2011 PARTNERS

Festival Partners

Swan Hill Rural City Council

Council’s Vision

A sustainable community with a strong identity, working together for community cohesion, economic prosperity and sound environmental management.

Council’s Mission

The Swan Hill Rural City Council will lead, work with, help and empower our community to fulfil their aspirations.

Swan Hill Performing Arts

The Performing Arts program offers the community the opportunity to attend a range of quality productions.  The program delivers high standard productions that would not otherwise be available to the local and the wider community; and delivers the George Fairfax Memorial Regional Schools Theatre Festival, as part of the youth support for the Arts throughout the community and the Region.

The Victorian Arts Centre

The Arts Centre site has always been associated with arts and entertainment and has previously been home to circus, theatre, roller and ice skating, cinema and dance.

After World War II it was decided that Melbourne needed a cultural centre. After many years of discussion, a master plan was approved in 1960, with Sir Roy Grounds as the chosen architect.

During the ensuing years, and to accommodate difficulties associated with the geology of the site, changes to the original plans were made and eventually the Arts Centre emerged as two buildings – now known as the Theatres Building and Hamer Hall.

Work commenced on the Theatres in 1973 and land was acquired for the Hamer Hall (formerly the Melbourne Concert Hall) in 1975.

The building now known as Hamer Hall opened in 1982. The Theatres Building opened two years later.

The Sidney Myer Music Bowl is also an Arts Centre venue and in 2009 celebrated its 50th anniversary.

The Hugh Williamson Foundation

The Hugh D.T. Williamson Foundation was established in 1986, following the death of the founder, Hugh Dean Thomas Williamson (1901-1985). Hugh was a bank manager who rose to the position of chief executive officer of ANZ Bank, a position he held until his

retirement in 1961. He maintained a keen interest in the stockmarket and used his profits to support his community interests, which included the Salvation Army and the Victorian Arts Centre Trust.

The Foundation is administered by ANZ Philanthropy Partners. At its inception in April 1986 the Foundation’s assets were $4,900,000. By June 2007 this had grown to $35,978,227.

Over the 20 years of its existence, grants by the Foundation totalled $13,974,132.

Regional Arts Fund

The Regional Arts Fund (RAF) is supporting sustainable cultural development in communities across regional, remote and isolated parts of Australia.

A key focus is to encourage the formation of productive partnerships to support home-grown arts activities and the creation of networks to reduce isolation, exchange ideas and publicise opportunities.

The program assists the professional development of, and provides employment opportunities for, artists based in regional areas. It also helps to provide opportunities, economic and vocational, to regional areas more generally.

Providing opportunities for community members to learn arts and broader associated skills is another RAFpriority.  With RAF support, professional artists and technicians provide workshops and collaborate with community participants on a wide range of creative projects.

Regional Arts Australia, the peak national organisation promoting the development of the arts for the one-in-three Australians who live in regional, rural and remote parts of the country, also receives support through the RAF for its biennial national regional arts conference.

The Robert Salzer Foundation

The Robert Salzer Foundation is a trust for the support of the arts, notably the performing and graphic arts.
The trust fund is held solely for charitable purposes including, most notably, providing at the Trustee’s discretion, money, property or benefits to or for any body, institution, trust organisation, association or club which is carried on for the purpose of one or more of, or whose purposes include, producing, promoting, developing encouraging and/or supporting accomplishments in the field or spheres of any one or more music, ballet, literature and any other performing or graphic arts in the State of Victoria.

Community Recovery Fund

The Victorian and Australian governments are committed to supporting flood affected communities with their recovery, and have jointly established a $4 million Community Recovery Fund.

The Fund provides financial assistance to both community organisations and local councils to:

• Restore social networks and functioning; and
• Restore community facilities. 

   

Youth Inc and Freeza

Youth Inc is a one-stop shop for young people and service providers.  Young people can access all the information they need, take part in interesting anonymous discussions via the forum, and find out all the exciting things happening in “the Hill” at the same time!  Service providers can promote their events / services / activities and know that young people will always have access to this information at any time of the day or night.