2009 Homestead Youth Talent Expo

Coordinators Report

 

 

 

Wow !

What a great Junior Festival !!!

 

This year’s Homestead Youth Talent Expo has been a huge success in all areas especially seeing a lot of new Faces appearing on our stage.

The talent displayed delighted the judges, audience and organizers. The Judges had a difficult job to do but came up with very deserving winners.

With record individual entries, over 160 in all, I feel that the Country

Music industry in Queensland most definitely has a big future.

 

As well as the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place getters in all sections, the MAJOR AWARD WINNERS ARE AS FOLLOWS

Best Dressed Award-------------------Breanna Gerritsen----from Waterford

Studio 51 Award-----------------------Alice Benfer----------- from Glastonberry

Juvenile Encouragement Award----Janet Cuffe-------------from Caboolture

Junior Encoueagement Award------Dusty Clifford---------from Park Ridge

Coordinators Award------------------Amelia Richards------from Sydney

Band’s Choice Award-----------------Amber Goldsmith----from Nanango

Juvenile Champion--------------------Rebecca Holdorf------from Boonah

Junior Champion----------------------Brodie Holmes---------from Gympie

Overall Champion---------------------Amelia Richards------from Sydney

Amelia also won

a.   The Alchemix Recording Studio Award - $300 worth of recording time.

b.   An invitation to appear on the Homestead Stage at 2010 Urban Country Music     

      Festival.

c.   An invitation to appear as the Guest Artist at the 2010 Homestead Youth Talent 

      Expo.

d.  $300 in Cash.

e.      A paid guest appearance on the main stage in the Town Square at the 2010

      Urban Country Music Festival courtesy of the Moreton Bay Regional Council

      and the Deputy Mayor, Mr Greg Chippendale.

f.   A Personal trophy

g.  The Homestead Perpetual Shield.

 

 

 

 

I cannot express how proud of you all I am as the running of the Expo went like clockwork from the contestants being backstage 3 acts before their own where Dianne Thornton & Karen Logan ushered them and their charts on stage where Vern Duncan & Bruce Berry made sure everything was ready to go and the Comperes Darryn Robinson , Tracy Robinson , Barbara Hall and Frank Moroney kept the show rolling along while the 2 bands, The Homestead core band and the Young guns were on hand to play for each contestant.

 

I would like to personally congratulate all of the Homestead members and friends who volunteered to work for this years event consisting of the following -

 

THE 2009 YOUTH TALENT EXPO COMMITTEE

Peter Bigg – Homestead President.

Tracy Robinson – Assistant Coordinator and Scrutineer.

Bob Cole - Secretary and Computer operator.

Fiona Cole – Assistant Computer operator.

Darryn Robinson – Media representative.

Michael Smith – Set up Property officer, Groundsman and Security.

Frank Moroney – Treasurer.

Steve Fraser – Musical Director.

Alan Handsley – Committee member.

Special thanks to Dianne Thornton who took advertising to the Sunshine Coast in coordination with Darryn Robinson.

 

THE VOLUNTEER ARMY

Heather Fraser – Volunteers Manager, wristbands and wherever else she was needed.

Pam Matthews – Door Manager.

Queenie Lodge – 6 Months of selling Homestead Raffle tickets.

Alan & Moya Handsley – Registration Desk, Entrants wristbands, T/Shirt and C.D. Sales.

Dianne Thornton – Backstage Manager.

Karen Logan – Backstage Assistant.

Vern Duncan – Stage Manager.

Bruce Berry – Stage Manager

Patsy Smith – Judges water, Coordinators Aide, and Ladies rest room monitor.

Barbara Hall – Judges sheets

Lucy Cossin – Judges sheets.

Heather Fraser – Judges sheets.

Plus anyone else who helped with the judges sheets.

Ned Palmer – Assistant Security and gents restroom monitor.

Plus a big thank you to every one else who I may not have mentioned who also contributed to the day being the success that it was.

THE HOMESTEAD WEBMASTER

John Boetje

My thanks to John for putting the entry forms and conditions of entry information on the Homestead website which made easy access to the Youth Talent Expo contestants for downloading.

 

THE COMPERES

Darryn Robinson

Tracy Robinson

Barbara Hall

Frank Moroney.

What a mighty job you all did. Thank you all.

 

THE CATERERS

The “Old Skool Muscle Car Club”under the direction of Graham “Boppa” Curtis.

Made sure the food was excellent and the service supurb. I hope you will be there again in 2010.

