• To give you confidence, Covid-safe practices, as last year, need to be followed.  Unfortunately they are necessary., but hopefully this situation won't last too long:
  • Masks need to be worn whilst indoors and singing.  (Even though some indoor wearing of masks may soon not requiired, we still feel it is important to continue with them initially.)
  • Proof of double vaccination is required.  Boosters of course, are preferred but proof not required to be shown..
  • All safety equipment will be available - masks, shields, gloves, sanitiser, etc. for your use.
  • Your temperature will be taken on arrival by a hands free thermometer.
  • Electric fans will be placed strategically around the room to direct the air flow to the outside.
  • Doors will be open.
  • Chairs will be spaced 1 metre apart. 
• Timing
  • 7.30 p.m. prompt start.
  • 8.40 p.m. - announcements if there are any.  (Please advise Russel if you have an announcement and try to keep it to 2 minutes if possible).
  • 8.40 to 8.55 p.m. - Tea Break.  (Carolyn McIntyre will bring the usual tea, coffee, milk, but please could you bring your own cup.   Just go into the kitchen and make up your own brew!  Plenty of hot water. Thank you).
  • 9.30 p.m. Close.  (Lock up to be complete by 10.00 p.m.)
• Chairs
  • Chairs to be placed in same positions, in a semi-circle, as last year.  We plan to publish a chair roster shortly, but on the first night we will endeavour to set out as many chairs as we can;  if you do come early it would be wonderful if you could help.  Chairs will need to be packed away in stacks of 10.  There is a trolley to assist.
• Music
  • Bill has set out the following songs.  Maggie will provide the music for newcomers and they will be handed a folder.   Some of us may not have all the music, so if you don't have them at home, Maggie will have a sheet on her music table for you to indicate which sheets for the future nights you don't already have.  It is very useful for her to have an idea of how many extra copies will need to be printed.  So, please check your cupboards and files and dig out as many of these as you can and put them in your folders:

• Badges.  If you can remember where it is, please could you wear your name badge - this will help us all and in particular our new members and visitors.  Thank you.

ANZAC DAY PARADE AND SERVICE
We are once again invited to take part in the Beaumaris RSL ANZAC Day Parade and Service on Sunday, 24th April (ANZAC Day being the next day, the 25th).  Full details will be sent in due course, but choir will be required to attend from 1.00 p.m. for joint rehearsal with the St. Leonard's Band.  The March steps off at 2.45 p.m. and the Service commences at 3.00 p.m.  This year the Army will conduct the Service.  Please put this date in your diary if you enjoy taking part in this, always wonderful, community event.

VOCALLY WILD CONCERT
Bayside Council has awarded us a $1,000 grant.  This is to be used to plan and present a community concert to showcase Vocally Wild in 'recovery' and for us to introduce some young musical talent to the community.  We will confirm the date shortly, but it could be late June/early July, or October.  The venue will be Brighton Town Hall.  This will be an exciting event for us to prepare for.

OTHER MUSICAL EVENTS
We will of course have further news of events for our diaries, but first things first, let's get started and let our voices freely soar!

FACEBOOK - WEBSITE
Cherry is now the Facebook Administrator, and I look after the Website.  We will endeavour to keep both these platforms up to date, so you will know where to look for information if you need it.

If you have any choir photographs you would like to see on either of these sites, please let Cherry or I know.  If you want to read about the Choir's 'glorious'  history, see some recent photographs, listen to recorded practice music, look at staff profiles, look at past music videos of Vocally Wild, etc., do check out the website.  Just go to www.vocallywild.org.au and go to the Home Page.  From there you can look at the various pull down lists.  The website is a work in progress, so any icomments you make will be welcome.  I will endeavour to get round to adding song words, etc.  all good fun and there are endless possibilities!

If you have forgotten your website password, please contact Cherry and she will organise a new one for you.

Cherry would love you to write a 'Post' for Facebook, so do let her know.  It is better to add a photograph to a post - this makes people take notice!  To find Vocally Wild in Facebook, just enter Vocally Wild Choir!

