THE ARTS

Katherine Flood Cabaret

Theatre buff and concert organiser Graham Buxton tells all

When the call for assistance from our northerly neighbours went out, the Theatrical Club along with many other organisations rallied to the call. Whereas the areas of raffling, collection points, clothes drops and physical labour on site was left to other groups, the Theatre Club looked towards it's own area of expertise and put together a cabaret in order to give local people a chance to exhibit their talents in an evening of entertainment and raise money at the same time.
Following a couple of well attended meeting, the theme of St. Valentines Day was agreed to and the search was on for talent.
A small group enlisted the help of both schools to decorate the CivicHall, the use of which was donated by the Town Council, the finished result was a wonderful display of hearts everywhere with pastel coloured reams of silk from the ceiling guiding the eye to 2 beautifully made cherubs surrounding a shimmering red heart on the backdrop.
The evening commenced with a junior talent quest with a Michael Jackson look-a-like followed by a couple of numbers by KISS. The kids put a lot of work into their acts and deserve to be congratulated.
The martial arts exhibition, a display of karate with a subtle hint of fire thrown in was followed by an impromptu performance by the Leggomen (a Darwin based duo who finally made it to Tennant after being stuck in Katherine).
The Desert Harmonizers gave a fine performance of three songs from their repertoire to be followed by a breathtaking rock & roll exhibition from the Just Rock Club.
A promise of Theatre Sports was unfulfilled due to lack of time as the cabaret continued with an auction conducted by Mr. Carpenter and finalising with music from Barry Benning (lead guitar), Echardt (Keyboard), Baz (flute) and the inscrutable Gilbert on drums.
The entertainment was kept flowing with the talents of Chris Tulloch, Dave Mills and Nigel Skelton as compere's under stress for the evening, with a highlight being a talk by Toni Couttes (alderman, Katherine Council) giving a first hand perspective of life in Katherine during and after the flood.
Whereas the evening proceedings were a bit disjointed, most people had a great time and on top of that nearly $4000 was raised for the flood appeal.
It is impossible to name the individuals involved in setting this event up but the organisations need a mention for their support:-
The Organising Committee, Julalikari Aboriginal Council, Tennant Creek Town Council, Just Rock, Last Frontier Music Club, Artplan Graphics, Regional Tourist Association, Christmas Tree Club, Rotary, Lions, Barkly Multicultural Club, Desert Harmonizers, TC High School, TC Primary School, Ti Tree Cleaners, Antonio Martial Arts, T & J Refrigeration, Tennant Creek Security, Barkly Health Service, Tennant & District Times, Out Back Caravan Park, Dolly Pot Inn, Eldorado Motel, Ansett travel.

Katherine Flood Cabaret Theatre buff and concert organiser Graham Buxton tells all When the call for assistance from our northerly neighbours went out, the Theatrical Club along with many other organisations rallied to the call. Whereas the areas of raffling, collection points, clothes drops and physical labour on site was left to other groups, the Theatre Club looked towards it's own area of expertise and put together a cabaret in order to give local people a chance to exhibit their talents in an evening of entertainment and raise money at the same time. Following a couple of well attended meeting, the theme of St. Valentines Day was agreed to and the search was on for talent. A small group enlisted the help of both schools to decorate the CivicHall, the use of which was donated by the Town Council, the finished result was a wonderful display of hearts everywhere with pastel coloured reams of silk from the ceiling guiding the eye to 2 beautifully made cherubs surrounding a shimmering red heart on the backdrop. The evening commenced with a junior talent quest with a Michael Jackson look-a-like followed by a couple of numbers by KISS. The kids put a lot of work into their acts and deserve to be congratulated. The martial arts exhibition, a display of karate with a subtle hint of fire thrown in was followed by an impromptu performance by the Leggomen (a Darwin based duo who finally made it to Tennant after being stuck in Katherine). The Desert Harmonizers gave a fine performance of three songs from their repertoire to be followed by a breathtaking rock & roll exhibition from the Just Rock Club. A promise of Theatre Sports was unfulfilled due to lack of time as the cabaret continued with an auction conducted by Mr. Carpenter and finalising with music from Barry Benning (lead guitar), Echardt (Keyboard), Baz (flute) and the inscrutable Gilbert on drums. The entertainment was kept flowing with the talents of Chris Tulloch, Dave Mills and Nigel Skelton as compere's under stress for the evening, with a highlight being a talk by Toni Couttes (alderman, Katherine Council) giving a first hand perspective of life in Katherine during and after the flood. Whereas the evening proceedings were a bit disjointed, most people had a great time and on top of that nearly $4000 was raised for the flood appeal. It is impossible to name the individuals involved in setting this event up but the organisations need a mention for their support:- The Organising Committee, Julalikari Aboriginal Council, Tennant Creek Town Council, Just Rock, Last Frontier Music Club, Artplan Graphics, Regional Tourist Association, Christmas Tree Club, Rotary, Lions, Barkly Multicultural Club, Desert Harmonizers, TC High School, TC Primary School, Ti Tree Cleaners, Antonio Martial Arts, T & J Refrigeration, Tennant Creek Security, Barkly Health Service, Tennant & District Times, Out Back Caravan Park, Dolly Pot Inn, Eldorado Motel, Ansett travel.