I would like to thank the members of the Old Skool Muscle Car Club for the display of cars set out on the grounds. The contestants took advantage of this and have had some very nice photos taken with the cars. (Some of these would look great on their first C.D. cover.)

 

THE SOUND ENGINEER

Peter Smith.

Thank you Peter for the excellent sound again this year.

 

The musical backing was excellent and provided by members of -

THE HOMESTEAD CORE BAND

Steve Fraser – Lead Guitar

Bill Turgeon – Drums

Peter Bigg – Bass Guitar

Michael Cole – Rhythym Giutar

 

THE YOUNG GUNS BAND

Michael Cole - Lead Guitar

Kyle Thompson - Drums

Craig Samin - Bass Guitar

Lance Coassin - Rhythm Guitar

 

 

THE JUDGES

Paul Wilson – Head Judge

Ali Hinchcliffe

Walter Coassin

Margaret Stephan

Randal Terrens

Tracy Killeen

The Judges had a particularly hard day with Tracy Killeen having to leave at 3pm

(as she was performing that night). One Judge had 5 sections in a row to adjudicate and with the talent on show, that was very stressful but it seems nothing was too much trouble for this year’s Judges. I would like to see them all back again next year. They did a fantastic job.

To have Tracy Killeen with us this year is especially gratifying as she is the 2009 Tiara Award winner. In her words, she was,”Blown away by the Talent”displayed by our contestants. I appreciate all of the Judges giving up their time to help young people towards a possible career in Country Music and thank them most sincerely. Also a special thanks to Randal Terrens who did not accept a booking with his band “The Smokin’ Crawdads” to be with us for the day.(A decision he made way back in February this year and he stuck to his promise). He said it was an excellent festival and wanted to be involved again next year.

Most of today’s Country Music Stars and Judges started out in competitions like our Youth Talent Expo including the famous Kieth Urban, festivals such as this  are the training grounds of tomorrows Australian Country Music Stars.

 

We would be unable to have such a large a Festival with the prizes that we have without our wonderful Sponsors. I thank them all for their support and hope they will all be back next year.

THE SPONSORS

Homestead Country Music Club

101.5 Fm

Morayfield Music

Moreton Bay Regional Council – who approved a $3000 grant to hold this years Youth Talent Expo.

The Deputy Mayor, Mr Greg Chippendale

Moreton Bay Regional Counciller. Mr Adrian Raedel

Action Trophies

Caboolture Screen Printers

Studio 51 Gympie

Sooty’s Promotional Products

Western World Saddlery

Alchemix Recording Studios, Woolloongabba

The professionals Caboolture

Nova Ford Caboolture

Channis Signs & Designs

Darryn Robinson, Private Sponsor

Trevor Gowlett, Private Sponsor

Bellmere Butchers

Sue Venn – for the lucky spot prize

Frank Moroney & Pam Matthews – for the fruit & Vegetable trays

 

101.5 FM need a special mention here for their generous sponsorship of free advertising for our Cash Sponsors for the Expo, Masses of on air advertising  and interviews for the event, support for Homestead Country Music Club in general and the presence of their outside broadcast van on our site onfor the Youth Talent Expo.

 

I could probably go on for hours about how much I appreciate the help each of every and every one who was connected in any way to the Youth Talent Expo 2009, but I would like you all to know what a wonderful job you did and offer my sincere thanks because as you know something like this cannot be put on by one person.

 

I am very happy to say that the computer room run by Bob & Fiona Cole did a spectacular job. Working with them was a pleasure and I thank them for the printed information presented to me immediately the Festival ended, to hold for the Youth Talent Expo records.

 

Thanks to Leisa Bye who took nearly 1000 photos this year, I will be able to do up a 2009 photo album. This will not be done as quickly as it was in last two year s as I have to sift through all of those photos and then have the selected ones printed before I can begin to put it all together.

 

Without the contestants we would have no Junior Festival, so I thank all of the young entrants and their parents who attended this year, especially our Overall Champion and her family who traveled up from Sydney.

 

Congratulations to all the winners and to every contestant who provided such  amazing talent. I’m sure they all bring their best performances to the Homestead Youth Talent Expo. A big thank you and I hope to see you there again for the  2010 competition.

 

Going on the co-operation shown by everyone involved this year I am sure that next years Homestead Youth Talent Expo will be even easier to put together.

 

Lastly my heartfelt thanks go to everyone connected in any way to the Expo and hope you will all be there again next year.

 

Laurie Sterling

 

Homestead Youth Talent Expo 2009

Coordinator