Brian and I were involved in organising the annual Telling Tales in Balingup event, which was held over the middle weekend of the recent July school holidays! Families from all over WA were treated to a wonderful weekend of workshops with WA authors and illustrators, storytelling sessions, book binding and creative writing sessions.
Balingup is well known for its events, and despite a tiny population of some 450 people, ‘stuff happens’ in and around the town because people make it happen! Getting involved in these types of events in Balingup is inspiring, and provides us with a vivid reminder of the strength of ‘community’.
Glenys, one of the key organisers of the Balingup Medieval Carnival’s ‘costume collection’, voluntarily took on the role of co-ordinating the event parade of fairy tale characters. Some thirty or forty locals ranging in age from 3 years to about 75 years created amazing costumes and paraded through town. It was hard to tell whether the children or the adults had the most fun!
Joe, and another group involved with the Medieval Carnivale created a host of new scarecrow characters specifically for Telling Tales in Balingup. Everything from lions & clowns, pirates & witches. These larger than life, colourful characters adorned the main street adding vibrancy to the event! The creation of these paper mache characters was all done over several months by this group of amazingly creative local people.
Another thirty or forty locals including several local authors, illustrators, story tellers, book binders, bean counters, artists, sign writers and venue volunteers gave up their weekend to participate, share their special skills and make the event a success.
The Cafes and gallery owners in Town offering space in their cafes & venues to host sessions and displays. Many business owners dressed in character which certainly contributed to an atmosphere of fun! . . . . a disproportionate number of ‘big kids’ in the local area!
Obviously this all took time to co-ordinate, however it’s the willingness of the locals in Balingup to say yes, and to get involved ‘above and beyond the call of duty’ which makes Balingup unique. As I moved about the town during the event, trouble shooting and ensuring things happened as planned . . . I was asked several times about the vibrancy of the town. It’s about momentum I think . . . an energy and creativity fuelling itself, a willingness to get involved.
We had a fabulous weekend, and so did our girls! As anticipated, we got far more out of our voluntary involvement in this community event, than we you put in! Looking forward to doing it all again next year!
