The Artful Dodger — August 2025
From the Chair
As usual, Warrandyte Arts is abuzz with creative activity.
Our newest Life Member, Noelene Cooper, was celebrated in fine style at a lunch just last weekend, following her nomination at the AGM in May. Many WMIAA Committee members, five current Life Members and a couple of Noelene’s friends paid tribute to her 25 years of contributions to Warrandyte Arts.
Read on for more details on numerous fronts!
Warmly,
Bruce Turner, Chair
[email protected]
Warrandyte Theatre Company
The current play, Grey Nomad, by local playwright, Dan Lee, has sold out before opening night!
The final season of the year is the Follies.
Chocolate Lilies Choir
Well, it has been such a cold winter full of horrid bugs and lethargy. Leaving the warmth of home to come out into the cold is challenging. We start our sessions with a stretch, warm up and a little massage. Warm faces and hearts and beautiful songs to warm up then we are all one voice, one pulsing beat, sighing and smiling we go onto our more ongoing songs.
This term we have been preparing for the Wattle Festival. A song that I have for some reason overlooked - California Dreaming - has been added to our repertoire and is such a perfect song for winter…I don’t know why I waited so long!
Stay warm and healthy
Nerida Kirov
WMIAA Life Member 2025
Noelene Cooper
Those able to be present were grateful to be able to celebrate Noelene’s induction to Life Membership. A sumptuous feast was had and many a story told. The text of the official citation (read by David Tynan who organised the event), Noelene’s right of reply and some photos are included below.
2025 Life Member Citation
In 2000, when others were recovering from the Millenium bug, a young charge nurse from the Austin’s Spinal Unit wandered onto the stage for the Follies of the World.com. In the 25 years since then, Noelene Cooper has been deeply embedded in the life of the WMIAA.
She has acted in at least 20 productions and splendidly directed two plays (_Honour_and Restorations). From the outset, she has established herself as a virtuoso character actor, whether that be as a human, other animal or plant. Her flair for dress-ups has meant that her characters were dressed in increasingly colourful and silly costumes, so that audiences were often laughing as she walked on stage. The cows and queeny characters are indelibly imprinted in the collective minds of Follies and Pantomime audiences - we were always left wanting more. She has exquisite comic timing and always has been a crowd favourite.
Then there was the voice - honed by expert musical and choral training in other choirs - she could belt out the notes, often at the correct time. No swooping for her, just a rigorous attention and discipline to lift the standard of out singing and diction. She has written many a Follies sketch and song and is always keen to find the funny and ridiculous for others to bring to the stage.
Noelene has been an active member of either the WTC Committee or/and WMIAA Committee for nearly 20 years. She has frequently put up her hands for the thankless tasks - costumes, front of house, working bees, and managing membership dues. Speaking of membership, she is the long term and current Membership Officer and has greatly professionalised this job. Her energy could be described as determined and diplomatic, although Simone did once have to remind Noelene that she ‘was not the boss of her’.
She is a regular provider of glorious catering creations - making our offerings somewhat modest in comparison - you can see that she loves to treat us all.
Finally, Noelene has the rather special attribute of making all newbies feel welcome and is in fact an expert at making all WAA members feel at home an at ease. Often unheralded, she is a critical part of the glue that binds our wonderful Association.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the most worthy and newest life member of the Warrandyte Arts Association, Noelene Cooper!
Noelene Cooper - right of reply!
I’d like to be able to speak off the cuff, but it’s not one of my strengths and, and I would like to say a huge thank you to the Warrandyte Mechanic’s Institute and Arts Association for this honour of Life Membership.
In 2000, as a very nervous 58-year-old, I joined WTC to make my acting debut. What occurred for me from that moment on was to be warmly enveloped by a fun-loving group of people, many of whom would become dear friends. As I became more involved with the wider organisation of folk who constantly give their time, energy and expertise, to make the WAA thrive, that circle of friends continued and continues to grow.
