Saturday’s Narooma Busking Festival was a huge success with the town buzzing from the Flat to the Plaza.
The Festival was hosted by Narooma Rotary Club, partnered with River of Art, and is part of the Australian National Busking Championships (ANBC). It was the last major event in the 2018 River of Art Festival.
Festival co-ordinator Sandra Doyle was ‘absolutely thrilled’ with the response.
At the presentation ceremony that night at Narooma Golf Club, she was effusive with her appreciation.
‘I want to thank everyone who took part: spectators (even more than last year), our 55 buskers, our major sponsors Narooma Golf Club, Club Narooma and Narooma Easts Holiday Park, as well as the many businesses and organisations that sponsored prizes and the 35 busker hot spots.
‘I also went to thank our team of volunteers from our own Rotary Club and from Lions, Quota, Probus, View, CWA and many others. We could not have done it without their help.’
Mrs Doyle particularly thanked her committee and daughter Nadine Holland.
ANBC instigator Alan Spencer of Cooma praised Sandra and her Narooma Rotary team for ‘showing the way’ with running regional championships.
‘Narooma has introduced a lot of innovation as well as showing how to involve the media, the community and small businesses in the event,’ he said.
One innovation this year was combining a car display on NATA Oval with four busking hot spots sponsored by businesses away from the centre of town.
The display featured about 30 classic cars from the Quattro Giornate Auto Classiche, the Classic and Vintage Motor Club of Eurobodalla and the Southern Motor Association, as well as new cars from the AMH Motor Group in Moruya.
Competition Awards
The four judges (Alan Spencer, long time busker Shelby Holland, Cr Lindsay Brown and Fiona Brown of Slightly Twisted Productions ) caught up with all acts through the day and made 22 awards, the major ones being:
Judges Awards:
Open Champion: First prize Yasmine Russell of Wollongong - $1,000 donated by Club Narooma
Open Second: Jackson State (Steve Jackson and Damon Davies of Springvale)
Open Third: Oscar Litchfield of Cooma
Special Judges Award: Josh Maynard of Cowra
Secondary Champion: Todd Hayward of Newcastle
Secondary Second: Felicity Dowd of Bega
Secondary Third: Potent Soap of Batemans Bay
Primary Champion: Abby May from Tilba
Primary Second Place: Fin Efraemson of Narooma
Primary Third Place: Bray Constable from Narooma
Best Band (three or more performers): Kumera Patch of Congo
Best local Award: Djembe Forte of Narooma
Rising stars award: Potent Soap of Batemans Bay
Schools Awards:
Small School Winner: Tilba Primary
Large School First: Narooma Rhythm Hunters
Large School Second: Narooma Primary School
People’s Choice Open Awards (to buskers who received the most Busker Votes):
First prize Yasmine Russell of Wollongong - $1,000 (Narooma Golf Club)
Second Prize Open: Queanbeyan Pipes & Drums
Equal Third prize: Waikovuna of South Coast and Two Dogz Plucking of Narooma
The People’s Choice School Awards
First: Narooma Rhythm Hunters
Second: Narooma Primary School
People’s Choice Under 18s:
First: Kumera Patch of Congo
Second: Potent Soap of Batemans Bay
Third: Felicity Dowd of Bega
Narooma Festival winners will be invited to compete in the ANBC National Grand Final in Cooma in November.
Above: Busking 2018 – Yasmine Russell
Winner of both the Judges and People’s Choice was Yasmine Russell of Wollongong on the electric harp. She also won the Classical Music Award, so she took home prize money totalling $2,500. She is shown here outside the CWA Rooms. Photo Laurelle Pacey
Above: Busking 2018 – Waikovuna
Waikovuna tied for third place in the People’s Choice Awards with Two Dogz Plucking. Photo Laurelle Pacey
Above; Busking 2018- Potent Soap of Batemans Bay
Potent Soap of Batemans Bay was awarded the judges’ rising star award as well as second place in the People’s Choice Under 18s. Photo Laurelle Pacey
Above: Busking 2018 – Narooma Rhythm Hunters
Narooma Rhythm Hunters won both the judges and the People’s Choice school awards. Photo Laurelle Pacey
Above: Busking 2018 – Phil McManus
Poet Phil McManus won the Not Necessarily Music Award. Seen here in the garden of the School of Arts’ Studios. Photo Laurelle Pacey
Above: Busking 2018 – Brown and Brown
Two of the Narooma Busking Competition’s four judges – Cr Lindsay Brown and Fiona Brown of Slightly Twisted Productions. Photo Laurelle Pacey
Above; Busking 2018 – Judges Alan and Selby
Two of the Narooma Busking Competition’s four judges – ANBC instigator Adam Spencer and Shelby Grace. Photo Laurelle Pacey
Above: Busking 2018 – Abby May 1 and 2
Abby May of Tilba won the Judge’s Primary Award. Photo Laurelle Pacey
Above: Busking 2018- Busking HQ - Late in the afternoon the Busking headquarters in Easts Riverside Park was full of people counting busking votes and money. Shown around the table are Ashley Stanley, Iris White, Robyn Gourley, Jim Harrold and Ann Harrold. Photo Laurelle Pacey
Above: Busking 2018 – Jackson State
Jackson State’s Steve Jackson tunes up ready for their next set while Damon Davies takes a break. The Judges’ awarded them second place in the Open section. Photo Laurelle Pacey
Above: Busking 2018 – Kumera Patch 1
Kumera Patch of Congo won the Judges Best Band Award and People’s Choice Award for under 18s. Photo Laurelle Pacey
