Tuesday, 21 January, 2025
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Snakes alive in Springvale Springvale will erupt in celebrations at its annual Lunar New Year festival this Sunday 26 January. Marking the Year of the Snake, thousands are expected to enjoy lion and dragon dances, rides, foods, music and fireworks in Buckingham Avenue between 10am-10pm. The family event is organised by Springvale Asian Business Association (SABA) and supported by Greater Dandenong Council and the State Government.
A spectacular lion dance during last year’s Lunar New Year Festival in Springvale. (Rob Carew: 384608)
Ready to launch Tusi James is unstoppable ready to release his first music album and obtain his counselling degree. The music enthusiast and Dandenong resident will release his first ever album, Scatter Brain, in March this year with eight songs all up inspired by his own life story. Born with Crouzon Syndrome, James has had vision and hearing impairment since birth but never limited himself in life.
“Because I’ve done music and now I’m doing counselling I feel like I have story to tell that I’ve never told before through music and that’s the reason for this album. “I’m trying to put myself out there because I was also shy and insecure about my own disability and I think I want to put more attention on it than I would normally do.
“Each song reflects a bit of scatteredness, it all reflects within me, how moods change- happy beat in the background but you’re speaking of something negative- those things reflect off this album. “The current idea for the album behind it, the sings reflect each year I’ve gone thru so far and breaking thru barriers, feeling isolated, mental health, growing up with domestic violence which
I’ve never spoken about.” The album has been in the making since 2023 as a “re-introduction” of James. “Every time I listen to it (his music), it spoke more to me than I thought I had written down and now looking at what my life has been so far, I feel warmth about it.” Full story page 2
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