St Barbara's Festival 2004St Barbara’s Festival was celebrated in a myriad of events for the Goldfields community and visitors during the first week in December. Starting on the 2nd December with the Miner’s Memorial, around 250 people gathered in St Barbara’s Square to remember those who have died in mining related accidents. The Miner’s Memorial was attended by Mine Managers and members of Mines Rescue Teams who give their time to help out their fellow workers in times of need. The symbolic Miner’s Lamp was lit at the commencement of the Memorial service to officially open the St Barbara’s Festival for 2004. Nearly 200 guests took part in the Aussie Christmas Ball. Guests were able to dance the night away after a sumptuous three course meal. Other exciting events that occurred during the Festival included the Battle of the Bands, held in the Boulder Town Hall. A community concert was held in Centennial Park, large crowds were able to meet special guest, Olympic Gold medallist Peter Dawson, and they were also able to view the Black String Puppet Theatre. Guest performers for the evening were well known band, Fab Four. Other entertainment included local performers and there were Bouncy Castles and face painting for children. Sunday was an activity filled day with events commencing at 10.30am. Athletes and cyclists from around the state gathered in Hannan Street for the Golden Mile Foot Race and the Inaugural Golden Mile Cycle Race. Olympic cyclist Peter Dawson provided stiff competition for the Cycle Race winner Paul Miller, who completed the mile long race in 2 minutes 21.49 seconds. Divisional winners for the Golden Mile Foot Race were Craft stalls were set up along Hannan and Cassidy Streets and local businesses were open for brisk sales in the morning. Entertainers such as stilt walkers, jugglers and Mr Walley the Clown , as well as the Black String Puppet Theatre provided the growing crowd with diverse distractions before the big event of the day – the street parade. Discovery was the theme of the parade, led by guests of honour in vintage cars. The melodic sounds of a mass band heralded one of the highlights of the parade – the Amalgamated Prospectors and Leaseholders Association (APLA) presentation of 100 years of Prospecting as part of their centenary celebrations. Local school groups and prospectors worked together to represent each decade of APLA’s 100 year history. APLA’s section of the parade provided the public with an overview of the changing ways and nature of prospecting, from the wooden bicycle and barrows of the prospectors of the 1800’s to the huge dryblower displayed by local prospector Cranston Edwards. Mining companies and community groups provided floats for the remainder of the parade ending with the huge dump truck making it’s way down the main street of Kalgoorlie. Thousands of people lined the streets to watch the last event for the festival. The success of the festival is shown through the collaborative way the minerals industry and the community interact to produce spectacular events such as the St Barbara’s Street Parade, providing all spectators with an experience of community building in practice. |