2008 Annual Report - Royal South Street Society

2Alfred Deakin, Joan Kirner and Dame KiriTe Kanawa all did it, and this year morethan 10,000 young people followed themonto the stage at the 2008 Royal SouthStreet Eisteddfod.Royal South Street is Australia’s longestrunning and one of the largest eisteddfodauand continues to provide opportunities forpeople to perform on stage across a widerange of disciplines.The popularity of this competition and thebreadth of performance styles covered reflectsVictoria’s vibrant performing arts scene. Peopleof all ages in Victoria are passionate about thearts, about music, dance, theatre and othercreative pursuits.Much of this passion is ignited when they areyoung, through opportunities like eisteddfodau.These events provide a fantastic access pointto the arts and performance for young people.The Brumby Government is taking action tobuild liveable communities and the arts have avery important role to play. We are committedto ensuring that people have access to a widerange of arts experiences as active participantsand as audience members.The Government is pleased to support twentysix eisteddfodau across Victoria – theseorganisations do an extraordinary job ofengaging young people and stimulating alifelong interest in the arts.The Royal South Street Society has a proudand unmatched history and tradition datingback to 1879 and I wish it all the very best forthe years to come.Lynne Kosky MPMinister for the ArtsThe Royal South Street Society would like to dedicate the 2008 Annual Report to The HughWilliamson Foundation. We thank the Foundation for their generous support of the Royal South StreetSociety and acknowledge their twelve month funding for the appointment of a Marketing Manager.Royal South Street SocietyPO Box 33 Ballarat Victoria 3353Phone: (03) 5332 1054Email: rsss@netconnect.com.auWeb: www.royalsouthstreet.com.auInformation contained in this AnnualReport was correct at the time of printing.Production AcknowledgementsProduced by The Royal South StreetSociety staff and board members.© Copyright 2008, Royal South Street SocietyDesign and production:Small Dog Design, BallaratPrinting:KingPrint, BallaratPhotograph AcknowledgementsThe Royal South Street Society would liketo thank the following organisations andbusinesses for their photographs.Design sponsoredby Small Dog DesignNL Harvey and Sons

Royal South Street SocietyOur mission is to conduct Australia’sforemost Eisteddfod, promoting,fostering and encouraging participationand interest in the performing arts.left Hayley Carter, Briana Wiggintonand Annie Sprague from BundooraCalisthenic Club.right Laura Whitehouse, Phoenix Mendozaand Madalene Taylor. Photograph courtesyof The Courier.Our vision for Royal South Street byDecember 2010 is that:~ the Eisteddfod will be financially viable andhave maintained its reputation for excellencein the performing arts world, and~ it will be identified as one of the mostimportant events on the Ballarat communityand local tourism calendar.We will carry out our mission by upholdingcore values which have contributed to thesustainability and success of Royal SouthStreet over the 129 year history including:~ being friendly and welcoming,~ respect of all our stakeholders ,~ excellence in respect to adjudicators andthe theatre,~ fostering and encouraging a love ofperforming arts,~ recognising the contributions made byour volunteers.Our passion is to promote, encourage andbuild the most successful performing arts eventin Australia. Our purpose is to continue to build,improve and conduct the longest and one ofthe largest running Australian eisteddfods.South Street’s rich history, dating back to1879, coupled with the now famous peoplewho once performed here, give us a platformto grow and promote our competitions well intothe future.www.royalsouthstreet.com.au

A short history of theRoyal South Street SocietyOn the night of July 10th 1879, eight youngmen through the instigation of William DuguidHill, came together for the purposes of mutualimprovement by way of reading, lectures, publicspeaking, and debating. At this early stage,their dream was simple and their aims weremodest, and so was born the South StreetYoung Men’s Debating Society. The Society’sbeginnings could not have been more humble,and its name less prestigious – adopting thename of the street on which they met.From the very outset, the society establisheda library and an early rule of the societyrequired all new members to present a bookto the library.In 1886, the South Street Society built thefirst of its homes. The site chosen was on thesouth side of Skipton Street, a few doors downfrom Dawson Street. It was rather a grand hall,quite large and lofty in proportions and had twoside skillion sections running full length on eachside. It contained a main hall with side roomsfor the library collection, a reading room and achess room.The first South Street Competitions wereheld in the Society’s hall in Skipton Street,with prizes totalling £63.0.0, with 260 entriesreceived. The inaugural competitions openedon June 16th 1891 and closed ten dayslater on the 26th. In contrast to the humblebeginnings of the society itself, the firstcompetitions heralded what was to follow. Onthe final night, the prize presentation ceremonywas chaired by Mayor Shoppee, the GovernorLord Hopetoun presented the prizes and theHon. Alfred Deakin gave an address.The Silver Jubilee of the Society wascelebrated in 1904 with the competitionsbeing officially opened by the prime ministerof Australia, the Right Honourable G.H. Reid.With the realisation that the competitionsneeded a larger venue, the existing SouthStreet Hall was moved to a new locationfacing Grenville Street South and a newbuilding – “The Coliseum” was erected in LittleBridge Street Ballarat in 1908, which housed8,000 people.The Society celebrated its Golden Jubilee onJuly 10th 1929 with a magnificent concertfeaturing former champions of South Street.In 1936 disaster struck when the Coliseum wasdestroyed by fire. An appeal was launched forfunds to help organise the 1936 competitionsand they were held in the Alfred Hall.

5The competitions were suspended from 1942to 1944, as a result of hostilities in the PacificTheatre during the Second World War. TheOlympic year of 1956 ushered in a new erawhen the annual eisteddfod opened in the newCivic Hall.In 1962 Her Majesty the Queen grantedpermission for the Society to use the title‘Royal South Street Society’, and for theCompetitions to be known as the ‘Royal SouthStreet Competitions’.A momentous phase in the long history ofthe society took place in July 1965, when theannouncement was made by the president,Mr Gordon Burt that the society had purchasedHer Majesty’s Theatre in Lydiard StreetSouth, Ballarat.In 1987 an agreement was signed betweenthe Royal South Street Society and the City ofBallaarat (as it was then known), transferringthe freehold of Her Majesty’s Theatre to thecity. This was part of an arrangement with theState Government to fund extensive restorationand renovation work that was undertakenthroughout the theatre.Over the years many Prime Ministers, GovernorGenerals, State Governors and variousluminaries such as Dame Nellie Melba haveofficiated at the Comps. The South Streetcompetitions have been a launching pad forthe careers of many famous artists includingAmy Castles, Peter Dawson, Gladys Moncrief,Zoe Caldwell, Betty Pounder, Dame Kiri TiKanawa, Jonathon Summers, John Pringle andAnthony Callea.The Royal South Street Society todaystages the longest running and one of thelargest Australian eisteddfods. In 2008 thecompetitions attracted 6,689 entries whichequates to over 10,000 competitors, makingover 40,000 onstage appearances in sixteendisciplines, watched by a paying audience of29,187 people.1891 competition received 260 entries,2008 totalled 6689 entries117 years of competitionPaying audienceof 29187 in 2008www.royalsouthstreet.com.au

President’s reportleft Royal South Street Society President,Don Rickerby.right Anna Onea from KingstonCalisthenic College. Photograph courtesyof The Courier.The 2008 year has been a very interesting onefor the Royal South Street Society.The competitions were staged with theusual professionalism and efficiency thatis the hallmark of the society. Everyoneparticipating and involved in the event isto be congratulated, as it takes all levelsof contribution to present an event of thissize. The committee and section chairmenperformed exceptionally well and gave directionto their teams of supporting volunteers.The Business Plan which was completedin 2007 and action items for this year wereacted upon. The critical aspects of the SouthStreet operation were targeted and reformscommenced. This is a process that is ongoingand will take a significant amount of input andtime from the board to achieve. The paralleldemands of managing the “Comps” slowedthe progress of this work.A critical aspect of the Business Planrecommendations was the employment of aMarketing Manager. Mrs Emma Sbardella wasemployed in this role and has already showngreat innovation and application to that aspectof the enterprise, with early results showinggreat promise. We are confident that thisposition will be a significant factor in improvingthe image and financial viability ofthe organisation.The State Government has actively supportedthe eisteddfod movement with a financial grant.South Street was appointed to manage thedistribution of the funds to all eisteddfodau onbehalf of the government.South Street is primarily a volunteer runorganisation and it is a credit to the numberand quality of our volunteers that we are ableto stage an annual event of this magnitude,which is by far the largest eisteddfod inVictoria. We conduct the competitions for threemonths, generally with three sessions a day forthousands of competitors. The South Streetvolunteers are skilled and well trained in theatreoperations. We have an ever expanding needfor more volunteers to lighten the load for thecurrent group and to replace volunteers as theyretire or have other commitments. Volunteersare the heart and soul of the organisation andwithout them we could not continue to operatethe eisteddfod as well we do. The numberof available volunteers this year has beenaffected by many aspects such as competingdemands (eg. family, financial, other events),illness (of self and family), travel and no longerbeing active. This has resulted in the first useof employed staff in the Front of House formany years. This has had a substantial financialimpact on the Society and we must addressthis problem as it is crucial to the viability of theeisteddfod. I would encourage anyone who

