Fire evacuation at eisteddfod with acts too hot to handle
NEARLY 200 people, many of them school students, were evacuated from the Gympie Civic Centre yesterday after fire broke out in a change room.
The incident occurred during the 2015 Gympie and District Eisteddfod.
Fire and emergency, ambulance, police and Energex crews attended the fire about 1.30pm and after finding and isolating the cause, the performances were back under way by about 2pm.
Gympie and District Eisteddfod Society president Thelma Reisenleiter joked that it may have been the energetic work of concert pianist James Muir "giving the Civic Centre grand piano a workout it hasn't had in years".
It may have also been, she speculated, the contribution of volunteer and ex-political candidate Reg Lawler, "a man of many words" who "may have overheated the microphone".
"But these are only theories," she said with a grin.
Emergency workers quickly found and isolated the fault, a burned out light switch.
The 2015 eisteddfod started with dance at the weekend, with adjudicator Sandra Breen.
It continued yesterday, today and tomorrow with piano and instrumental, with adjudicator James Muir, in the Heritage Theatre at the civic centre.
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Thursday and Friday will be choral singing and singing, with adjudicator Sarah Sullivan.
Also on Friday, in the Fossickers Room at the centre, is speech and drama with adjudicator Roslyn Lewis.
Speech and vocal championships will be held Friday evening, in the Heritage Theatre, rounding out a busy week for organisers, adjudicators, pupils and teachers, as well as the many volunteers who help ensure the event runs smoothly.
Mrs Reisenleiter was full of praise for the young performers.
"This is Gympie's future," she said, pointing towards a group of children performing in the theatre.
"And our future is in good hands."
Mrs Reisenleiter was also full of praise for the adjudicators, in particular, James Muir.
The experienced music teacher, lecturer and eminent pianist has returned to Gympie to once again adjudicate this year's piano and instrumental sections.
He too, was full of praise for the youngsters and the high standard set.
Tickets are still available for any of the performances from the Gympie Civic Centre box office.