Although this award is very special, for me the real prize has been the friendships and the sense of community that comes with being part of WMIAA. I am so proud to be part of an orgaisation that has enriched the Warrandyte community for so long. I feel like I’ve gained so much more that I’ve given. Also, I feel very privileged to be joining the list of previously awarded, esteemed, long in the tooth, or deceased, life members.
I look forward to more years of friendship, fun and creativity. Thank you again for this award, and thanks to you all for the special part you each play in my life.
The very first Life Member
As a footnote, our tireless Archive Working Group, led by Pat Anderson, recently collated extracts from numerous news clips, newsletters and reports from the ‘Warrandyte Arts Association’ (before it joined with the Mechanics Institute) which included a tribute to our first Life Member, Helen (Patti) Paterson, who was recognised in 1956 for her ‘fostering of the arts and her vital interest in all cultural activities in the community’. She was also President of the CWA and ran a local herb farm.
Pottery
What a fantastic term this has been for the potters who have extended their repertoire from complex sculptures to applying interesting glazes and techniques, and designing ornate tiles, pots, chickens and birds, to name a few.
Recently we received a kind donation from a friend of Melissa - a divine orange retro crockpot - which has been a lifesaver for the chilly winter mornings to keep muffins warm and heat up delicious soups.
Melissa’s science glazing prowess. Applying a final ‘pooling glaze’ on the left, and the divine result on the right…
Robyn ‘burnishing’ the surface of her large pot - a technique using a tool/gemstone to polish surface…
Repair Café
Farewell to Alf
Alf Adins has let us know that he will not be able to continue to act as a fixer. He is a founding member of the WRC from 2019 and we wish him well. He and his skills will be sadly missed. We were able to publicly thank Alf on behalf of the many community members he has helped get their electronic devices working again.
Repair Café Video Launch
We have decided to have the launch of WRC promo videos, produced by Sandi Miller & James Poyner, at the end of the October Repair Café on Sunday, October 5 at 12.30pm. All members are welcome to join us for half an hour for the launch. Rumour has it there will be some local pollies and other dignitaries attending as well!
Here’s a sneak peek at one video, so come along for more of the stars in action!
https://vimeo.com/1093937836/c17b83c4c5
Sewing Workshop
A sewing skills workshop was held at the July Repair Café. Margaret and Bernadette had a gang of eight punters bring along their sewing machines so they could help them skill up and attempt to master their own technology. Another triumph!
August Repair Café
Finally, here is a collection of snaps from a very busy August Repair Café.
Fire Extinguisher Training
Saturday, September 13, 11am at the hall
Courtesy of Manningham Council, we have arranged a short, one and a half hour course on selection and use of fire extinguishers.
The training will be conducted by someone from the CFA and will include practical experience in the use of basic fire equipment. Attendees will be provided with training and advice on the correct selection and use of first attack firefighting equipment, including extinguishers, fire blankets and hose reels.
There are only 10 places available, so please contact Grant Purdy to book a place on: 0412 121 631 or email:
Fight the Mite
Update on repairing the termite damage to the Pottery Studio**
Habitat Construction has now commenced work on repairing the termite damage to the upper workroom at the Warrandyte Community Pottery Studio. Work is progressing well, but the builders have discovered even more damage
than we were aware of.The entire wall of what was the kitchen has been replaced, as shown below.
The new wall of the old kitchen…
The builders also found extensive damage to the entire eastern wall that forms the back of the ‘lean to’ and this will have to be completely replaced.
The east wall of the old workroom propped up to stop it collapsing…
The initial work is being funded through the generous Warrandyte Community Bank (Bendigo Bank) grant we received last year, together with monies raised through fundraising by the potters and other members of the Association.
After receiving assurances from our new MP, Gabriel Ng, we are eagerly awaiting substantial funding from the Federal Government to enable the whole building to be refurbished and repaired. It is our intention to complete all this work by the end of the year.
