Pamana Ball 2019

Ballina Gee
What started off as a branding idea to help Ballina Gee manage her Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder (PTSD) that for over a decade kept her away from returning
to professional singing, she has now created a Pacific Diva brand, #pacificdivaworld, promoting cultural diversity within the fine performing arts scene.
Passionate about making Opera diverse, accessible, relatable and inclusive of culturally diverse artists, she continues to perform locally as well as internationally.
Born in New Zealand to Pacific Island and Chinese parents, she feels very blessed to be mistaken as somebody from the Philippines and has supported our
cultural community with her talent for many years. Most recently in November 2018, she was given the honour of Universal Diplomat from Philippines New
Zealand Ambassador and Knights of Rizal commander Sir Jesus S. Domingo KGOR charged with bridging the artistic and cultural commonality between the
Philippines and the Pasifika. In recognition of her creative achievements, personal resilience and business acumen, she was a finalist in the 2018 Western Sydney
Awards for Business Excellence in Arts and Culture and won the 2016 NSW Pacific Awards for the Performing Arts.
Through church involvement, her adopted mother Emerenciana Gee (nee Stuber) nurtured her vocal talent from the age of four. Her first public operatic
performance was in 1992 with Opera Australia’s “The Little Mermaid” production directed by renowned conductor Simon Kenway. In 2018 she secured a place
in the Pacific Opera industry acceleration programme and is the only Pacific Islander to have secured a place as an adjunct artist.
A career highlight is being part of The Phantom of the Opera and Miss Saigon performed at the Parramatta Riverside Theatre, singing for the Philippines
Independence Day and community events including the Pasko Christmas Festival in Darling Harbour, FLAGCOM and 2 Fat Fairies productions, performing
with Marcus Riviera and Brian Lorenz as their guest artist, singing for Philippine avante garde fashion designer Rocky Gathercole and being part of the cast for
the Noli Me Tangere Musical hitting the stage in March 2019. She recorded the Queen Motire aria for the World’s First Tahitian Opera L’Esprit du Feu – Te Varua
o te Auahi composed in the Tahitian language by Prof. Geoffroy Colson and also completed her show reel funded by the Cultural Performing Arts Network
(CPAN).
Ballina has also contributed to projects with renowned organisations such as Synergised Earth Network, Casula Powerhouse, Parramatta Riverside Theatres,
Blush Opera, Opera Australia, ABC TV and the Diane Cilento Foundation continuing to work with organisations in delivering program initiatives especially
around using performing arts for community capacity building. Expanding her brand as a public figure influencer she intends to expand her business whilst
continuing to perform, produce and be an advocate against family and domestic violence and the promotion of affordable housing. She is scheduled to spend
time overseas and hopes to create global collaborations and opportunities.
Criz Guce
Crizelda Guce was born in Manila where she finished her secondary education. Her proud parents are Gavino
from San Jose, Batangas and her mother Igmedia Canico is from Aringay, la Union.
Born with speech and hearing disability, Criz has a natural gift in singing. At age 10 she represented her school
in singing competitions. She successfully won Talent Quest in TV shows during her teenage years. She was DJ
Karaoke Master in YMCA and Shakey’s Restaurant. She was a contract band singer in Singapore and in Japan
in the late 80’s.
In Australia she continued her singing prowess and joined various singing competitions and won. With such
gifted talent in singing she was employed as lead vocalist by Image, a Lao Thai Band. She later joined Mandarin
Band as secessionist singer in the early 90’s and she is still preforming with these bands during Chinese New Year
festivals. She is a much sought after performer in weddings and political events. She was front act for famous
Hongkong artist like Frances Yip, Sammy Chen and Aaron Kwok in Sydney Entertainment Centre. She also has
performed in Sydney Concerts with OPM legends Joey Albert, Jim Paredes and Jose Mari Chan, to name a few.
Criz shares her singing talents in various fundraising events organised by almost all Filipino community
organisations like PCC Independence Day, Fr. Eduardo Orilla’s 28th Priesthood anniversary, Bicol League, Inc.,
Mardi Gras Search for International Queen, and Blacktown Ponds Lions Club. She undeniably serves the people
through her charitable performances in various cultural, social and religious events and with such great talent
she is admired and adored by the community.
Jinky Marsh
Jinky Trijo Marsh was born in Sta. Ana Manila and grew up in Catanduanes, Quezon City and Rizal province. She holds a Bachelor
degree in Mathematics from St Paul University Quezon City and emigrated to Australia (Melbourne) at the age of 24 in 1999 with her
skills in the banking and finance sector.
She was relocated to Sydney by her investment bank employer in 2004. Since 1999, Jinky actively engages and involves herself to
community events and programs such as community theatre (Windmill Theatre Company, Dulaang Bayan of Melbourne, Rockdale
Musical Society and Filoz Art among others), radio broadcasting (3CR Radio Kabayan in Melbourne and Triple H 100.1FM Radio
Tagumpay in Sydney’s upper north shore), singing national anthems (Philippines and Australia) and oral health education (TAMARAWs
Rugby League and Cerebral Palsy Alliance and Aboriginal Boori preschool).
In 2006, Jinky changed career to community health care in the fields of dental, aged care and perioperative. Jinky is a registered dental
hygienist holding a Bachelor of Oral Health at the University of Newcastle. She was a recipient of 2018 Dental Hygienists Association of
Australia’s Community Oral Health Project Grant and implemented oral health projects benefiting various community groups including
the Filipino (Pinoy Cultural Class in central Coast and Radio Tagumpay listeners), Australian and Spanish communities.
Jinky also completed a Graduate Certificate in Media Arts and Production at the University of Technology Sydney. During the Balagtasan
2018, Jinky released an educational Filipino bi-lingual audio CD entitled Inspiring the Filipino Youth designed for children with Filipino
heritage who were born and being raised outside the Philippines. It features Filipino oral tradition, culture and music which was
initially presented at the Philippine Consulate General Sydney. Jinky was the principal storyteller and voice artist of the narrations
alongside other Filipino-Australian children, community leader, priest and artists. The Legacy audio CD was followed by the release of
an educational Filipino colouring book with her art own illustrations at the Fiesta Kultura 2018. Jinky has been a front act artist to the
Sydney concerts of internally renown Filipino artists including Lea Salonga, Charice, Pilita Corales, Aiza Seguerra and Christopher de
Leon with The Voice Philippines Finalists. Jinky is also a member of the inaugural Board of Trustees of the Kababaihang Rizalista Inc.
Sydney Chapter as its Assistant Secretary and a freelance writer contributor for the Community Philippine Herald News, The Philippine
Times and Filipino-Australian.