18th Toowoomba LC event!

Information on other get-togethers before the next big Event
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Andrew (Darby)
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Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2002 5:46 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia

18th Toowoomba LC event!

Post by Andrew (Darby) »

Hey there friends,

I'm proud to have to inform you that the tradition (involving celebrating Leonard's work around the time of his birthday), which I was instrumental in starting back in 1993 in Toowoomba, is continuing in my absence. :D I left Toowoomba early last year, in somewhat difficult circumstances, but was pleased to hear that a few of my Cohenite and/or culturally attuned friends there held a smaller version of the LC event there again (in my absence) last September.

They have now planned their 18th consecutive Toowoomba Leonard Cohen celebratory event, to be held on Saturday, 18th September this year! 8) Moreover, the organising committee (Dancing Bear Café Society) phoned me during one of their meetings, insisting that I should come up there from Melbourne for this occasion and (of course) I didn’t need too much persuasion to oblige them! ;-)

I don’t have any details of their weekend program, but will try to ascertain this & will post it here if I do. However, I am hoping to treat them with Tony Palmer’s ‘Bird On A Wire’ remake as a little bonus! I will also be sharing with them the nice time I had in Krakow at our recent Leonard Cohen Event there. :D

Cheers,
Andrew :)
'I cannot give the reasons
I only sing the tunes
The sadness of the seasons
The madness of the moons'
~ Mervyn Peake ~
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Andrew (Darby)
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Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2002 5:46 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: 18th Toowoomba LC event!

Post by Andrew (Darby) »

This is just a brief report on my attendance of this long running annual event. I believe Gerard Saide (our Toowoomba organiser) will be completing a more comprehensive report in due course, along with some photos.

On a personal note, it was so nice for me to attend this 18th consecutive annual LC event, after kicking it off in 1993 and organising it myself for 16 years in a row. I had no intention of attending initially; then my Toowoomba friends put pressure on me to attend and I was duly convinced it would be a worthwhile trip up from Melbourne. ;-) I applaud Gerard (& other friends) for "taking over the reigns" as the have. 8)

The night was held at the Boogie Shack in Toowoomba, which is a 50’s style rock & roll music & dance venue. I estimate we had about 35-40 people in attendance on the night, including a few of the regular patrons of this cool retro venue. The atmosphere in this venue is great and it was a really suitable space for our celebration (even if it was a rock & roll one). 8)

The program consisted of the following: partial screening of ‘Songs From The Road’; live performances by two lots of musicians; an LC poetry reading (from the floor) segment; and to conclude the night, the screening of Tony Palmer’s revamped ‘Bird on a Wire’ movie.

I think everyone had a good time, especially the three winners of the following lucky door & raffle prizes: Book of Longing; Live in London DVD; and the Richard Goodall LC Artworks catalogue. :D My only minor disappointment with the night was that many people left before the final DVD screening (though some would argue that the Tony Palmer movie is only for the “diehard fans” anyway).

Cheers,
Andrew :)
'I cannot give the reasons
I only sing the tunes
The sadness of the seasons
The madness of the moons'
~ Mervyn Peake ~
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blonde madonna
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Joined: Mon Mar 19, 2007 7:27 am

Re: 18th Toowoomba LC event!

Post by blonde madonna »

Hi Andrew
Glad to hear you had a good time! I have fond memories of my Toowoomba event a few years ago.
BM
the art of longing’s over and it’s never coming back

1980 -- Comedy Theatre, Melbourne
1985 -- State Theatre, Melbourne
2008 -- Hamilton, Toronto, Cardiff
2009 -- Rochford Winery, Yarra Valley
2010 -- Melbourne
2013 -- Melbourne, The Hill Winery, Geelong, Auckland
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Andrew (Darby)
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Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2002 5:46 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: 18th Toowoomba LC event!

Post by Andrew (Darby) »

Hey BM,

I'll always have a "soft spot" for this event that started off its life in such a low key way and seems quite remarkable for a place like Toowoomba! ;-)

Cheers,
Andrew :)
'I cannot give the reasons
I only sing the tunes
The sadness of the seasons
The madness of the moons'
~ Mervyn Peake ~
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Yorkshire Lad
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Joined: Thu May 31, 2007 11:28 pm
Location: yorkshire

Re: 18th Toowoomba LC event!

Post by Yorkshire Lad »

Andrew
Watching the pictures coming out of Toowoomba and the damage the flooding has caused I just had to send a heartfelt but helpless message of support to all the residents of the town that pays tribute to Leonard every year . Some of the images are truely heart wrenching and painful to watch . Both Jean and myself wish the good people of Toowoomba a swift return to normality with as little damage to life and limb as possible .
In our prays
Phil
PS If there is a thread already on this topic please accept my appologises but this seemed the best place communicate our message
manchester, london,manchester , a mountain in Wales ,hills in Haiger
Be content with a mistake or two. Perfection holds no compromise. It's a prison for perfect people .Where the flag of insanity flies
jim devlin
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Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2007 3:29 pm

Re: 18th Toowoomba LC event!

Post by jim devlin »

Andrew, so sorry and saddened to see these terrible floods in Toowoomba; we had some flooding in some parts of Sheffield in June 2007, but no way, no way at all near as bad as what you're going through. As Yorkshire Lad has written before me, our thoughts and prayers are with you & yours at this time. Take care, friend ...
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Andrew (Darby)
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Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2002 5:46 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: 18th Toowoomba LC event!

Post by Andrew (Darby) »

Thank you so much, Phil & Jim - your messages of concern and support are so touching!

I never ever thought this would happen in Toowoomba :shock:, as would have most others. I'm sure the little ('Dancing Bear') cafe where we started our events in 1993 (and held about half of them) would have been severely inundated with water, but I have yet to ascertain this from friends there.

Thanks again,
Andrew :)
'I cannot give the reasons
I only sing the tunes
The sadness of the seasons
The madness of the moons'
~ Mervyn Peake ~
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blonde madonna
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Joined: Mon Mar 19, 2007 7:27 am

Re: 18th Toowoomba LC event!

Post by blonde madonna »

Andrew
It seems ironic to me that you came to Victoria to help those getting over the bush fires and now Toowoomba and (nearby Grantham especially) may need your expertise now.

Wish there was more I could do.

BM
the art of longing’s over and it’s never coming back

1980 -- Comedy Theatre, Melbourne
1985 -- State Theatre, Melbourne
2008 -- Hamilton, Toronto, Cardiff
2009 -- Rochford Winery, Yarra Valley
2010 -- Melbourne
2013 -- Melbourne, The Hill Winery, Geelong, Auckland
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Andrew (Darby)
Posts: 1107
Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2002 5:46 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: 18th Toowoomba LC event!

Post by Andrew (Darby) »

BM, it is a little ironic, but I guess it's the nature of this unforgiving country that we (who are able to & experienced in this area) will move all around the place in response to disasters of whatever sort.

In different circumstances I may well have considered returning to do flood recovery work in Queensland, but it's not that simple for me anymore. ;-)

Cheers,
Andrew :)
'I cannot give the reasons
I only sing the tunes
The sadness of the seasons
The madness of the moons'
~ Mervyn Peake ~
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