Townsville Bulletin, Saturday September 23, 2000 page 5 Breaking Palm's blight by Clayton Smales Palm Islanders had to learn how to "walk the talk" if they were to escape the blight of the drug dependence and alcoholism. This was local Councillor Delena Foster's message to those gathered yesterday for the opening of the inaugural Palm Island Spring Festival. Mrs Foster called these social problems on Palm Island "a disease" and urged all citizens to start living by the message promoted at the festival: "Positive Life Choices". "Words without actions bear no fruit," Mrs Foster told the large gathering that flocked to the town's main sports oval. She was one of several speakers to take the main stage at the festival yesterday, opened by federal Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Senator John Herron. While yesterday's festivities did include plenty of music and revelry, the three-day event is set to rock the island today with a program including the "who's who" of Australian Indigenous bands and musicians. The festival is being broadcast live for 11 straight hours today on both the National Indigenous Radio Service and the Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association networks, the broadcasts reaching all corners of the continent. Senator Herron called the spring festival a "watershed event" in Palm Island's history, urging the community to make it's own decisions and determine its own destiny. "For too long reports have been shelved on desks...I believe Pal Island can proper but decisions must come upward from the community," he said. Senator Herron praised the work of the Palm Island Community Council in developing the festival. Former Palm Island Council chairwoman Sylvia Reuben said the most pleasing thing about the opening day of the festival was that people were talking to one another while sober, and not arguing. During the festival the council has designated as a "dry" area the main oval where most of the festivities are taking place. Indigenous health expert Gracelyn Smallwood said events such as the coming graduation of 16 Palm Islanders with a certificate in primary health care were positive steps for the tiny community. Island hops with Festival atmosphere They laughed, they sang and they ate ice cream by the bucket load. A healthy crowd flocked to Palm Island's main sporting oval yesterday for the opening day of the 200 Spring Festival, a three-day event being run under the banner of "Positive Life Choices". Indigenous acts such as Gumbudda and the Great Northern Dancers, provided the musical backdrop for the feel-good festival, with most preferring to kick back and listen to the sounds from the comfort of the many shady trees on the oval's perimeter. The warm weather ensured the ice cream van did a roaring trade. The festival continues today and tomorrow, with the Warumpi Band and Coloured Stone the musical highlights. Tonight a spectacular pyrotechnics display featuring glowing representations of local students' artwork will light the jetty and beach front. -- ********************************** 'Click' to protect the rainforest: Make the Rainforest Site your homepage! http://www.therainforestsite.com/ ********************************** ------------------------------------------------------ RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 and is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/ To unsubscribe from this list, mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], and in the body of the message, include the words: unsubscribe announce or click here mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20announce This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use." RecOzNet2 is archived for members @ http://www.mail-archive.com/recoznet2%40paradigm4.com.au/
