Articles

Lloyd, Roving reporter

A year with FReeZA

Walking up to the podium to accept the Mount Alexander Shire Young Citizens of the Year award on behalf of MASK Productions, the Castlemaine FReeZA Committee, I had barely enough time to think of any speech at all, let alone a way to sum up all of the experiences I've had with the committee over the past year.

Leadership camps and battles of the bands

At the start of the year we'd had the Leadership Camp, only a few weeks after school had started. By everyone's standards it was a fun but intense experience. With about thirteen people coming along, we had driven up to Mount Martha for three days. Swimming at the beach, orientation activities, volleyball, self-confidence and public speaking workshops, even a talent show on the last night. A great time was had by all.

Then came our battle of the bands, featuring groups from around the shire and the outlying regions. The event was filmed and the video was then submitted to the Short Film competition later in the year, and won. We had a large number of people attend from all over the shire, and many people came from outside it to see the bands play. It was viewed by many as one of the most successful events of the year.

Winning awards and playing laser-tag

As Youth Week rolled around again, we found that our FReeZA committee had won an award, and along with it, two hundred dollars to spend on ourselves. We decided, through vigorous debate and process of elimination, that we would all go play laser-tag in Bendigo.

So in the middle of the year, MASK Productions went to a Push workshop held in Bendigo that outlined the organising of events and the many snags that one might hit in the process. It also included an acoustic performance by a member of Horsell Common. Afterwards, we all went laser-tagging and hit McDonalds. Good times.

Setting up a youth space and making new noise

The opening of a Youth Space in Castlemaine had long caused much debate among the young people of the community. We had found an old childcare centre in the Continuing Education building, and we cleaned it up, holding a silent auction called 'Everyone Loves A Little Chair', offering all of the old equipment and children's toys for sale. Parents from around the community flocked to the auction, buying all manners of children's accessories. We finally had a Youth Space, and also somewhere new to hold our FReeZA meetings.

A few months later we had our Youth Art Exhibition and Short Film Competition, entitled New Noise. Held in the foyer of the local library and theatre, it featured live acoustic performances by local musicians and nibbles for the public while they viewed the artwork displayed on the walls. Afterwards, the entries to the short film competition were shown in the theatre. The exhibition was fast becoming an event that was looked forward to by local artists and event-goers alike.

End-of-year gigs

During the later months of the year, the Regional Battle of the Bands was held in Kyneton, and our committee organised for a bus to take people to the event. The wasn't a very large turn-out, but those who did were thrilled for the opportunity, as it is sometimes hard to find transportation to and from regional events.

Our final event for the year was a concert that we put on at the Castlemaine Show, dubbed 'The Maine Stage'. It featured breakdance crews from around Central Victoria and local band favourites The Beat Disease for the entertainment of the people walking around the Show. It was a huge success, with many people staying around long after all the rides had shut down.

Finally we had our farewell dinner, where we bid adieu to our fearless leader and Youth Officer, Bek Morecroft, and some of our senior members, at the local pizza parlour. It was a fun night, and a great way to say goodbye and round out the year.

A year of achievements

So as I accepted the award, I thought about all the experiences I'd had throughout the year, and agreed that MASK Productions winning this award was a perfect way to end a long year of achievements that will continue to be enjoyed in the many years to come.

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