04 DECEMBER 2024 | ISSUE 562 | FREE
GOULBURN RIVER & RANGES
2024 Bendigo Bank Community Carols Ignite Christmas Spirit at Lake Nagambie
Photographed by Simon Burnett
On the first of December, the 2024 Bendigo Bank Community Carols gathered a large crowd on the foreshores of Lake Nagambie. Locals and visitors of all ages came to enjoy what has become the Community House’s most popular, yearly event. The lineup of performers was impressive, with Kinder and Primary School students, various artists, and Australia wide renown vocalist Silvie Paladino, returning to Nagambie for a second year in a row. The Voice caught up with recently resigned NLCH coordinator Anna Close to find out the details.
“What I love the most about this event, Anna starts out, is how it’s such a mutual labour of love. So many people are involved in preparing, volunteering, performing and planning for the Carols. I love seeing the Kinder kids up on stage, and the Nagambie Primary School always does such a stellar job with their nativity play. Then there are the students from St. Joseph’s School, who add such a special, and important part of inclusion with their signing in Auslan. And that’s not even half of the program. Of course we couldn’t have done any of it without the generous contribution from Bendigo Bank and a whole line of local sponsors and donors.”
diverse in age, I think it’s important that a community Carols event reflects that. Then we yet again had the amazing privilege of welcoming Silvie Paladino back to Nagambie. Her repertoire and experience is unique. She has stood on stages throughout Australia, Asia and London’s West End, not to mention that she is also a reoccurring performer at the Melbourne Carols by Candlelight. Yet, she still gladly says yes to come to a small town like ours, and really just brings so much Christmas spirit and magic. For anyone wondering what she is like ‘behind the scenes’, I can confirm she is just as lovely, kind, generous and inspiring as she comes across with a microphone in her hand,” Anna laughs.
The night also included singing by the Lakeside Larks, Yorta Yorta/Wiradjuri man Aaron Wallace, and Martika Cetinich, who many locals are already familiar with from her singing at Zephyrs and with the Forever 80s band.
Some of the more solemn moments of the evening came in the form of readings from the Gospels, perfectly executed by Nagambie girls Maddison Vaughan and Vanessa Swan. “They did such an amazing job getting up in front of all those people,” Anna gushes, “it can be really intimidating if you’ve never done anything like it before, but they didn’t flinch.”
“We try to come up with a mix of modern and more traditional carols”, Anna says, “songs that are slower and songs that make you want to get up on your feet and dance. The audience is so
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