'Very special' event to mark one year since the floods

SHARE stories and connect with others while enjoying music and food at this Lismore gathering.

Promoting the free community gathering to mark one year since the 2017 March flood are (front) musicians Kate Stroud from Lady Mondegreen and Luke Vassella with (rear l-r) organiser and Lismore City Councillor Elly Bird and performers from The Overtopping Mike Smith, Tom Kelly, Chris Wilkinson, Zeb Schulz and Sunita Bala. Picture: Terra Sword

THE Lismore community is invited to a free event to mark one year since the March 2017 flood.

One Year On will be held at the Lismore Quadrangle on Saturday from 2pm with activities for everyone to enjoy.

The afternoon will give people a chance to share stories and connect with one another while honouring the resilience and strength of the Lismore community.

There will be live music by Luke Vassella, Lady Mondegreen, Blakboi and The Button Collective, a barbecue, community arts activities and stalls by emergency services and community organisations.

The evening will conclude with a free performance of The Overtopping at 6pm, a site-specific theatre experience based on stories of the 2017 flood and its aftermath.

It showcases some of the best emerging and professional artists of varying abilities working in Lismore and includes dance, puppetry, sound art, projection, creative lighting, live storytelling and water art.

The work was developed by post-disability arts company RealArtWorks, a community group whose own studios were filled with flood water during the March 2017 disaster.　

Originally commissioned by Regional Arts NSW as part of Artstate Lismore in November last year, RealArtWorks hopes to remount the work in other towns and cities in the context of art playing a role in natural disaster recovery.

One Year On organiser and Lismore councillor Elly Bird said she was excited that this "incredibly powerful piece of work” will be performing at the anniversary event.

"It encapsulates so many emotions and feelings in one piece of engaging physical theatre,” Ms Bird.

"It is both moving and mesmerising to watch, and one of the great pieces of live theatre that has come out of Lismore in recent years, with a narrative that is unique and very close to our community's heart.”

A free courtesy bus will be provided to and from the One Year On community event, and people are encouraged to bring the family and picnic rugs to spend the afternoon relaxing in The Quad.

Community members are welcome to purchase food from the CBD and bring it along, enjoy the barbecue provided for a gold coin donation, grab something from Slate bar and café and stay for dinner at one of Lismore's many CBD restaurants.

”I encourage everyone to join us for an afternoon of music and community connection, and to stay for this very special performance to mark our one-year flood anniversary,” Ms Bird said.

"Lismore showed such amazing community spirit after the flood and that community spirit is what this event is all about. It's an opportunity for us to come together and acknowledge the journey we are travelling together.”

Free courtesy bus timetable

Loop start

Goonellabah - Oliver Avenue bus stop in front of Council

Rous Road Shopping Centre - Pleasant Street

Wyrallah Road Shopping Centre

Lismore Square - Uralba Street

Trinity College - Leycester Street

Quad drop off - Magellan Street　

Continue pick up

Union Street - Railway Station

South Lismore Primary School - Phyllis and Wilson Street

Terania Street - Northern Rivers Hotel

Molesworth Street - Transit Centre

Quad drop off - Magellan Street　

Pick-up at 1.30pm, 2.30pm and 3.30pm

Loop starts from Goonellabah　

Drop-off leaving The Quad at 5.30pm. 6.30pm and 8pm

Reverse loop to Goonellabah