7may have even a small thought of becoming aSouth Street volunteer to contact us as we arein need of your help. If the response from ourcurrent volunteers is anything to go by, you willthoroughly enjoy the experience.The input to our operations from our office staffis immense. The diverse requirements of themany sections and the processing of the largenumber of entries, requires very skilled anddevoted staff. This year we have increasedsupport staff but the work is still intense duringthe competitions. South Street is indeedfortunate to have such a wonderful team.The “Comps” themselves went very well withthe dire predictions of no Calisthenic teamsfrom South Australia, proved to be very wrong.Last year the South Australian state team had110 competitors, this year we had six newSouth Australian clubs bringing 259 competitorswhich is a fantastic outcome. Had South Streetnot changed the entry criteria these clubswould not have been able to compete.This year we had some discipline casualties,the organ section was not presented. The“Comps” have always changed, sections havecome and gone. This year’s competitionshave been extremely successful and we havemaintained the high standards of South Street.The range of the sections and the extremelyhigh standard of the competitors makes itimpossible to target specific areas for extrapraise. The “Comps” are largely youth orientedand the skill, talents and discipline of thecompetitors sets the ground for their futurecareers, no matter where they may lay. Theschools and the teachers of the competitorsshould also be praised, and we acknowledgetheir immense involvement.This year we have struggled with the increasedcost of staging the event and have had to raisemany of our charges and entry fees to off-setthe increasing costs. This is a problem areaas the society believes that competitor entryprices and audience admission costs are attheir limits, so there is little room to increasethese charges. Thus, one of the project aimsfor the Marketing Manager is to generateincome from other sources, such asattracting sponsorship.Annual reports are the opportunity to thankthose who have helped throughout the year.I sincerely want to say to all who contributed“Well Done.” Your contribution is known, notedand more importantly appreciated. However, Iwould, be remiss if I did not specifically mentionthe help and support I and the society receivesfrom my wife, Jennifer. Her contribution andfocus has been pivotal to me over the last twoyears as president.Although we are in financially difficult timesthere are many positives for the Royal SouthStreet Society. The review of our businessactivities, the enactment of new practicesfor the future and the seeking of increasedsponsorship will address the financial aspectsof the Eisteddfod.We are always looking for new ways to developthe “Comps” and this will include many newinitiatives, some obvious and some not,however I am sure there are exciting timesahead. This year we have been developinga competition computer system, which wehope to launch in 2010, which will facilitateonline competitor entry registrations. This willbe a great improvement in data managementand will streamline other duties performed byoffice staff such as collating information forguide books. This project will also give us theopportunity to incorporate additional softwaredesigned by University of Ballarat InformationTechnology students to streamline processesBackstage. I would like to acknowledgethe contribution of Leigh Vincent, from theuniversity in this regard.Finally, we trust that all participants acrossthe broad spectrum of our endeavours haveenjoyed the overall experience, that is distinctlySouth Street.Don RickerbyPresidentleft St Gerard’s Calisthenic Club, SeniorsDivision 5.centre Adam Wood Semi Finalist, HeraldSun Aria 2008. Photograph courtesy ofThe Courier.right Weapons of Mass Percussion fromBallarat Grammar School – Showcase 2008.www.royalsouthstreet.com.au

Chief ExecutiveOfficer’s reportleft Royal South Street Society ChiefExecutive Officer Peter Bowler.right Matt Cram from MJ Dance Studio.Photograph courtesy of The Courier.This year has been an interesting one for boardmembers and staff. In order to meet risingcosts associated with the use of Her Majesty’sTheatre, the board made a decision to increasecompetitor entry fees. At the time there wassome concern that entry levels may suffer,but we ended up attracting 6,689 entries,which was only 426 less that the 2007 figureof 7,115. A number of competitors told usthat factors such as the state of the economyand in particular rising petrol prices, had madeit more difficult than other years for them toparticipate in the South Street experience.One of the more rewarding tasks that I havebeen involved in during the year has been thecoordination of the $100,000 funding that theState Government made available to Victorianeisteddfodau, through Arts Victoria. The RoyalSouth Street Society was appointed as thelead agency for the funding for twenty sixeisteddfodau and my role was to process all ofthe forms and other paper work and to managethe distribution of the funds.The Society has gained considerable kudosfrom being involved in this exercise and I havegained significant satisfaction from being thefacilitator for eisteddfodau receiving muchneeded funding. It is also reassuring to knowthat the $100,000 funding will be continuing forthe next three years.I have been pleased to represent the Societyas a member of a number of delegationsto politicians and City of Ballarat councillorsand staff members to protect and further theinterests of the Society. Mr Geoff HowardMLA, Member for Ballarat East, has been mostsupportive in advising us on state governmentpolicy funding matters. As chairman of theLabor party country caucus, he played asignificant role in securing the funding forEisteddfodau through Arts Victoria and hehas continued to support us as the grantprocess has unfolded. Ms Catherine King MP,Member for Ballarat, has also been helpfulwith her advice on how to approach theCommonwealth government for funding.Another enjoyable part of my year hasbeen the building and strengthening of theSociety’s relationship with the Hugh WilliamsonFoundation. We met with the Trustees twicethis year and on both occasions they providedgenerous financial support. The fundingenabled us to purchase computers for thecompetitor registration system, choir risers andto employ our new Marketing Manager.The development of our new website has beenexciting and the creative work done by SmallDog Design Pty Ltd, has been most rewarding.With 16,800+ unique visitors from April throughto November, the site has given the Society

9great publicity and exposure to our competitorsand supporters.The office staff have worked very hard toensure that the competitions continue to runsuccessfully. This year marked our OfficeManager, Gayle Border’s fifteenth eisteddfodas a part-time and full-time employee of thesociety. Her enthusiasm and creativity incoming up with fresh solutions to problems,continues to be outstanding. We have alsobeen very fortunate to retain the servicesof Kelly Steegstra for her fifth eisteddfod.Kelly’s knowledge and experience has grownsignificantly over that time and she is a valuablesupport to Gayle. This year our other part-timestaff were Jackie Berry and Selina Stewart.The appointment of Emma Sbardella asMarketing Manager in August, has been animportant step. Emma has demonstrateda high level of expertise in introducingsystems to raise the Society’s profile andher ability to engage our competitors andsupporters in providing evidence of thevalue of the competitions, has been verymuch appreciated.My involvement with board members hasagain been a source of great satisfaction. Witha number of members having in excess oftwenty-years service with the Society, I haveaccumulated invaluable knowledge from theirgenerous advice and guidance. The dedicationof board members and our Front of House andBackstage volunteers, in running Australia’sbest eisteddfod has been inspirational.Peter BowlerChief Executive Officerabove Showcase performers 2008.Photograph courtesy of The Courier.www.royalsouthstreet.com.au

Strategic Planningand Future Directionleft Caitlyn Brouwer. Photograph courtesyof The Courier.right Laetitia Ekman, Shawnee McIntoshand Trenton James from StawellSecondary College. Photograph courtesyof The Courier.Strategic PlanningThe South Street competitions contribute inexcess of $10 million annually to the Ballarateconomy by attracting approximately 10,000+competitors and their families annually to thecity; spending money on accommodation,gifts, clothing, food, and visitations to localattractions and destinations.To ensure the continued success ofthe society, the board of managementcommissioned Strong Consulting in 2007,to work with the staff and society to producea five-year strategic plan. The strategic planwas commissioned to help in the process ofdeveloping a ‘Survival Strategy’; essentially aplan to ensure the growth and sustainabilityof this long-standing event that has addedso much to the quality of life in Ballarat over129 years.The plan sets out objectives and strategies forthe following areas:~ Marketing,~ The board,~ The competitions,~ People including staff and volunteers,~ Operations,~ Financial.This year has seen the staff and the boardcommence the planning and work required tomeet the strategic objectives set out in the planto ensure long-term sustainability of this event.

11Future Direction of the BoardWith the advent of a revised constitution andcritical assessment of the function of the board,we plan to move forward with due attention tolong-term sustainability of the competitions andsuccession planning across all areas.Our board will remain as it is (well under themaximum of fourteen), and new people willonly be added to this administrative body ascurrent members step away or retire. Ourintention is to establish an eight member boardand develop a second tier of competitionorganisation. No longer will it be a case thatonly board members control and run specificdisciplines, indeed this model is already inoperation in the Debating discipline.It is obvious that the need to attend meetingsand be involved across everything is notencouraging of new, vital, and enthusiasticChairmen. We will work towards a modelwhereby a Chairman runs a discipline with allthe attendant responsibilities and then, otherthan review and forward planning, can stepaway until the following year.We well know that it is almost impossible toattract experience and commitment on a fulltimevoluntary basis. With the recent additionof our Marketing Manager, the profile of SouthStreet is gaining fantastic momentum andwe must all address ourselves to successionplanning that allows passionate people-existingand new, to excel but not burn out.Eventually, we see the eight administratorsbeing free of specific discipline matters andaddressing themselves to the corporategovernance, infrastructure, professional detailand growth of this amazing Eisteddfod. Formany reasons, quite a number of Victorianand interstate competitions have folded,not the least reason being the overload onaging volunteer personnel and the scarcity ofresources. South Street is strong, extremelywell regarded Australia wide and has avibrant future.Thanks to a very well structured BusinessPlan we can address the plan’s objectivesand implement recommendations beforeit is too late, thus moving the Society andthe Competitions towards a model that issustainable well into the future.above Tansy Kember from FunstarCalisthenic Group. Photograph courtesyof The Courier.South Street BoardNovember 2008www.royalsouthstreet.com.au

Highlights for the yearand special occasionsleft Back row: Stephen Jones, Dr WilliamPryor, Front Row: Ron Harrington, Dr SydGiddy and Liz Heagney – ceremonycelebrating Order of Australia Medalsat Town Hall. Photograph courtesy ofThe Courier.right Mark and Gayle Border, Jackie Berry,Kelly and John Steegstra at the 2008Showcase evening.Ron Harrington OAMRon Harrington has been a long servingvolunteer at South Street, and a boardmember for twenty-five years. Ron is in chargeof the Calisthenics discipline. Each year hepassionately and diligently ensures that thissection goes off without a hitch. This yearCalisthenics ran for twenty-seven days straight.During that time, ninety three clubs attendedthe competition, seventy two from Victoria andnineteen from interstate. This results in excessof 19,552 on stage performers during that time.Ron Harrington was awarded an Order ofAustralia Medal in 2008 for his “service to thecommunity of Ballarat, particularly throughthe Royal South Street Society.” SouthStreet congratulates Ron on his significantcommitment to the Competitions and to theBallarat Community and we celebrate with himthis prestigious award.Sponsors and DonorsAll our sponsors, supporters and significantdonors were invited to the 2008 Showcaseevening, which featured entertainingperformances from this year’s competitions.The evening commenced with a privatefunction for our sponsors and donors in theLong Room, to thank them for their contributionto this year’s competition. Guests wereentertained with some quiet backgroundmusic by local pianist Oliver Zehrung, whileenjoying a drink and some nibbles. Thefunction was attended by approximatelyone hundred people who then enjoyed theevening’s fantastic entertainment.Arts Victoria GrantIn 2006 the State Government allocated$400,000 over four years to strengtheneisteddfodau across Victoria. The fundingis being administered by Arts Victoria and isto assist eisteddfodau with the payment ofadjudicators’ costs.The Royal South Street Society has enteredinto an agreement with Arts Victoria todistribute the funds to the eisteddfodau. TheRoyal South Street Society’s agreed role is tocoordinate the distribution and administrationof the grants and the acquittal reports to ArtsVictoria to account for the grants. The level ofgrants to all societies was based pro rata onthe number of entrants each eisteddfod societyreported in 2007.In 2008 the Royal South Street Society’s shareof the funding was $18,000, this is a fantasticassistance to the society but goes only part ofthe way to paying the adjudicators costs whichin 2008 totalled $78,000.

