News from the G.R.A.I.N. Store

The GRAIN Store thanks the Nathalia and District community for their part in the very successful The Things We Do For Love winter promenade and party. In particular the following…

Audience members who braved something entirely new and different; and in doing so provided respect and acknowledgement to community members who participated by being filmed and quoted to set the scenes for this fascinating and heart warming subject: The Things We Do For Love.

The community members who gave it a go…and allowed themselves to be filmed and quoted; and in particular Ross Smith, whose quotes and commentary occasioned so much laughter amongst the mysterious sewing machines.

Squish and her creation: The Six Week Wonders Band…whose music was perfect for our party and karaoke and the product of so much work and love on their part.

The audience members who took part in the party: quiz; food and story; poetry and story; karaoke.

The amazing St Marys of the Angels “Grumpy Guides” only doing it for the food; and their nightly support and backstop: Kim Carter. The St Marys of the Angels for the beautiful and powerful bollards; one of the seven amazing “love stations” and the SMOTA students who did the “Bunting ballet” with bunting provided through Nathalia Tennis Club.

The Senior Citizens for a week’s disruption to their programme to accommodate the Chain Reaction: created by Nathalia Secondary College Students. The Historical Society for a week’s disruption to their Bookshop; home of the Love Makey-Makey Corrugated iron noise and story maker;  the GRAIN Store Monday Making Space artists who vacated the workshop area for Jens Extraordinary Spoilotron Machine and The Superb Parrot Project for their backing banner to the wrap around screen at the Rotunda created by Sue Logie and her sewing machine

Jens Altheimer and Greg Pritchard and Louise Purcell: artists and art workers who brought the ideas and the technical capacity to share with us the amazing potential of this theme.

G.R.A.I.N. Store Board for the courage to take on such a huge project; and our GRAIN Store volunteers and guards who operated each of the stations, missing out on the tour themselves; and working tirelessly and creatively to help this be the wonderful occasion it was.

Moira Shire employees who helped us through the requirements of operating in these public spaces; and our two major grants: Regional Arts Victoria for a Quick Response Grant and FRRR for a Strengthening Rural Communities Grant and Moira Shire for the funds we were able to contribute from our Nathalia Creative Arts Hub Grant.

And so it is not just us blowing our own trumpet:

My husband and I were at your event 'The things we do for Love' on Saturday night (08.06.2024) and we thought it was just brilliant! Thank you for such a great night.

There was so much participation from the Nathalia community represented in the event, which was incredible (clearly many workshops to gather it all). We loved the 'tour' around the town - hearing the stories of local residents, shop keepers, seeing the video from the primary school students, reading/celebrating the towns indigenous history, experiencing unusual sights...ghostly sewing machines, silhouettes of the town and 'electric' vegetables setting off stories etc.. We haven't experienced anything quite so fun and thought provoking for a very long time.

How has it impacted us? A wonderful picture of town of Nathalia and the supportive community it has, showing love and care to others. A town with a history to celebrate.