Hi All,
Well RivaFest was HOT!
And it went off
with a bang.
Yes I was among the many Ballina locals that enjoyed the festival atmosphere along the Richmond River last Sunday. It was very hot and humid and people might not have stayed for as long as they wanted to during the day time.
BUT …
Come evening, the foreshore was packed with families enjoying the lantern parade and then the fireworks.
Following on from RivaFest, there was this story in this week's Ballina Advocate…
FORGET the seahorse.
Ballina Shire’s mayor, Cr Phillip Silver, has put forward the idea that a graphic of a community living by the river and a pathway could be used as the new branding – or logo – for the shire in readiness for the completion of the Ballina bypass.
The seahorse is Ballina Shire Council’s current logo, but Cr Silver said the new branding could help in identifying Ballina Shire post-bypass.
Cr Silver was speaking after last Sunday’s RivaFest, the annual festival celebrating the Richmond River and the communities on its banks.
He agreed the river had played a major role in the development of Ballina, and the shire, and the celebration of the river offered the chance for residents to feel a ‘sense of belonging’.
The council chipped in $35,000 to hold the festival, and raised more than $140,000 in sponsorship.
He said the river ‘was a reasonable thing to hang our hat on’ to promote the shire.
Dave Heggie, secretary of Ballina Tourism and Hospitality, said he wouldn’t be sad to see the seahorse go.
“I have never seen a seahorse in Ballina in 30 years,” he said.
“It’s a logo we’ve had, but it might be time to look at changing it.”
He said Ballina Tourism and Hospitality members were involved in discussions with council about changing the shire’s logo, but those talks stalled due to a lack of funding.
“At that time, we (Ballina Tourism and Hospitality) decided we needed to step outside the framework, and came up with our logo,” Mr Heggie said.
The Ballina Tourism and Hospitality logo is in the shape of a seashell, with colours representing the progression from the ocean to the river and to the greens of the hinterland.
He said Ballina needed to do everything possible to differentiate the shire from every other town in the region, and other coastal towns, particularly as the bypass is scheduled to be completed by 2012.
He said RivaFest was a ‘magic’ festival for locals, but said it didn’t really bring people to town from outside Ballina Shire.
“Maybe we need to create something that is for people outside Ballina,” he said.
What do you think? Send comments to secretary@ballinatourism.com.au
Our 'EchoTV ad Campaign' started last weekend in the Tamworth region and follows up next week in the Lismore region. That gives us 320 '30 second slots' promoting the Ballina region over these 2 weeks. Hopefully we will be able to see the results with more bookings and visitors during the upcoming holiday season. The call to action is to our new look main website www.ballinatourism.com.au
If you haven't seen it, have a look and drop us a line to help us with our work in developing Ballina Coast and Hinterland as a tourist destination.
We are planning new television echo advertising schedules, ventures, activities and promotions for the new year but we are a membership organisation and so need your help you with our strategies for promotion.
‘NEVER TO LATE TO JOIN’
Our Membership Prospectus and Invoice can be downloaded from our site here .
There is a very cheap and effective way of advertising your operation through the various Website Options, given that all our promotional activities use www.ballinatourism.com.au as the call to action.
Some things to do this weekend.
David Lane is an established, well-known regional artist whose paintings are represented in public and private collections throughout Australia and overseas. His home and studio are at 31 Fernleigh Road, Tintenbar in Northern New South Wales just 10 minutes North of Ballina, 20 minutes from Byron Bay.
David Lane’s 2009 exhibition is an exciting contrast of colour and light with subjects ranging from the harsh beauty of the Northern Territory and Central Australia to his more subdued local wetlands and seascapes. Each year David further develops his Artist’s eye bringing a shifting focus to the shadows and form of his subjects. David’s other love is his garden and visitors to his exhibition are also in for a treat in his small piece of paradise at Tintenbar.
David’s 2009 Painting Exhibition opens on Saturday 5 December at 10am. The exhibition is open daily from 10am to 6pm until 20 December.
When: Opening 10am December 5. Exhibition runs December 5 to December 20
Time: Daily, seven days 10am to 6pm
Cost: Free
www.davidlane.com.au 6687 8139
Cheers,
Dave