13Famous Past Facesof South StreetBrooke LockettBrooke Lockett started dancing at the tenderage of three, “Mum thought it would be goodfor poise, elegance and something every littlegirl might enjoy doing, little did she know I wouldturn it into my career.” Brooke loved dancingfrom day one and has been dancing ever since.Brooke began competing at South Street in1993 at the age of seven. She continued tocompete for nine years receiving many awardsduring her time at the competitions, includingwinning the prestigious Courier Classical Balletsolo in 2001.Brooke studied Ballet with Trudy and LisaHarris in Ballarat and was accepted into TheAustralian Ballet School’s Junior Program at theage of thirteen. At fifteen she was acceptedinto The Australian Ballet School’s full timeprogram and moved to Melbourne to continueher training.Brooke has an Advanced Diploma in Danceand is now a Corps de Ballet member with TheAustralian Ballet travelling and performing allover the world. Currently Brooke is in Sydneyperforming at the Sydney Opera House withThe Australian Ballet Company. She is at theend of her third year in the Corps de Ballet.Brooke is lucky enough to travel interstate andinternationally constantly with The AustralianBallet. She was a part of the Auckland,Shanghai 2006 tour and the Tokyo 2007 tourall of which have been major highlights ofher career thus far. This Summer Brooke isembarking on another adventure. After beingawarded the Khitercs Scholarship she istravelling to Europe for 4 weeks to explore theworld of dance internationally, where she willbe taking ballet classes with various companiesand seeing many companies perform.Brooke says she couldn’t possibly pick ahighlight in her career because she is in themidst of an amazing journey. “Ask me in tenyears when I am reflecting on all of it!” shesays. “Many shows with the company havebeen highlights, but recently performingCygnets in Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake inParis was extraordinary.”To Brooke South Street was the foundation forwhat has become a life long love of performingand is now her career which enables her to dowhat she loves and travel all over the world.She believes it was those days that planted theseed which has grown and flourished over theyears for her confidence and artistry on stage.“The atmosphere that is created at Royal SouthStreet and the wonderful organisation behind itis something I will never forget.”Brooke has many fond memories of SouthStreet. “As a young girl I remember countingdown in my diary until South Street began. Iwould cover my program with ballet picturesand highlight all of my friend’s names. The bestmemories are of all the friends I made andcatching up with people from all over Australiaeach year.“Troupes were also something I looked forwardto so very much, being on stage with yourclosest friends and showing pieces you hadworked so hard on.“Getting to perform in that beautiful theatreeach year was so special and winning theCourier Classic in my final year was probablythe most memorable and exciting momentover all my years of competition. It was mylast time performing on that stage and it wasso unexpected considering that I was theyoungest in the section. It was never aboutthe prizes for me it was about the wonderfulpeople I was surrounded by and being able toperform on stage.“I would like to thank the entire RoyalSouth Street Society and everyone who isinvolved with it, because for the nine yearsI was involved it created some of the mostmemorable moments of my life and ones I’llnever forget. The friendly faces and constantencouragement is something you alwaysremember. Not only was it a chance tocompete against the most outstanding talentbut I also made lifelong friends.”centre Brooke Lockett. Photographcourtesy of The Australian Ballet,photograph taken by Jeff Busby.right Brooke Lockett. Photograph courtesyof The Australian Ballet, photograph takenby James Braund.www.royalsouthstreet.com.au

Discipline reportsleft Natasha Parkhurst – GracefulSolo competitor.Photograph courtesy of The Courier.right Oliver Zehrung and George Meek –Pianoforte duet. Photograph courtesy ofThe Courier.opposite Maidie Widmer. Photographcourtesy of The Courier.This year we celebrated our 117th year ofcompetition, running morning, noon and nightthroughout August, September and October.There were 95 days of competition showcasingtalented young people in a range of disciplinesincluding Highland Bands, Highland Dancing,Junior Vocal, Debating, Modern Vocal,Pianoforte, One Act Play Festival, Speech andDrama, Brass Bands, Instrumental, SeniorVocal, Choral, Dance and Calisthenics. Thecompetitions attract over 10,000+ peoplecontributing to approximately 40,000+ onstageperformances this year alone. In 2008 RoyalSouth Street distributed $80,890 in prizemoney and $10,400 on trophies and medalsfor competitors.Modern Vocal and Country MusicThis year saw 213 entries in the modern vocalsection slightly down on the 2007 entries.All age sections were well attended producinga high standard of singing. The section ranvery smoothly all be it with a clash with BrassBands resulting in some problems withvolunteer availabilities.The Saturday evening was very entertainingwith the open section staged with duet andtrio ensembles all of a very high standard. Thissection ran slightly overtime this year but willbe fixed with some slight rearranging in nextyears program.The Country Music sections were also of avery high standard attracting 34 competitorsthis year as compared to 27 entries in2007. The adjudicators presented the prizesonstage and were pleased with the standardof competitors, they gave very detailed critsfor all performers. Many thanks to this year’sadjudicators of the Modern Vocal and CountryMusic sections Gerald and Stephanie Maricoowners of Jinglebreadman Productions.The theatre technicians were very helpfulduring these disciplines and our thanks asalways goes out to them for their assistance.Thanks also to our generous sponsor GrahamHodge from Redwood Recording Studios forproviding ten recording sessions to winners ofthe solo sections.Thanks also to all the committee andvolunteers who contributed to the success ofModern Vocal and Country Music.Lloyd HarveyChairman

15PianoforteThe piano season spanning age groups fromeight years and under to open age produceda standard of playing and presentation that wasmost pleasing. A few new teachers broughtstudents to share in the three days of competitionand expressed their pleasure in the venue andthe welcome extended to everyone. Indeedseveral of our regular teachers commented onthe very obvious interaction and mutual supportbetween the young pianists from the local areaand those from further a-field.Our adjudicator, Mr Darryl Coote from theMelbourne Team of Pianists Studio, was anexcellent choice in every way. It was his firstexperience at South Street and he warmlyindicated that he would enjoy a return visit atanother time. His comments were practical,encouraging, and most instructive to all whowere at the Diocesan Centre. He came witha broad base of international experience andwillingly spent additional time in the form ofa mini master class with the VCE and seniorstudents. As a VCE examiner he shared hisvaluable insights into the repertoire to becovered and the way in which students at thislevel can prepare themselves for this next stepin their development.A teachers’ meeting was held prior to theend of the South Street season and severalexciting ideas were discussed along with othersuggestions, which were raised informally bythe adjudicator during his time at the DiocesanCentre. One major change is to relocate theFrank Robinson-Smith Scholarship from the14 years and under, to the 19 years and underand to make the compulsory unit for the awardconsideration, the existing Recital section.Our splendid team of writers facilitatedreadable clear crits, and the duty team for eachsession along with the generous assistancefrom the office staff ensured that the sectionran smoothly and was an enjoyable few dayscelebrating the music of the piano. I extend mysincere appreciation to all who shared in thedays of music and my best wishes to thosenew people who started their South Streetexperience at the Pianoforte.Barb DunlopChairmanMichael StewartDeputy95 days of competition10,000+ competitors40,000+ performers onstagewww.royalsouthstreet.com.au

left Grace McGuigan – Pianoforte.Photograph courtesy of The Courier.centre Begonia City Highland DanceGroup – Showcase 2008.right Kate Barry, Hyenn Yoon and SophieHamilton from Blackburn High School.Photograph courtesy of The Courier.Highland DancingThe 2008 Royal South Street Society andVictorian Scottish Union Incorporated HighlandDancing Competition was held at the BallaratSpecialist School, Gillies Street North,Wendouree on May 17th.Forty solo competitors participated and forthe first time in several years there were notroupes competing. Because of this, the solodancing program was extended to provide avery entertaining day. The competition includedsections for under ten years of age throughto open age. Competitors were presentedwith medals for first, second and third placesand honourable mention certificates forfourth place.Adjudicators Roma Burlop, Lyn Hateley andBill Schrank officiated throughout the day,assisted by their writers Kerryn Elliott, MaryJonasson and Lorraine Schrank. ColleenDouglas carried out registration duties andNeil Douglas and Lionel Williams acted asthe stewards. As the Victorian Scottish Unionwas unable to secure the services of a piper,dancers performed to recorded music.The Society continues to enjoy a veryharmonious relationship with the VictorianScottish Union Incorporated and bothorganisations work hard to ensure that theday is highly successful. Once again SouthStreet board members and volunteersmade an outstanding contribution to theday’s proceedings.Highland Pipe BandsThe Royal South Street Society’s HighlandPipe Band Competition was conductedon the foreshore of Lake Wendouree onFebruary 24th.Volunteers worked on the Saturday cuttingthe grass and raking the leaves preparing theground for competition. Sunday was a finebut cool day as volunteers set out the publicbarriers, erected the BBQ area, strung up SouthStreet Signs, and supplied power to tents andcaravans. Marshalls were kept busy in the finetune area, while Ric and Barb Dunlopmarshalled on the Botanic Garden side of thelake and kept all bands notified and on time.The program commenced at midday. In totalwe had twenty bands competing. In today’sclimate this is a very high number of bandscompeting at any one competition. The Lakelocation is appreciated by all who compete, asthey really enjoy playing under the tree canopy.We were very pleased to have as our HonoraryChieftain, the Pipe Major of the University ofBallarat Pipe Band, Mr James Easdon whotook the salute as the massed bands marchedpast after presentations of prizes and shieldshad been made. The Victorian Highland PipeBand Association is very supportive and theyreally appreciate the conduct and location ofthis calendar event.Unfortunately this year our Highland Pipe Bandscompetition clashed with a bicycle race aroundthe lake. This severely restricted parking andresulted in South Street attracting a very smallaudience and fewer sales at our BBQ tent.On October 4th, Peter Zala attended theannual meeting of the Victorian Highland PipeBand Association held at the Ringwood RSL.Peter attended on behalf of South Street toreceive a plaque presented by the VictorianHighland Pipe Band Association in recognitionof our many years of association.To conclude may I say thank you to all of theSouth Street board, staff, and volunteers whogave their time and effort in making this day avery successful and pleasant one.Brian McInnisInstrumental ChairmanBrass BandsThe Victorian Brass Band Championshipsconducted by the Royal South Street Societyin conjunction with the Victorian Bands League,were held at The Wendouree PerformingArts Centre on August 23rd and 24th. Thechampionships have grown this year with a

