Speech 4 - "The Fourth Pillar" (2003)

 

THE FOURTH PILLAR 

(Speech written and delivered by Warren Maloney, as Mayor, on Wednesday, 21st May 2003 to the Second Arts & Culture Forum for the Hepburn Shire at the Daylesford Town Hall)

 

My friends and neighbours, share with me these moments.

 

Sit with me at lavandula in the late summer evening listening to a choir of 20 or more as they interpret scottish folk songs – we can close our eyes and understand the bard’s eagerness for common folk to laugh and sing together.


look with me at IMPRESSIONS AT a formerly blank canvas upon which has been created the image of a fierce country cricket match outside the guildford general store – we can feel the intensity of the pursuit of the second last wicket


walk with me through bellinzona through endless rooms of a MUCH-LOVED guesthouse, SMELLING, LOOKING, smiling at table after table, installation after installation, creativity after creativity of flowers, branches, settings, reflections – we can muse together about the greatness of creativity that can only last one bloom


share some kitchen chairs with me in the lounge room of PEPPA’s house as we listen to, SEE, and think about this play PERFORMED IN THE LOUNGE ROOM IN which 3 women deal with the departure of partners and the eternity of “what ifs”.  we can stand on the front lawn afterwards and argue the play’s merit, felling once again stimulated


Sip a coffee or assam tea with me at Hill end café and lets passionately discuss the worth of a couple who combine poetry and water colours to explain childhood and new zealand


yes, my friends and neighbours, we can choose the challenges of the marvellous commissioned work “FARENELLI IN CONCERT”, the stimulus of the quality convent gallery exhibitions, the amazement at the complete talents of the lindsay family members at the creswick museum, the sheer beauty of don wreford’s glass, the textures of wood design at timEless or the wood shed or laugh as val pyers gets dragged feet first off stage in a comedie del’art

 

We choose to live in these culturally rich communities of hepburn shire.


we have come here tonight to somehow someway ensure through the formation of an independent and hopefully dynamic hepburn arts and culture council to not only maintain what we have but to open the doors to more artists, more craftspersons, STRONGER cultural moments.


i, as mayor of hepburn shire council, stand with you tonight representing one of the organisations, your council, that will support this step forward.


as friends and neighbours, we will get it wrong sometimes. we will get it right many times but we will enjoy and be enriched by the journey together always.




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