YOUNG, AMAZING TALENT
Bill has a very talented family.  Some of you who sang in the community carols in December will have met Jamie, Bill's son, who plays a magical Viola.  Bill's daughter, Charlotte, is a brilliant Cellist who is constantly in demand with requests to play in various parts of the country.   This weekend, for example, Charlote will be playing Tchaikovsky's 'Variations on a Rococo (Cello Concerto) in the closing concert of the 3MBS Tchaikovsky Marathon at the Melbourne Recital Hall on SATURDAY NIGHT, 19th February, 8.00 p.m.   It is a live concert being streamed through Australian Digital Concert Hall.  Subscription for the 72 hour streamed broadcase (Saturday to Tuesday) can be purchased from ​​​​​​​: https://www.melbournerecital.com.au/events/2022/tchaikovsky-marathon-concert-5/, and tickets for the live performance from this site: https://www.melbournerecital.com.au/events/2022/tchaikovsky-marathon-concert-5/. 

CONNOR'S RUN
Hopefully Vocally Wild will be singing at the annual Connor's Run event later in the year, but Cherry has brought to our attention this news of a very worthy Australia Day Honours recipient.  Many of you will be very interested:

Medal (O.A.M.) of the Order of Australia in the General Division was awarded to Mrs. Mary Elizabeth DAWES, Sandringham, Victoria for her service to the community through charitable organisations.  Mary is the founder (in 2013) and Chief Executive Officer of the Robert Connor Dawes Foundation and funds are raised for The Royal Children's Hospital Foundation.  Mary's other awards and recognition include:  Local Hero, Electoral Division of Goldstein in 2016 and Bayside Citizen of the Year, 2015.

LESLEY COLEMAN (WINNING)'S NEW PROJECT
Lesley is such a community minded and talented person!  Amongst other things, she supports and leads the Family Life Charity, she supports Dogs of the Homeless, and Lesley now has a new project which she thought Vocally Wild might be interested in.   In her words:

I am making a short film about family violence, told from the point of view of the survivors of violent relationships.  We know that family violence has become even worse over the past two years, so this project is both timely and very important.

The film will be accompanied by an eBook that details the psychological underpinnings of the issue and provides advice on where and how to get help. It will include teaching materials.  We have worked with Family Life on the script and counselling psychologist, Meredith Fuller OAM is our associate producer and will write the eBook.

If anyone would like more information, here is the website address:    https://home-truths.com.au
We are running a crowd funding campaign to help us make this film.  If you would like to contribute to this project, please click on this link  https://www.pozible.com/profile/lesley-coleman-4    The funding campaign ends on February 25.  

CHATTY CAFE - Come for a Chat - by Penny Repse
We all know Vocally Wild members love to chat, so this sounds perfect for you.

Chatty Café is a community organisation which is all about helping people connect for a chat. It’s a simple concept which started in the UK in 2017 with the focus on providing ways to bring people together of all ages and from all walks of life.

Bayside locals started the Australian arm a couple of years ago but, unfortunately, the covid lockdown restrictions slowed it down but now it’s up and running again locally. The importance of the program has been recognised with Bayside Council and the State Government’s South East Metro Partnerships supporting Chatty Café as a way of helping the community reconnect.

Bayside’s initiative will be used a model to get the program up and running in other parts of the state.  Venues as diverse as the Royal Brighton Yacht Club, Éclair, Our Casa and Paperboy cafés in Hampton, Castlefield, Cheltenham, Highett and Hampton Community Centres, Sandringham Library, Bayside Nursery, RAW Garden and Sandy Beach Kiosk are all hosting Chatty Café tables. See below for local venues, days and times, plus new venues and days are being added all the time.
Initially the tables are hosted by volunteers, including Vocally Wild member Penny Repse, who welcome and encourage visitors to get to know each other. Then it’s up to people to chat.

The program has been so successful in the UK that more than 1,400 venues take part around the country, and it has now spread to Poland and Gibraltar with interest growing the Canada and the US.  You might like to be involved as a volunteer, or just come along for a ‘chat’. Everyone is welcome so tell your friends, family, neighbours, anyone who might like a chat.  Check out the website at chattycafeaustralia.org.au or, if you’re interested in volunteering,  email Helen Boulton, the Volunteer Manager, at helenb@thechattycafe.com.au or talk to Penny Repse on 0439 995 850 to find out more.

Also, calling any cake-makers!  Chatty Cafe like to provide a snack for the 'chatters' at the community centres.  If anyone is willing to make a cake, or similar, for morning teas, on a Roster basis, it would be very much appreciated.  Please contact Penny.on her phone number above or  pennyrepse@gmail.com

Local Chatty Cafes

Kindest regards, and 'See you on the 1st March",
Pat and the Committee.