17total of twenty nine bands competing overthe two days which is ten more bands thanlast year.Saturday commenced with the “C”, “B” and“A” Grade Concert Bands from all over Victoriaand one interstate Band from Unley in SouthAustralia, followed by a Junior “C” and one“A” Grade Band presenting in the evening.Adjudicating Saturday was James Brice.James is Conductor in residence at KnoxGrammar School, New South Wales.The coveted Frank Wright Medal which wasinstituted in 2001 is awarded to an individualto recognise outstanding contribution tobrass music in Australia was unfortunatelynot awarded this year, steps will be taken toensure that it continues in 2009. The medal isnamed after Frank Wright, born at Smeaton in1901, who became a leading cornet soloistand conductor, brass band adjudicator andarranger based in London.Sunday’s program commenced with five“D”, followed by Six “C”, and then five “B”Grade Bands. This was the largest BrassBand weekend that we have had for manyyears and a fantastic weekend of brassmusic was enjoyed by all. Adjudicator PeterYounghusband from Perth enjoyed theopportunity to listen to the Victorian BrassBands, he commented on the very highstandard and conduct of this competition.My thanks to the President of the VBL MrChris Bowman and competition convenorRobyn Solumn for their efforts in making thisweekend a great success. Thanks also to MrPeter Pollard who chaired all day Saturdayand a session on Sunday. Thanks to the verydependable Iris and Warwick Wentworth fortheir continued support over the whole day,and to all of the other volunteers for theircontinued support.Brian R McInnisChairmanJunior VocalOnce again the young singers presented thisyear at the Diocesan Centre in Lydiard StreetSouth. The entries were a little more than theprevious year, although the attendance ratediminished markedly in the older age group.This was primarily due to a clash of dates forthe rehearsals and performances of schoolmusicals conducted by two of Ballarat’s privateschools. This was most disappointing for SouthStreet and even more so for the singers whowished to have the benefit of independentevaluation of their emerging voices. As manysingers came from country and metropolitanareas, the sections were still contested. Asour dates were known well in advance, thissituation was most unfortunate. None the lessthe standard of work presented was, on thewhole, of an increasingly mature nature andbodes well for those singers wishing to move onto the VCA and like institutions. Male singerswere few in number, but those that did presenthad very fine voices and were much encouragedby gaining placements in several sections.Mr Ian Lowe, from Melbourne was a splendidadjudicator, who brought a wealth of musicality,experience, understanding, common senseand humour to his on stage comments.His remarks were definitely appreciated bythe students, and their teachers. It was apleasure to work with him and I am sure he toothoroughly enjoyed his four days with us.Circumstances necessitated engagingtwo Melbourne based Associate Artists-Accompanists, for two days each. AmandaHodder accompanied the younger studentswith skill and an encouraging manner whichput them at ease. She was followed by LindaO’Brien, a pianist who read beautifully theinsecurities, needs, energy, and emotions ofthe chosen songs. As with Amanda Hodder,she too complimented the section and bothladies worked well with our Chairmen andthe adjudicator.Our coordinator of the Writers, Mrs VivienneEdlund, chose a most capable and responsibleteam to staff the four days, and I thank hermost sincerely.left Feet Jazz ensemble from BallaratClarendon College – Showcase 2008.right Shannon Busch – Junior Vocal.Photograph courtesy of The Courier.www.royalsouthstreet.com.au

left Stacey Alleaume prepares for herperformance in the Semi Final of theHerald Sun Aria. Photograph courtesy ofHerald Sun.right The 2008 Herald Sun Aria finalists.Photograph courtesy of Herald Sun.Likewise, my warmest thanks to all thevolunteers who gave of their time and to MrsJennifer Rickerby for her attention to staffing theFront of House. We all enjoyed ourselves andI believe that we presented a well structured,enjoyable and trouble free first discipline for the2008 Season.Informal discussions with both Mr Lowe andLinda O’Brien gave rise to a few ideas to floatat the teachers’ meeting to be held before theend of the year.In line with our forthcoming changes to theboard and the need for training up newdiscipline personnel, I worked closely with anew lady, who may well consider preparing andpresenting this discipline within a few years.Barb DunlopChairmanPeter ZalaDeputySenior VocalEntries in the Senior Vocal section have beendeclining in recent years and appearancerates have also been falling in many sections.In order to maintain a competition in classicalvocal we have amalgamated a number ofsections in order to provide sufficient numbersfor adjudication. In recent years we havecombined the male and female solos, the folkand spiritual songs.This year we further condensed art songsand solos, combined the ballad with folkand spirituals, and songs by Australian borncomposers. This event, which combined foursections, only attracted ten entries of whichfour appeared. This was fairly indicative of mostsections. The vocal aggregate awards werewon by Lauren Oldham from Mooroolbark.Our Senior Vocal adjudicator this year wasMargaret Dalglish who did a marvellous jobunder trying conditions.In response to the declining number of entriesin this section the board has made a decisionthat the Senior Vocal section will not continuein 2009 in its present format. South Street willbe offering a Classical Vocal section, which willencompass Junior and Senior Vocal in a limitedamount of sections.The 84th Herald Sun Aria contest was,however, an occasion of considerable joywith fifty one entries, which is in line withrecent years and it was generally agreed thatwe witnessed a semi final and final of highcalibre. The Aria was won by Natalie Aroyanfrom Prahran, with Anna Lucy Whitehead,a former Ballarat girl, in second place. Ouradjudicators were Richard Dival OBE, JenniferBirmingham OAM, and John Bolton Wood– a long standing Principal Artist with OperaAustralia. This was a very experienced paneland we were fortunate to have Jennifer returnto South Street and to obtain the services ofJohn whom we have been approaching formany years. The Herald Sun Aria will remainunchanged for 2009.Peter ZalaChairmanSpeech and DramaAt the onset of the year for Speech and Dramawas the unexpected resignation of RolandKaval, the section coordinator. Roland hadmanaged the section for many years and hiswork commitments made it impossible tocontinue. South Street is very sorry for his lossand wishes to record our sincere thanks forhis input and would very much like to see hisreturn at a later date. Roland had done mostof the arrangements for the coming year andI was lucky to fall into an already arrangedsection, many thanks Roland.The 2008 Speech and Drama section had agreat number of entries and the competition

19was very competitive. The standard ofcompetition from the juniors to the seniors wasexcellent and to be commended.Our adjudicator, Ms Victoria Clancy providedexcellent adjudication and feedback to thecompetitors and made the act of competingless threatening, but still challenging. She wasvery much appreciated by the competitors, theaudience and the South Street volunteers.The competitors were well prepared andorganised by their teachers. The preregistrationpreparation by the speech and drama teachersmade the registration process run smoothly.Again the section was well manned byvolunteers and without them it would nothave succeeded. Both Front of House andBackstage volunteers merged into a well rungroup. I greatly appreciate the volunteerscorporation and commitment.In essence this years Speech and Dramawent very well. It was a pleasure to have beeninvolved. Now for next year!Don RickerbyChairmanOne Act Play FestivalThe One Act Play Festival was once again asuccessful venture this being the seventeenthfestival staged in conjunction with the BallaratNational Theatre. It was staged on August 16thand 17th, fourteen plays were presented overfour sessions and all were of a high standard.The adjudicator was playwright and directorJohn Stephens and this was the first time in thehistory of the Play Festival that we have inviteda previous adjudicator back. John previouslyadjudicated for us in 2003. For the first time wehad a tie in the award for best female actor, thislast occurred about four years ago with a tie forbest male actor.The number of entries, while not as high aspreviously, was still pleasing given the fairlyhigh cost of rights, accommodation, and highpetrol prices at the time. Five of the plays wereentries from Sydney, and one Ballarat motelbenefited to the tune of approximately sixtypeople for each of three nights which, whenone considers the other expenditure on mealsetc. this was not an inconsiderable boost tothe local economy.My thanks go to Wendy Hall Ballarat NationalTheatre, (deputy chair), Barb Dunlop andJulian Oldfield Ballarat National Theatre for theirtireless efforts, a team incidentally which hasbeen together now for many years.Peter ZalaChairmanChoralThe lead-up to the Choral section went finewith checklists being used and timelinesfor administrative details being met. I had alot of contact with the choirs in the lead upto this discipline. I had some very positivefeedback about this year’s competition, overallthis section ran well, with only a few minorproblems. We witnessed some wonderfulsinging and there were a couple of outstandingchoirs who performed at South Street for thefirst time.Our adjudicator, Allison Harrigan, once again,performed her task brilliantly. A number ofChoral directors commented on how good itwas to come to South Street because theyknew that they were going to have the “best”as far as adjudication was concerned. Thethree day format, including a Sunday, meantthat we had a less-stressful time in terms ofprogramming. I also think that our audiencenumbers would have been considerably higherfor the secondary school choirs. Generally,the audiences were good with virtually fullhouses for the Primary School Choirs sections.I’m not certain that the added expense of anextra day is justified but, had we not had lastminute withdrawals we would have had a fullbut manageable programme. Far better thanleft Sharon Corbier and Helen Ellis of the1812 Theatre Company who jointly wonbest actress award and best productionaward for their play Dolores. Photographcourtesy of The Courier.right Audience at Choral Tuesday 16thSeptember 2008.www.royalsouthstreet.com.au

