Original bush poetry, combined with a delicious meal at McGrath’s Cafe in Hopetoun on Saturday night, thoroughly delighted a crowd of 50 art-hungry patrons.

Well-known WA poet Victoria Brown performed, with great wit and vivacity, a number of her original works, and was ably supported by some brave and talented locals who had written their poems during a weekend workshop with Victoria, organised by the Ravensthorpe Regional Arts Council.

A dozen aspiring poets completed the workshops, but not all were confident enough to perform for the happy diners.

 

Among those who did were Eve Brown, Mary Smith, Kay Hanrahan and Katherine Davies, delivering freshly-hatched poems that told highly amusing stories of country life, familiar to all who live in the bush.

 

The winter warm-up dinner, prepared by the McGrath’s, was superb, featuring a generous selection of soups, roasted meats, baked vegetables and curries, all presented in an ambience worthy of major city 5-star restaurants. The town is fortunate to have such a professional and well-presented venue for these types of events.

 

The raffle of a magnificent fern in a glazed pot sold out quickly with the lucky winner being Mary Smith. The plant and pot were generously donated by the Hopetoun Garden and Hardware Centre.

Victoria Brown praised the workshop participants for their eager participation, and RRAC for its initiative, and promised to return for an encore performance in the future.

RRAC acknowledges gratefully the assistance of Country Arts WA and so many locals in organising and presenting such a wonderfully successful workshop and evening event.  RRAC would also like to thank Michael and Noeline Mann for hosting Victoria at their B& B, THE MANNor.