First Aid Training in July
10 members of the Warrandyte Arts attended the very valuable first aid training in July. They learnt how to resuscitate people, including babies, and how to use defibrillators such as the one just outside the entrance to the hall. Other practical elements of the course included the use of Epi-pens, Ventolin for asthma attacks, slings for broken arms etc., and how to treat snake bites.
We have now bought an Epi-pen, which is held in the First Aid box in the kitchen at the hall.
Here are some photos showing the team at work during the practical exercises.
Archives
Progress with our archives
For the past few months, the archive team has been busy on a number of fronts and can now proudly say that many of our historical artefacts have been substantially sorted and filed, including: newsletters from mid-1956 to current, theatre and music programs, children’s performances and meeting minutes.
We also have a treasure trove of newspaper clippings, including the results of Murray Houghton’s meticulous search for WMI information from newspaper cuttings from the 1880s up to about 1930, as well as some cross-sections of financial information.
One of the recent highlights of our activities has been two visits to the Performing Arts Museum at the Arts Centre in Melbourne. In the early 1980s, WAA member, Emil Aldor, donated a boxful of papers about the first 20 years of WAA activities to the museum. I went there 20 years ago when we were preparing for WAA’s 50th birthday and managed to photocopy a few items at vast expense. This was complicated by early newsletters, for example, being printed on foolscap paper.
This time, however, all our records had been sorted into neat folders. The museum has scanned many records for all manner of artistic pursuits, but not items like programmes and newsletters. BUT, it does allow people like us to come in and scan for ourselves. In this respect, we were incredibly lucky on two fronts.
Firstly, David Tynan made an early start by visiting Officeworks and bringing along a “you beauty” scanner that can accommodate items of any length, so long as they are standard width. So for foolscap items, this presented no problem at all.
Secondly, after a four hour session on the first occasion (and 120 documents later), we made a booking to return to complete the job, only to be told that this second session, due to alterations, might be in a different location amongst the curators and we wouldn’t be allowed to use the scanner. What a relief to find on arrival that we were still in the same research room and could finish the job. We are so grateful for the help given to us by Claudia Funder at the museum.
This scanner has since been approved for purchase by the WMIAA executive for ongoing use by the archive group and any other group. We still have plenty of material to back up into digital format, especially newspaper cuttings that go brown and fade with age.
A second highlight was finding more information about our origins. I was aware, from Joan Golding’s talk at our 50th birthday, that WAA began at a public meeting that she called and that this had grown out of a desire to expand and diversify beyond theatre performances by the local ladies of the Country Women’s Association where women had to act men’s roles. And there it all is. More later, in a separate article, “From the archives: how it all began”.
Our next steps will be to: continue to fill the gaps in the digital record; collect the stories of individuals who are still in the community; attempt to find more information and hall stories from before the start of WAA in late 1955; build the register of all we have; and formalise the procedure (the who does what) to maintain this vital resource into the future. It’s remarkable that some of the gaps are from the past 20 years!!!
A huge thank you to David Tynan, Jock Macneish, Denise Farran and Noelene Cooper for their contribution over the past two months.
Our ultimate near-future goal will be to inform the centenary celebration of the WMI hall in 2028. There will probably be a working group formed, commencing planning early next year. We are interested in hearing from anyone who would like to be involved in this project.
Pat Anderson
Membership Registration Information
Registrations are paid via Trybooking.
Visit: https://www.trybooking.com/CXBDU then click on ‘Book Now’.
Please note, it would be very helpful if when registering or renewing, members only indicate the group(s) they are actively involved in (from the pull-down menu). Having an accurate picture of the total number of members and numbers in groups helps us to promote our organisation and enhance our grant applications.
If you are not an active member of a group (e,g, regular attendee at theatre shows, but not involved in their production) you can register as a ‘Friend of the WMIAA’.
Noelene Cooper
Membership Coordinator
With many thanks to our generous sponsors