left Kate Saunders – Woodwind Solo.Photograph courtesy of The Courier.right Tyson Morrissy – Brass Solo.opposite left Lucy McDermott andLaura Quinan.opposite right Waiting in the wingsto perform. Photograph courtesy ofThe Courier.eleven o’clock finishes at night with choirs havingto return to Melbourne, Bendigo and Geelongand kids having to go to school next morning.For the first time since I have been involvedwith the Choral section the committee nowconsists of more than Barb and me. We haverecruited two new and keen members Judyand Frank Vagg. We also have the possibilityof another young person joining the committee.The first task for this committee is to putin place and revise checking systems thathopefully will overcome the minor problemsexperienced this year. I am also delighted thathaving a keen committee means that we areon the way to developing a succession plan forthe Choral discipline.Michael StewartChairmanInstrumental (Solos andEnsembles, WoodwindPercussion and Orchestras)The Diocesan Centre was an excellentvenue for instrumental, a fact on which theadjudicator, teachers and competitors madecomment. Our adjudicator for Strings, WendyGalloway was splendid and her comments,advice and common sense enhanced theexperience for all. At my request she gave verydetailed consideration to the VCE sectionswhich was most appreciated by both thestudents and teachers.It was disappointing that the Ballarat schoolswere lightly represented in the instrumentalsection. Perhaps some follow up would beprudent for next year. Given that two schoolsfrom out of Ballarat supported the Brass,Guitar, Woodwind and Strings so strongly, andin some cases exclusively, some of morningstarting times were too early.All our adjudicators, Major Graham Lloyd,Brenton Broadstock, William Broughton, MarkFord and Ben Smart were all that we could askfor. Again, extra time was given to comments atthe VCE level, a learning experience for us all.Special mention must be made of Ben Smartwho filled in within a day’s notice to adjudicatethe percussion section.I would suggest that next year more days beset aside for Instrumental. This would allow forreasonable meal breaks for the professionalswho work so hard to give helpful and criticalfeedback to our competitors.My personal thanks to all who assisted meduring the absence of Brian McInnis andin particular Michael Jongebloed and thetechnical staff at Her Majesty’s Theatre.Barb DunlopActing ChairmanUnfortunately through family commitments Iwas not able to preside over the first days ofthe Instrumental section, but did get in thelast four days of the ensembles. My personalthanks to Barb and Ric Dunlop who on top oftheir own disciplines stepped in and lookedafter the first six days and I congratulate themboth on a sterling job.The change to the Peter Martin Memorial rulesagain resulted in a pleasing and very highstandard of competition enjoyed by players andaudience alike. VCE student ensembles hadtwo vocal groups this year and I expect thatmore will enter in the years to come. Having allof the Stage Bands on the one day proved lesswork for side stage volunteers and should becontinued in next years programming.Again an extremely high standard of ensembleperformances competed this year and it isvery important that we again attract the bestadjudicators for our competition.As always thanks to all of the South Streetboard, staff and volunteers who put manyhours of dedicated work in ensuring that wepresent the very best in competition.Brian McInnisChairman

21DancingThe Dancing disciple ran for 15.66 days fromSeptember 19th until the October 4th. Weraised the entry fees this year, thus reducingthe competition to our eighth largest. Increasingentry fees was for two reasons to combatthe ever increasing operational costs and toensure a more manageable program so therewas less pressure and more reasonable workhours for all involved. We dealt with the leasthelp we have ever had, and with unnecessaryfrustrating technical control, otherwise it wasa happy, friendly and very successful Dancecompetition. Our most valued adjudicatorswere Sandra Haddow and Joanne Ansell, bothfrom New South Wales.There were minor rule changes this year, andsome sections were not offered as per 2007,the concert item section was cancelled. To tryand recover the burgeoning theatre costs, weincreased entry fees, this year by $5 to rangefrom $15 to $20 per solo item. Invitations weresent to 137 schools along with detailed safetyand organisational information to respondentsas usual.Entries totalled 2265, down 13% on last year,largely due to the increased entry prices. Thelargest drop was in U8 and U12 year solos.The 2008 entries consisted of students from,sixty eight Dance schools:~ Melbourne (62%),~ Country Victoria (19%),~ Interstate (Tas, SA, Qld) (7%),~ Ballarat (12%).Amazingly there were twenty eight new schoolsthat entered this year in the dance discipline.In actual attendance, 492 students performed1720 solos, and twenty three schoolspresented 210 troupes. There were a total of5800 dancer performances that occurred onstage this year. Overall some 85.2% of entrantsactually turned up, the best “turn-up” rate ever.Entry 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003All entries 2265 2561 2744 2584 2357 2492Troupes 238 250 279 237 229 227All schools 68 65 72 69 68 69Troupe schools 23 27 30 28 27 23New schools 28 13 16 15Actual turn-ups 1930 2138 2259 2148 1875 208385.2% 83.5% 82.3% 83% 79.6% 83.7%Actual troupes 210 212 228 197 183 190Solo students 492 512 500The Dance program was similar to previousyears, some troupe nights were altered, andwe finished with a giant jazz troupe night. TheIron Maiden theme was ancient Russian DanceEducation, Gliding Dance and Ice Princess.There were thirty nine trinkets of trivia andnineteen old Russian parables included in theIron Maiden.Once again a late withdrawal of an adjudicatorcaused some panic, however we wereabsolutely delighted to have Sandra Haddowand Joanne Ansell, both from New SouthWales, with us again. Adjudicators were paidby the hour because of the long sessions.The ladies worked well together, enjoyedthemselves immensely, and took us through abusy program on time.There were 1930 items presented duringDance, on average 116 per day, for 11 hoursa day, for 15.66 days. Our busiest days werea huge five hour baby troupe session and anU14 day with 148 performances. Sessionswere generally three to four and a half hourslong, which allowed for more reasonable mealbreaks and better scene hanging time this year.The competitions flowed smoothly as perplan. The standard of dancing was superb,and everyone worked together in a spirit ofcooperation and happiness.28 new Dance schools participated in the 2008 Competitions2234 competitors from 68 Dance SchoolsPaying audience of 6406 for Dance62% of competitors are from Melbourne5822 dancers on stagewww.royalsouthstreet.com.au

left Maidie Widmer.centre Shauni Chetcuti andDakota Gordois.right Peronel Taylor – Grand AggregateWinner 2008.In regards to storage there were no buildingworks this year, we had two containers nearthe Backstage door, and a large open areaunder the workshop overhang. Teachersclamped down on props and there wereconsiderably fewer this year, they werecompact and easy to control, which was ofgreat assistance. Scene cloths were stackedin the “flats” storeroom and Kerry Moore kindlylent us her sequin cloth for all sessions. Wewere not allowed to load or operate the lift, butoverall the prop department worked very well.Occupancy restrictions in dressing roomscontinued as per last year. Rooms wereshared and changed daily to maximise theiruse, which created many lists! We used themartial arts room in Unicorn Lane, on oneoccasion it held five troupes. Access to thedressing rooms was controlled as per lastyear with doormen, all authorised helpers wereissued with St George and dragon passes.Competitors and their family members aregetting used to this system and it was betteraccepted this year. On only two sessions didwe have to have troupes waiting in the balcony,at other times, keeping parents and siblingsout of the dressing rooms was sufficient tomeet occupancy levels. We had to employdoorkeepers, as there were not enoughvolunteers available to man this position.South Street and Her Majesty’s Theatre staffworked exceedingly well together. Dancers andteachers were a joy to work with as always. Itwas another friendly dance competition filledwith beautiful children and excellent standardof work. We were honoured to have the granddaughter of Merle Heath (nee Widmer, winnerCourier solo 1938, and professional dancer)Maidie Widmer, performed for the first time inU8 section.We had “full houses” for U7 and U9 troupesand for every jazz troupe night during Dance.On two occasions we did not have enoughvolunteer ushers, and had to employ staff (atpenalty rates) to help. “Baby day” Sunday washuge, and on the final Saturday night manypeople could not even get a seat inthe auditorium!Volunteers are crucial to the success of thecompetitions, there were ten board and thirtyeight volunteers that attempted to man 318positions. We were unable to fill thirty sevenpositions, and another twenty four cancelledduring the competitions. Ten sessions ranshort staffed, and we relied heavily on a fewtruly amazing people who put their hand up orreturned time and time again to fill the gaps.In the music department we had nine wronglycued tapes, and five CDs which failed toplay. An overall problem rate of 0.7%. DougMcGregor most kindly loaned us his newDenon CD/tape deck, which made the wholemusic desk more compact and easier to use.The troupe work was brilliant this year and localdance schools won 15% of placings 1st, 2ndor 3rd. Carole Oliver won the U12, U16, & openclassical groups, while Anita Coutts won U7classical, U9 classical, and U12 modern groups.~ Senior Ballet Championship won by JarredPior (Ballarat),~ Courier Classical solo won by Brittany Haws(Aspendale),~ Senior Theatrical Championship won byShae Egan (Keilor),~ Grand Aggregate went to Peronel Taylor(teacher Sharon Lawrence),~ Teachers Aggregate won again withoutstanding work by Michelle Slater.Sincere appreciation to our incredible officestaff Peter, Gayle, Kelly and Emma, the board,our special wives, and all those gems sentfrom heaven, our remarkable volunteers. Youhave carried us faultlessly through a relentlessbut amazing competition. You have enduredstresses that should not have come your way,and yet you came smiling and willingly to giveyour own true support and respect to ourvisitors and the dreams of youth.Anthony ColeChairman

