GENERATIONS in Jazz will join the ranks of events such as the Adelaide Festival and WOMAD after a bid to award the long-running festival major event status has been unanimously supported by lower house MPs.
Member for Mount Gambier Troy Bell called on the State Liberal Government to declare the long-running festival a major event, which will make it eligible to receive promotional and financial support from the government.
In speaking on the five-part motion, which also sought to recognise Generation in Jazz as the largest jazz festival in the Southern Hemisphere, Mr Bell said the world-class event was “well overdue for some recognition.”
“I believe the Generations in Jazz festival is at the core of Mount Gambier’s identity,” he said.
“The festival has unquestionably grown and continues to grow.
“This year over 5000 students from 128 different schools across the nation gathered in Mount Gambier for a weekend of jazz.
“Many people from across South Australia, and all of Australia for that matter, would not know it, simply because they have never heard of it.”
Mr Bell’s motion urged the State Government to recognise the financial contribution of the event and congratulate the festival’s board and volunteers.
The motion also called on Premier Steven Marshall to invite prominent arts journalists to be his guests at the 2019 event to promote the festival and South Austalia both nationally and internationally.
“The Generations in Jazz Festival is already a national event, performers and visitors travel from across Australia to experience this unique occasion first-hand,” Mr Bell said.
“This year the festival committee was successful in hosting a range of internationally-renowned jazz musicians.
“Such influential artists from around the world visiting, and having first-hand experience at our festival, will put our festival and town on the map.”
Following Mr Bell’s speech, Liberal MPs Josh Teague and Sam Duluk, Labor’s Jayne Stinson and independent Frances Bedford rose to support the motion, with Ms Bedford heralding Generations in Jazz as an “absolutely amazing event”.
The long-time festival attendee pledged to back Mr Bell in lobbying “anyone he wishes anywhere in the state”.
“Apart from Pedal Prix, Generations in Jazz is my favourite school-based function,” Ms Bedford said.
“It goes right back to those early days with Dale Cleves and some of his friends jamming in jazz.
“Congratulations to everybody involved in Mount Gambier, especially all the music teachers who make sure their children in both public and private schools are ready for such a fabulous weekend of exposure to international, world-acclaimed artists.
“Just to watch it is amazing.”
