Cairns Eisteddfod marks 70 years fostering Far North talent
The Cairns and District Junior Eisteddfod has celebrated 70 years, with almost 5,000 young performers taking centre stage.
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Celebrating 70 years of fostering Far North talent, the Cairns and District Junior Eisteddfod has welcomed almost 5,000 young performers to the stage.
Showcasing musical, dance, literary and dramatic talent, Cairns Eisteddfod president Robin Smith said the event, which debuted in Cairns in 1955, had become cornerstone in the community.
“In 1955, a group of Cairns citizens had the foresight to set up something for the young performers in Cairns, and it’s become a bit of a cornerstone for promoting young performers in the community,” Ms Smith said.
“(This year) there would be over 3,000 solo competitors registered across the event, and then you’ve got something like 18 dance troupes with 30 to 40 competitors in each, then there’s choirs, orchestra’s and bands, so we’re seeing close to 5,000 young people across the event.”
. To celebrate the milestone anniversary, some of the original Eisteddfod performers were attending the competition as spectators.
“We’ve tracked down a few of our very original competitors and you’ll see them around, they’re wearing a nice white sash that identifies them as a competitor from 1955,” she said.
Ms Smith, who competed in the Eisteddfod in the 1960s, followed by her daughter in the 2000s, said competitors not only developed an appreciation for the arts, but learnt valuable life skills through performance.
“It really teaches them how to manage anxiety, it gives them resilience, and they’re very disciplined and organised to be able to do what they do,” she said.
She said community support for the Eisteddfod had been so great, numbers were now higher than pre-Covid levels.
“2020 was Covid year, so Literary was the only thing we could run that year, but it’s bounced back and we’ve got greater competitor numbers than 2019,” she said.
“Even though economic times are tight, it’s still growing. I think there’d be an outcry in our community if it was to fall over.”
Speech and drama competitors Cohdee Dimarco, Lila Bordujenko and Scarlot Dimarco said they were excited to showcase their original three minute drama on the Eisteddfod stage.
“We came third last year and we’re hoping to beat that,” Lila said.
Sisters Cohdee and Scarlot Dimarco said the trio’s piece was about a singer, a cheerleader and a magician who practising their show, not realising they were being watched.
“They arrive and they think that they’re waiting to be judged, but they don’t realise that the audience is a judge, which it always kind of is, but they’re kind of just showing off their talents to each other,” Cohdee said.
“They’re practising before the judge comes in, and they find out that the judge was there the whole time.”
The group received Highly Commended.
The Cairns Eisteddfod commenced on June 18 and will run until July 4.
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Originally published as Cairns Eisteddfod marks 70 years fostering Far North talent
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