getting Lively – Collector
No subject in Australia’s short history has created more ballads than the bushrangers of the gold-rush days…in particular the exploits of Ben Hall, Frank Gardiner, Johnny Gilbert and co. By arranging these fantastic traditional ballads chronologically, and filling a few gaps in the story with yarns and poems, this great group sets out to tell the history - admittedly with a bias towards the sympathisers! An entertaining and informative presentation with a general appeal.
Anzac Tribute
Always a very popular event, attracting huge audiences, we celebrate in word and song the wonderful heroism of those who gave their lives in the service of our wonderful country.
Women’s Bizness
Three talented acts will entertain you during this session: Bronnie Ware is a singer/songwriter, a songwriting teacher, a writer and a speaker from Australia. Through her work, Bronnie has the ability to celebrate both the strength and vulnerability of human nature, or to paint a picture that takes her audience to landscapes afar.
Maureen O’Brien brings a wealth of life experience to her Jazz-Folk-Blues material and a sense of humour to her performances. She has a rich, mellow vocal sound and selects material that best suits her vocal style. An exciting entertainer whose music you just can't slot into any one genre.
Stiff Gins: Nardi Simpson and Kaleena Briggs, who make up the Stiff Gins, met seven years ago at the Eora Centre in Redfern. Since then, they have performed extensively in Australia and internationally. They decided to use the name Stiff Gins — from an offensive word used to denigrate Indigenous women — and reclaim it for themselves, declaring its meaning as talented, proud and passionate.
The Manildra Group Concert
Ami Williamson will have you begging for more when she does her brilliant “One Woman Show” -she will astound you with her beautiful vocals, edgy song writing, dancing, drumming and sheer stage presence- a must see!
Blessed with an angelic voice, Maria Forde has grown into a masterful interpreter of her own material, able to totally connect the feeling of the music and words to the emotion of the song. This alone sets her apart from so many singer/songwriters.
Orange Blossom is a talented group from Albury/Wodonga which has appeared in many venues and Festivals around the area. Gretta and Elizabeth started singing together in late 2005 and by 2006 decided to establish Orange Blossom. Gretta completed a Bachelor of Music (voice) in 2003 at the University of Melbourne and returned to Albury/Wodonga to teach the Bagpipes and pursue her love for music. Elizabeth grew up with bluegrass and folk music, performing with her sisters. She now performs regularly with David Daly as well as Orange Blossom! Isabel is the newest member of Orange Blossom! She was a member of the Celtic punk band “Dadscrampy” for 6 years until their split in 2008.
Geoffrey and Maria - The Shamrock and the Wattle
These two will make an interesting combination when they present their show “The Shamrock and the Wattle”, a collage of Australian and Irish reminiscence and tradition.
BioAg Bush Hooley
What on earth is a Bush Hooley? Well, grab a friend, put on your dancing shoes, and get ready for an awesome time! You're going to be surrounded by happy people and tunes that set your toes to bouncing, your face to grinning, and your heart to pattering an Irish jig. In a couple of hours you can listen to terrific live music, laugh with friends, meet new friends, and experience the exhilaration of Irish dance! Then throw in some good old-fashioned bush dancing as well and there you have it – a BUSH HOOLEY! This will be great fun for all the family, young and old. So be sure to be at the Pioneer Hall on the Saturday night.
Street Parade
Dress up, be on a float, ride in a vintage car or just stand and watch the grand street parade for the John O’Brien Festival. This year we will even have St Patrick as well as John O’Brien!
Navan Road
This is a Hawkesbury based duo/trio. Appearing at this festival will be Dublin born Tomas Hamilton and Wendy Kilroy. Tomas is a singer songwriter and the group mainly perform his songs. Wendy is a talented singer and musician who plays the accordian, fiddle, whistle and Irish harp. If working commitments allow, the group will include Armagh born Ian Henry who plays the bagpipes and uillean pipes. The group perform around the Sydney area and are regulars at the Turning Wave Festival in Gundagai.
Sameera & Lizzie
Here is another homegrown talent from Narrandera. When younger, Sameera found herself transfixed to the television watching “Countdown”, emulating artists, trying to put her fingers on the guitar strings in the same manner and matching vocal for vocal some of the greats of the Australian music industry. After years of toiling with writing songs Sameera entered the 2002 Musicoz Awards and was acknowledged as a semi- finalist. She then released her first album titled “Sameera” which made it as a finalist in the Apra Professional Development Awards for 2006. The song “I Cried” off the album also made it to number 21 in the Acoustic section of the Musicoz Independent Awards. Sameera has now released her second album. Sameera will be joined by another of Narrandera’s local artists, talented violinist, Lizzie Brown.
The Noel Stallard Show
Noel has been a stalwart of the Festival since its beginning 16 years ago where he performed as John O’Brien. Since then Noel has written many of his own poems and has written a couple of great children’s books, one of which he will be launching at this year’s Festival. Come along and listen to Noel as he performs his own works.
Wild Aussies
A highlight of the festival is the Wild Aussies children’s show, an exciting & exhilarating show for the entire family, helping bring to the attention of our Little Aussies the enduring characteristics of some of Australia’s most Endangered Animal Species.
Aimed to educate as well as entertain, the Wild Aussies is a show about difference, accepting others and the importance of preserving our Australian Wildlife. From the tip of the East Coast to the smaller regions of the Western plains you will be swept up into this magical adventure. Helping our friendly crew by singing and dancing their way around this great brown land, you will befriend and discover some important things about our mysterious wildlife.
Irish Singalong
Love to sing an Irish song or two? Join Geoffrey, Joan and Mary at the Bowling Club for a Roast dinner then join in all the old favourites that everyone loves, interspersed with a poem or two.
Golf or Bowls Anyone?
If you’rer not really into Bush Poetry etc, here is your opportunity to have a game of Golf or Bowls while your spouse attends the entertainment sessions. Ring the Golf Club or the Bowling Club to book your place.
Country Energy Day
Country Energy is sponsor of this great day in East Street on Saturday. Lots of food, free entertainment, face painting and buskers. A great variety of stalls will also be there. The highlight of the day will be the parade at our new time of 5pm to avoid the heat of the early afternoon sun.
Open House at the John O’Brien Heritage House
Here is your opportunity to see where Fr. Patrick Hartigan (John O’Brien), lived for 17 years and wrote his poetry. Also available for viewing is plenty of memorabilia from the time he was in Narrandera. Call in at the House for a cup of tea after 10am Mass.
Sunday in the Park
Come and join us in the Park for more entertainment, children’s amusements and games, face painting, food, face painting and much more. There will also be a BMX display by more of our local talent.
Wiradjuri Echo
Based in Canberra, Wiradjuri Echo is a leading indigenous performance troupe, showcasing traditional and modern dances and culture, and teaching about Indigenous artefacts and tribal markings. Wiradjuri Echo consists of Duncan Smith and his five children. They will be holding workshops at the schools on Friday and featuring in performing corroboree style dances and some object interpretation on Saturday. They will also take part in the Parade and try to involve some of our local people. Thanks to Festival Australia for supporting Wiradjuri Echo's festival visit.
Raffle
1st Prize: a weekend or midweek holiday on a DINKY-DI 8 berth Houseboat located at Echuca-Moama on the Murray River.
2nd Prize: $500 Open Order at Whitby’s Betta Electrical, Narrandera.
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