Coral and sea anemones were just some of the art works keeping clients of the Gracie Dixon Centre busy while they helped to prepare for the Milbi Festival.
Twenty enthusiastic seniors were tasked with painting puppets of marine life for the March of the Reef parade as part of the launch on 29 October at Nielson Park Beach, Bargara.
Bundaberg Regional Council's Community Arts Development Officer Jolene Watson said she was thrilled to have the participants involved in the event.
“I decided to call on the Gracie Dixon clients for help because I wanted a wider reach for this art project,” Jolene said.
“Until now, it has mainly sat within schools.
“Spending the morning with the seniors was very enjoyable and it was lovely to see such keen engagement.
“I got to hear lots of stories of their own experiences ranging from swimming on the reef at night to repairing typewriters.
“A few were quite keen to attend Milbi’s opening event to see the fruits of their labour in action.”
Gracie Dixon Centre Coordinator Lyn Frost welcomed the opportunity for the clients.
“Each and every client was well engaged in this project and were calling me over to show what they had painted,” Lyn said.
“As well as really enjoying the activity, it allowed them to help with the Milbi Festival.
“Most of them asked questions about how they can attend the event, while others asked if they could see pictures of the festival once it’s over.
“Their faces showed a lot of concentration while they worked and at the end of the session there was a real sense of achievement.”
More help is needed for the March of the Reef performance and organisers are on the lookout for 100 energetic participants to join the Dead Puppet Society’s choreographed performance.
The Dead Puppet Society is an Australian based production house and design company who create deeply imaginative visual theatre, public art and sculpture.
A once in a lifetime opportunity to learn puppet performance skills before taking part in the parade is available by registering your interest here.
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