23DebatingThis year we had entries from the followingschools:Grade 5/6There were 26 teams from seven schools,this was an increase of six teams from 2007.~ Ballarat & Clarendon College,~ Ballarat Nth Primary School,~ Buninyong Primary School,~ Dana St Primary School,~ Derrinallum Secondary College ,~ Pleasant St Primary School,~ Urquhart Park Primary School,Year 7/8There were 20 teams from six schools.~ Ballarat High School,~ Damascus College,~ Daylesford Secondary College,~ Loreto College,~ Mount Clear College,~ St Patrick’s College.Year 9/10There were 16 teams from seven schools.~ Ballarat & Clarendon College,~ Ballarat High School,~ Ballarat Secondary College (new in 2008)~ Daylesford Sec College,~ Damascus College,~ Mt Clear Secondary College,~ St Patrick’s College.Year 11/12There were 14 teams from six schools.~ Ballarat & Clarendon College,~ Ballarat High School,~ Damascus College,~ Daylesford Secondary College,~ Loreto College,~ St Patrick’s College.We welcomed a new adjudicator RebeccaCollins to our outstanding team of adjudicators.This year Rebecca Collins adjudicatedGrade 5/6, Tony Renytjes Year 7/8, AllanSewell Year 9/10 and Wei Fong Year 11/12debating teams.These adjudicators are dedicated to the taskand each gave excellent verbal and writtenreports. This year we continued with thenew system of report sheets. As in all otherdisciplines each debater received a separateresult sheet. This was well received by theteachers and students, but it created morework for the adjudicators and the chairman.The adjudicators were obliged to take homethe crit sheets and transfer them to computerand subsequently e-mail them to the chairman,who in turn collated and e-mailed them tothe schools. All went well this year after thechairman pleaded schools to regularly clear outtheir mail boxes.The whole series of debates proceededwithout any major dramas, due to the supportof the teachers who responded to my requestsand provided the details I needed to preparethe appropriate documentation.Over all the standard was higher than last year,this was due to the guidance given by theteachers, and also to the improved confidenceof the students who have now been debatingfor some years. None of the Secondary Schoolteachers were given time in class to preparethe students. Thus they were obliged togive up much of their own time to preparethe students.Masterfoods Australia was the sponsor againthis year for debating. They are wonderfulsupporters of the Debating Challenge and havedone so for the past 11 years.Ric DunlopChairmanleft Debating team from Ballarat NorthPrimary School. Photograph courtesyof The Courier.right Chelsea Huddle from BallaratClarendon College. Photograph courtesyof The Courier.76 debating teamsfrom 14 Schoolswww.royalsouthstreet.com.au

left Allira Ludbrook from JeadenCalisthenic College – Winner GracefulSolo 2008.centre Regency Calisthenics College.Photograph courtesy of The Courier.right South Australia’s Fun StarCalisthenics College – first time atSouth Street. Photograph courtesy ofThe Courier.opposite left Anita Coutts School ofDance, Winners U7 Troupe – Showcase2008. Photograph courtesy of The Courier.opposite right Stephen and MichaelLlewellyn – Showcase 2008. Photographcourtesy of The Courier.CalisthenicsThe Calisthenic section commenced onOctober 6th and ran for twenty seven days,concluding on November 1st. This was aday earlier than usual so we would not havelate nights for Sub Juniors and Juniors. Intotal seventy five sessions were held duringCalisthenics.The adjudicators were:~ 1st Period: Mrs Alison Lewis (Vic),Mrs Shirley Pettitt (Vic).~ 2nd Period: Ms Bronwyn Lloyd (Vic),Mrs Gayle Ciotti (Vic).~ Sub Junior Championship, Junior Division 1and Championship panels: Mrs Lisa Ritchie(Vic), Julie Fox (Vic).~ 3rd Period: Mrs Dawn Chester (WA),Mrs Barbara Nickless (Vic), Mrs BarbaraEvans (Vic), Mrs Margaret Bourne (WA),Mrs Brenda Green (Vic).~ 4th Period: Ms Cheryle Ablett (SA),Mrs Brenda Green (Vic), Mrs BarbaraNickless (Vic), Mrs Barbara Evans (Vic).Entries No. of Entries Cancellations No. of CompetitorsTinies 52 1 151Sub-Junior 507 6 876Junior 705 18 1177Intermediate 669 9 1149Senior 537 11 997Solo 27 2 25TOTAL 2497 47 4375Entries were up twenty six on last year, thisincluded Junior and Inters entries increases.There were fewer withdrawals than last year,in total four clubs withdrew, one in Sub-Junior,two in Inters and one in Seniors.There were ninety one Calisthenic Clubsthat attend the competitions this year,seventy two were from Victoria and nineteeninterstate clubs:~ South Australia (eleven),~ New South Wales (one),~ A.C.T. (four),~ Western Australia (one),~ Queensland (two).Last year South Street made a ruling that wewould no longer accept entries from compositeor state teams, this opened up our competitionto a number of new clubs from Adelaide tocompete. This year we received entries fromseven Adelaide clubs. Last year the SouthAustralian state team had 110 competitors,this year we have six new South Australianclubs bringing 259 competitors, which is afantastic outcome. Changing the rules hasenabled more interstate clubs to be eligible toparticipate in South Street.Total booked seat sales for Graceful Girl andSenior Championship sessions this yeartotalled $56,965 an increase of $1,700 on2007. All other Calisthenics box office takingstotalled $133,590. This equates to $190,555generated from audience admission during thetwenty seven days of Calisthenics. The totalrevenue generation from box office admissionsfor the 2008 South Street season totalled$295,191, Calisthenics generates around64.5% of this.Backstage rostered positions for Calisthenicsnumbered 551, this was an average of 7people per session. I am most grateful tothe loyal band of Backstage workers whosupported the Calisthenics section. The newTheatre regulations of numbers Backstageworked well this year, people are getting usedto it. After an SOS call to the volunteers a largenumber of vacancies for the dressing roomchecking position were filled, thanks to thosepeople who put their hands up.8 Committee members filled 103 sessions4 Committee members Partners 51 sessions1 Life member 3 sessions53 Helpers (of these 8 were new) 394 sessions

25Theatre Technical Operations Manager SteveO’Neil conducted a training session along withSpencer Steiner to train two new people andrefresh fourteen persons giving us a total ofsixteen qualified to operate fly lines number ‘39’and ‘45’. Thanks go to Steve and Spencer fordoing that. I do not have numbers of ushers,but it is a large number and they are vital to usto be able to conduct the competitions.A big thank you to all volunteer ushers and inparticular those volunteers who help out bydoing multiple sessions. This year we had to payfor ushers when volunteers were unavailable.We were able to use the Long Room again thisyear for the clubs eat their lunch and eveningmeals. A special thank you to Janet McCullochwho volunteered again to supervise, coordinateand make sure the Long Room was kept tidy.The Graceful Solo was again sponsored byPeace & Quiet (owned and operated by UFSDispensaries). There were twenty five entriesthis year and the winner was Allira Ludbrookfrom Jeaden.~ Victoria (twenty entries),~ South Australia (four),~ New South Wales (one).The data projector was used a lot more thisyear with very few problems. The lightingtechnicians are to be congratulated for theexcellent job they did this year with the lighting.Thanks to the Backstage technicians for theirhelp and assistance.My thanks go to the committee, their partnersand life members for the help and support theygive to me and to Dawn, and to those thathelped her with the suppers, special thanks.Thanks to Doug and Daphne McMillan for onceagain doing the tickets for the Graceful Soloand Senior Championship day. It is a big job,thanks for your continued support you giveto me and Dawn. A special thanks to Peter,Gayle, Kelly and Jackie for the work they dofor the Calisthenics section. I thank my subcommitteeand deputy Amanda Lucas for theassistance they give me. Barbara Cole wasprepared to make up the supper baskets forthe adjudicators and I thank her for cookingthe meals for our adjudicators, writers andassessors, they appreciate what she does.To my wife Dawn who supports me in so manyways and for all the many things she does, Ican’t thank her enough.We will be meeting with officials fromCalisthenics Victoria Inc, Victorian CalisthenicCoaches Association, and adjudicators laterin the year to discuss rule changes for 2009,and if there are any issues arising from thisyears South Street competitions. Generally thefeeling is that it ran very smoothly this year.Ron HarringtonChairmanShowcaseShowcase is our final display where SouthStreet has the opportunity to present a selectionof the most entertaining performances seen overour 2008 competition season. A very entertainingand talented program of artists performed to acapacity house on Sunday November 2nd.Commencing at 7.00pm it was a pleasureto introduce Mr Doug Sarah to compare theevening. Doug has had a long associationwith performing arts in Ballarat and gave theoccasion the prestige it deserves. Nearly alldisciplines were featured and a wide diversityof age and skills gave the audience an overallpicture of our very talented competitors.Many of the performers approached wereunable to perform at Showcase due to othercommitments falling on the same weekend.The main reason was that it is cup weekend inMelbourne and many take the four day break,also Showcase is close to VCE exams whichalso has an effect on performers availability.My sincere appreciation to the Backstage crewof volunteers, Lloyd Harvey, Wayne George,Les and Lyn Snibson and Jim Brudenall fortheir support during rehearsals and Showcase.To Wendy Hall and the theatre technicians whoprovided the technical requirements and gaveadded confidence to the artists and Backstage.To the Front of House ushers who elected towork at Showcase my heart felt thanks.Brian McInnisDirector2444 items performed on stage during Calisthenics91 Clubs, which included 72 from Victoria and 19 Interstate4375 Calisthenics CompetitorsOver 19,500 competitors on stage during Calisthenics in 2008www.royalsouthstreet.com.au

Marketing reportleft Emma Sbardella (Verlinden) 1987Classical Solo. Photograph courtesy ofNL Harvey and Sons.centre Emma Sbardella with daughterEllie who competed for the first time in the2008 Competitions. Photograph courtesyof The Courier.right Victor Hu – Pianoforte.opposite Action Calisthenics ClubDivision 4. Photograph courtesy ofThe Courier.Background InformationFor the first time in the long history of the Royal South Street Society competitions the societyappointed a Marketing Manager – Emma Sbardella. Barb Dunlop Past President and boardmember of South Street explains, “The board is well versed in conducting the “Comps” but lacksthe professional expertise in the promotion of this amazing event. South Street is the longestrunning and one of the largest celebrations of performing arts in Australia. We see the appointmentas an exciting acknowledgement of our need to raise our local, state and national profile. SouthStreet needs to tap into the communication energies of today’s world more effectively. We needto source much needed additional funding to ensure that this wonderful, highly respected,annual three month event can continue to provide learning and performance opportunities for thethousands of emerging artists that come to Ballarat to benefit from the experience, scholarshipand encouragement provided by outstanding adjudicators.”My connection with South Street dates backto 1984 when I was a competitor in an underseven dance troupe. I went on to compete fornine years at South Street, in various dancingsections. I loved competing at South Streetthe feeling you get when you step out onstage in the magnificent Her Majesty’s Theatreand perform is very special. Now twenty-fiveyears later history has repeated itself with mydaughter competing in South Street for the firsttime in 2008. Ellie dances with Anita CouttsSchool of Dancing and danced in the underseven Classical troupe section.Firstly, I would like to formally acknowledgeand thank the Hugh Williamson Foundationwho have provided twelve months’ funding tothe Royal South Street Society to employ aMarketing Manager. I feel extremely privilegedto have been appointed to this position. Myrole over the past five months has been oneof discovery and developing foundations forthe future marketing and promotion of thecompetitions. Amongst the many tasks that fallunder my role, the broad goals of the positioninclude raising the profile of the competitionslocally and nationally, enhancing the competitors’experience through marketing, attracting andraising much needed sponsorship dollars.Starting shortly after the competitionscommenced, I was fortunate to experiencemost disciplines and get a feel for how theyare run. Through observations and extensivediscussions with relevant people I have beenable to formulate a SWOT analysis for South

27Street. This information will be useful whenformulating ideas and identifying marketingopportunities for 2009 and beyond.To gauge a better understanding of thecompetitions, I conducted an extensive surveyduring this year’s competition, surveying thegeneral public, teachers, coaches, competitorsand their family members. The survey wasprimarily conducted online at the SouthStreet website, I also hand delivered surveysBackstage and in the audience. A total of 520surveys were collected, the data gatheredthrough this process builds a fantastic pictureof what these consumer groups think aboutSouth Street and will provide invaluableinformation as I develop marketing strategiesfor the coming years.Interestingly, the research revealed thefantastic affiliation people have with SouthStreet throughout the generations, revealing33% of competitors are 2nd generation. Alarge percentage of competitors and theirfamily members’ have parents, relations orgrandparents that have competed over theyears or they have grown up with SouthStreet. When you break down the competitorsand their family members association withthe competitions in years, 21.5% have beencoming for 5-9 years, 16.7% 10-15 yearsand a staggering 21.8% of people surveyedhave been coming to South Street for 16+years. Words that people use to describethe competitions include historic, traditional,beautiful, exciting, prestigious, unique, friendly,professional, welcoming and elite with peopleconfirming that an important feature of thecompetitions is the historic Her Majesty’sTheatre with which South Street has had anassociation since 1965. The coming monthswill see a more in depth report analysing thefindings. This will build the basis for 2009planning in regards to branding and marketingthe competitions.Another important aspect for South Streetis the website. This will be a major tool formarketing the competitions in the future andone that has huge scope for development.My primary aim this year was to develop andincrease awareness of the website, giventhat in 2010 we are hoping that our in-housecompetitions module will be ready to go liveoffering online registration to competitors.Some of the initiatives I introduced to thewebsite throughout the 2008 competitionswere, weekly news updates, daily timetabledownloads, friends of South Street databaseand the very popular photo galley featuringphotographs that I took of the competitorsBackstage. Through promotion of the websitevia radio interviews, press and internally atthe theatre on posters and flyers, visitation21.8% of competitors and their familieshave been coming to South Street for 16+ years6,872 unique website visitors, visitinga total of 17,297 times in Octoberwww.royalsouthstreet.com.au

left South Street Guide Books.right Neville Hesketh cataloguing medals.to the website has grown dramatically. Sincethe website was launched in April this yearunique visitors to the site have increased by amassive 941% to October. October registered6,872 unique visitors visiting a staggering17,297 times. The top three pages viewedprior to and during competition time were thetimetable, results and the photo gallery. Largeincreases were also recorded for visits to theaccommodation, volunteers, prize list and entryform pages. Interestingly the third highest ratingmonth in 2008 was November. This shows thewebsite has potential to attract large numbersof visitors outside competition time.ArchivingAn important project that I have initiated is torecruit a team of volunteers to catalogue SouthStreets’ historical collection which containsnewspaper articles, guide books, minutes,results, photographs, medals and memorabiliadating back to the late 1800’s. This is a largebut important project. My long-term visionwould be to secure a grant or funding to havethe competitions results for the past 117 yearsrecorded online. Another potential projectwould be to develop a permanent historicdisplay of the South Street’s memorabilia,which would be of great interest to peoplecurrently involved in the competitions as well asthe general community.Finally, I believe the 2009 and beyond willbe an exciting time for South Street. A freshlook and feel to our promotional material willreenergise and give new life to our brand aswe move towards raising the competition’sprofile locally and interstate. The primary goalfor marketing will be to generate much neededrevenue through innovative sources and attractsponsorship to ensure that the history andtradition of these magnificent competitionscontinues for many generations to come.Emma SbardellaMarketing Manager

Royal South Street Societyboard members and staffBoard MembersThe Royal South Street Society board membersare engaged in a voluntary capacity. There wereeleven board meetings held in 2008, no meetingwas held in September, as all board memberswere busy manning shifts at the competitions.Anthony Cole Ph.D, B VSc, DDABoard Member since: March 22nd 1984Board Meetings Attended: 11Barb Dunlop TPTCBoard Member since: February 27th 1992Board Meetings Attended: 11Ron Harrington OAM 2008Board Member since: March 22nd 1984Board Meetings Attended: 9Leave of Absence Granted: 2Lloyd HarveyBoard Member since: July 30th 1981Board Meetings Attended: 8Leave of Absence Granted: 3Bob Matthews FCPA, ACISBoard Member since: May 26th 1994Board Meetings Attended: 10Leave of Absence Granted: 1Brian McInnis Dip Ed MelbourneBoard Member since: July 23rd 1992Board Meetings Attended: 10Leave of Absence Granted:1Don RickerbyBoard Member since: August 8th 2002Board Meetings Attended: 10Leave of Absence Granted: 1Michael StewartBoard Member since: May 8th 2001Board Meetings Attended: 10Leave of Absence Granted: 1Peter Zala FAPIBoard Member since: July 26th 1979(absence 1983 to 1989) rejoined July 27th 1989Board Meetings Attended: 11StaffPeter Bowler BA Ballarat,Grad Dip (Business Admin) BallaratCEO: commenced 1997Gayle BorderOffice Manager: commenced 1994Kelly SteegstraOffice Assistant: commenced 2004Jackie Berry and Selina Stewart(casual staff employed for the 2008Competitions)Emma Sbardella BMan(Mktg) BallaratMarketing Manager: commenced 2008top row, left to right Anthony Cole,Barb Dunlop, Ron Harrington,Lloyd Harvey, Bob Matthews.centre row, left to right Brian McInnis,Don Rickerby, Michael Stewart, Peter Zala.bottom row, left to right Peter Bowler,Gayle Border, Kelly Steegstra,Emma Sbardella.www.royalsouthstreet.com.au

South Street volunteersleft Volunteers June Bruce, NanceLlewellyn and Marian Blythman.Photograph courtesy of The Courier.right Volunteers Andrew Naus, TrishGlenane and Robert McCallum.opposite 2008 new Volunteersparticipate in a training session at HerMajesty’s Theatre. Photograph courtesyof The Courier.The South Street volunteers contributedan astounding 10,000 plus hours duringthis year’s competitions saving the Society$178,900* in wages. Without volunteers itwould not be possible to stage the prestigiouseisteddfod. We thank all our volunteers for theircontinued support and service.We welcomed twenty-three new volunteersthis year and trust they all continue volunteeringfor many years to come. Amongst our 220volunteers there are some amazing storiesof family history and associations with thecompetitions that date back generations. Weare honoured to have twelve volunteers allserving the society for more than twenty yearsand a further twenty-five volunteers with ten ormore years service. To thank our volunteersfor their contribution, they are supplied withcredit tickets for the competitions either to usethemselves, or to offer to family and friends.It is fun, it is tiring, but it is so rewarding andonce people volunteer at South Street, theyare hooked.Backstage our volunteers perform some of thefollowing duties:~ Chair the session announcing competitorsand results,~ Manage side stage,~ Register competitors,~ Assist technical staff and adjudicators,~ Operate curtains and assist with props,~ Restore which involves ensuring all areasBackstage are clean and tidy,~ Backstage crew arrange the stage, overseedressing rooms,~ Security: ensuring only authorised peoplehave access Backstage and in thedressing rooms.Front of House volunteers perform taskswhich include:~ Selling tickets at certain venues,~ Selling programs,~ Ushers depending on the crowds up totwelve at any one time,~ Welcome and greeting,~ Timing performances,~ Writing for the adjudicators.Other Duties:~ Catering for adjudicators, VIPS, suppers,morning and afternoon teas,~ Archiving historical memorabilia,~ Preparing information for advertising,~ Assisting with “Bumping in and Out.”*Australian federal award minimum wage casual rate $17.89 per hour. Workplace Relations Act, Australian Fair Pay Commission Oct 2008

31Volunteer Coordinator ReportThe 2008 Competitions were a challengingyear for the volunteers. For reasons suchas illness, other obligations and diminishingvolunteer resources we were very hard pushedto maintain adequate staffing numbers.This was consistent over all areas includingBackstage and Front of House.Front of House needed to resort to paid theatrestaff for the first time for many years whileBackstage managed with limited numbers andby bringing in friends. This is very concerning,as it is evident that the Theatre has limitedresources, particularly during week days.Aside from the cost there is a necessity tomaintain sufficient staffing in all areas for safetyand operational reasons. A strong volunteerbase is the only practical way to ensure thelevel of staffing required to stage the eisteddfodis reached.The volunteers for the 2008 season wereagain tremendous in their level of participation,diligence, adherence to rosters, good naturedwork ethics and theatre professionalism. Theyear was well run, with any problems managedquickly and professionally.The standard of Front of House operationshas improved with ongoing training andthe introduction of the theatre competencyrequirements to the point where our volunteersare fully competent in the theatre activities theycarry out. We must keep the training up so thatwe continue to achieve such high standards.Our relationship with Her Majesty’s staff wasvery good with both groups understandingand appreciating the other’s responsibilitiesand positions.A campaign to recruitment new volunteersand activities to actively engage and retain ourcurrent volunteers is required. The best wayto do this is to provide a pleasant, challengingand personal environment for the volunteer.The volunteers were organised veryprofessionally by the Backstage chairpersons,Viv Edlund for the writers and Jennifer Rickerbyfor the Front of House. Dawn Harringtoncoordinated hospitality throughout the seasonand ensured that the necessary provisionswere all in hand Backstage and that theKittson Room was prepared appropriately forspecial occasions.Many thanks goes to all those who gave oftheir time throughout the competitions. Theirefforts are been appreciated and recognised.Don RickerbyVolunteer Coordinator10,000+ man hours were contributedby our volunteers during the 2008 Competitions220 volunteersVolunteers saved the Society $178,900* in wages23 new volunteerswww.royalsouthstreet.com.au

from left to right Angela Cannizzaro,Janet McCulloch, Ivor Bowen,Olwyn Crompton, Graeme Hodder,Marian Waldron.In 2008 the currentSouth Street volunteers have serveda total of 1205^ volunteer yearsNameService(years)J Addicott #P Addicott #L Adriaans 7M Akers 5J Alexander 2I Archer #J Baldock 3A Ball 4A Ball 2G Bartlett 9K Batch #G Beames #D Beechey 5P Beechey 3J Bell 1T Bell #L Benson #M Billings 11M Billings 4G Binns 10M Blythman 4J Blythman #A Boak #M Boston 3I Bowen 5J Boxshall 10J Bradbury #L Bridges 9A Bridges-Lucas 14R Broemmer 3A Brown 3J Bruce 1J Brudenall #M Bulluss #H Burzacott 6J Cairns 6G Callaghan 10C Callaghan 1A Cannizzaro 1K Carroll 5A Cassidy 6J Chambers 3J Chenery 25P Clamp 4V Clark 11S Clements #D Cocking 10P Cocks 2A Cole 25B Cole 25P Conroy 14J Cook 11M Cook #K Corcoran 3J Cowles 1S Cracknall 5D Crocker #O Crompton 26H Crouch #J Currie 1K Davey 1NameService(years)S Davies #N Day 1P Deady #L Dent #G Donaldson #M Dowrick #B Dunlop 18R Dunlop 18M Eddy 9M Edlund 1V Edlund #B Elshaug 3H Emery 4S Faull #D Fletcher #P Fletcher #L Forbes 4M Foster 4M Gaitan #L Gay #W George 5H Gibcus 2R Gilbert 1A Gladman 5T Glenane 8H Gloury #P Goodfellow #R Gould 6G Grigg 2L Haintz #D Harrington 25R Harrington 25L Harris 6G Harris 4J Harrison 1L Harvey 51L Harvey 48J Harvey 1N Hesketh 1M Higginson 1V Hocking 5G Hodder 4L Holloway 13M Holloway 13C Holloway #Y Horsfield 6B Horwood 11B Humphreys #J Hunneybell 7J Jamieson 6H Johnston #K Jones 10R Jones 1D Karmouche #L Kaval #R Kaval #P Kendrick #A Kierce #H Kinnersly #B Knight #M Lancashire 4NameService(years)S Lewis #T Lewis #A Linahan 11N Llewellyn 8G Lock 6J Lock 6D Long #S Lowe #B Ludbrook 3L Lyons 4C Lyons #B Matthews 16E Matthews 4C Mauseth 11S Mc Eachern #R McCallum 3J McCulloch 14D McGregor 11B McInnis 22P McKee #S McLachlan 3D McMillan #D McMillan #A Milton 5R Morgan 22M Morgan 19P Morton 8H Mould #A Naus 4T O'Donohue #J Overington #T Peart #R Pezzuitti #H Pidgeon #P Pollard 16D Pudney #L Pyke 1G Ragg 6G Ragg #A Raworth 11M Read 2F Reade #M Reeves #B Reus 11S Reynolds 6T Reyntjes 12I Rice #D Rickerby #J Rickerby #E Rix #C Russell 5T Saito 4M Sanchez #L Sanderson #R Schenk 13J Segrave #H Shannon 7P Sharp 2L Sheppard 12N Sherritt 5V Shiell 5NameService(years)D Shipham 14S Sidebottom #Y Smith 1L Snibson 5L Snibson #A Spielvogel #J Stanes 1M Stevens #M Stewart 10C Stewart 9B Stewart 1C Stobo #D Stonehouse #G Strachan 6K Strickland #J Sutherland 9M Sutherland 5I Sutherland #I Takacs 9C Taylor 7N Thornhill 4C Thorpe 12P Thorpe 9A Thorpe #A Timmins-Hughes #F Toohey #N Trezise #T Trezise-Barrett #H Turner 5F Vagg 6J Vagg 6K Valpied 1P Van Putten 2L Vendy 1L Vincent 6B Vincent 6H Vincent 4K Waddell 5M Waldron 9R Walker #B Walters 1J Walton 5T Weatherley 6M Weightman #I Wentworth 21W Wentworth 15J White 7B Wilkie 8T Wilson 1A Wooley 8D Wright 3C Young #P Zala 25# unknown length of service^this does not include theunknown volunteer lengthof service

Honorary Patrons, Life Members,Sponsors, Supporters and DonorsHonorary PatronsProfessor David de Krester, AOGovernor of VictoriaDame Kiri Te KanawaLady Primrose Potter, A.C.Mr Don Kinsey, AMSponsors, Supporters and DonorsRoyal South Street Society acknowledges the generous support from our sponsors, supporters anddonors. Their continued support ensures that we remain Australia’s longest running performing artseisteddfod. We would sincerely like to thank them all for their contributions in 2008.Businesses and OrganisationsThe Hugh Williamson FoundationArts VictoriaThe Herald and Weekly TimesThe CourierMasterfoods AustraliaRotary Club of Ballarat SouthUFS Dispensaries LtdBilly Hyde MusicCity of BallaratABC Radio BallaratAllan Bros JewellersANATSAPEX BallaratArts FoundationAustralian UnityBallarat Jazz ClubBallarat TaxisBallarat Theatre Pipe Organ SocietyBallarat Trophies and GiftsBible SocietyBlackburn CollegiansCentral City Motor InnClifton CollegiansClub BadgesCuthberts SolicitorsDolitaEureka LodgeLife MembersDr Anthony ColeMr Ted LewisMr Ron MorganMr Ron Harrington, OAMMr Doug McMillanMr Peter NicholsonGoldfields Tourist ParkHaymes PaintsHer Majesty’s TheatreKingPrintLions Club of BallaratMcCain’s Foods (Aust) Pty LtdMesh and MasonryMesser and OpieMid City Motor InnNorth District CompetitionsOZ FinancialPas De DeuxQuest Ansonia BallaratRed Lion HotelRedwood Recording StudiosRegent Old CollegiansRotary Club of Ballarat EastRotary Club of WendoureeSebastopol Bowling ClubSoroptomist SocietySt Johns LodgeThe Isobella FoundationThe Rotary Club of Ballarat SouthTrinity CollegeVictoriana Motor InnWD FinanceWebconna Bowling ClubWelcome Stranger Caravan ParkYamaha Music AustraliaYour generosity fostersand encourages participationin performing artsIndividualsH. AngwinL. BradfordF. CallahanB. CampbellP. ClampV. ClarkA. CochraneA & B. ColeB. ColtmanP. DaleA. DeanV. EdlundT. GayD.GoillanB. GreenT. GreeneL & L. HarveyWH. HeinzP. JenkinsCV. JonesD & R. KarmoucheD. KierceA. KnightF. Lee (Estate)R & C. LemkeB. LewisB. LloydJ & G. LockW. LovelandB. MatthewsP. Miles (Estate)A. PageT & M. PeersR. PilkingtonN. PinnellP. PollardLady PotterG. ReidM. RichmondD. SarahB & M. SozanskiA. StappT. TaylorJ. TesorieroJ. WilliamsA. Young OAMwww.royalsouthstreet.com.au

Financial statementleft Sophie Pickavance.Photograph courtesy of The Courier.right Her Majesty’s Theatre.Financial SummaryThe society continues to face the challenge ofthe ever-increasing operational costs of stagingthe competitions. While the society has a healthybalance sheet, this figure has remained largelyunchanged for over ten years. In 2008, theSociety almost broke even, recording a lossof $1,074 in comparison to a loss of $27,451which was recorded for the 2007 financial year.With costs continually increasing, the societyneeds to address this problem while it is stillin a position to be able to do so. For example,the prize fund currently relies sponsorship,donations and interest from trust funds, with thesociety contributing any short fall required forcompetitors’ prizes. Prize money for competitorshas unfortunately remained consistent in mostsections over the past five to ten years. Theboard would like to be able to be in a positionwhere the prize fund is self-sustainable, thereby generating enough interest to be able tooffer competitors more substantial prize money,which would foster their development in theirchosen field of performing arts.The society relies on revenue generation fromcompetitor entry fees, admission charges,merchandise, corporate sponsorship andindividual donations to meet the costs ofstaging the Eisteddfod. Following the lossmade in 2007 the board made a decision toincrease competitor entry fees for the 2008competition. Additional costs such as theoverall charges for the hire of Her Majesty’sTheatre for the competitions rose by 10% to$138,564 for 2008.Board members have noted that one adverseeffect of the current economic climate isa downturn in sponsorship, which fell by$13,000 in 2008. Competitor entry fees andadmission charges are now at a point whereboard members do not see them as realisticoptions for increased revenue generation for2009. Given this, it is essential that the societyseek additional avenues for revenue generationsuch as attracting increased sponsorship andexploring additional merchandise opportunities.With the employment of a full-time MarketingManager and the establishment of a newmarketing committee, 2009 will see asignificant lift to the competitions profileand brand. Relationships and networksestablished by the Marketing Manager andmarketing committee will hopefully lead to thedevelopment of more community partnershipsin 2009 and develop previously unexploredopportunities for income and revenue.Bob MatthewsTreasurer

35Abridged Financial StatementIncomeAdmission Charges $295,191Entries and Admin Charges $145,595Interest Received $37,461Grants Received $69,545Donations and Sponsorship $43,022Sales books and Merchandise $61,053Total Income $651,867above Karilee Calisthenics IncDivision 1 Intermediates.ExpensesAdjudicators and Accompanists $81,490Depreciation of Assets $21,153Insurance and Work cover $9,818Prize Money and Trophies $91,250Other Venue Rentals and Volunteer Expenses $16,655Wages and On-costs $193,688Cost of Sales Items $39,628Theatre Costs $138,564Administration Costs $60,695Total Costs $652,941Deficit -$1,074This is an abridged statement from the full set of audited financial statements,a copy of which is available from the Royal South Street Society.www.royalsouthstreet.com.au