The 81st Murwillumbah Festival of the Performing Arts opens at the Murwillumbah Civic Centre this week, marking a big week for Arthur Holmes.
Arthur, who has just stepped down as president of the festival due to ill health, is celebrating being awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for his service to the community, both in his work with the Festival and his years 27 years as king of the kids at South Tweed Primary in their pre-school.
“It is very humbling to receive something so prestigious,” Arthur said from his Murwillumbah home this week.
Not that he did any of it for the awards – no, not Arthur – a love of entertainment and of kids is what has led him to devote so long to helping launch the careers and lives of youngsters on the Tweed and beyond.
This year, under the stewardship of new president, Heather Martin (Arthur’s son is vice president) the 26-day Murwillumbah Performing Arts Festival (starting in Murwillumbah today) will see more than 10,000 young performers take to the stage in speech, music and dance.
“I’ve been on the committee for the past 35 years but obviously not as president,” Mrs Martin said.
“Obviously Arthur had everything under control. It has been a learning curve picking up jobs that he has always done, but everyone running the festival has been involved for a long time, so there should be no problems.”
Stepping away for the festival presidency after 17 years wasn’t really Arthur’s choice. Anyone who knows him will tell you, it, along with his wife and family, is one of the loves of his life.
But he was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer just after organising last year’s 80th anniversary of the festival, collapsing with what he originally thought was a liver or kidney infection. He said he wasn’t expected to be here for this year’s event or the Queen’s Birthday honours list.
“Now they tell me I have to make it through to later in the year to receive the actual medal,” he joked.
“I’m still on the committee (for the festival) and a life member and I’ve been doing a lot of consulting.
“I’ve enjoyed it all so much, I feel very proud of my efforts at the pre-school and the festival of performing arts and, if I helped young people achieve their goals, then I’m a happy.
“Of course I haven’t done it on my own, I have a great family and I have worked with a lot of great people.”
Arthur was one of five people on the Tweed to be honoured in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list, which included Volunteer Marine Rescue member Bernie Gabriel; Tweed West-based retired Squadron Leader John Parker (for service to veterans); Foundation member of the Campervan and Motorhome Club of Australia, Donald Whitworth of Tweed Heads; and Banora-based Reginald Arnold for his service to cycling.
The Murwillumbah Festival of Performing Arts, which has produced artists who have gone on to work in London’s West End, New York and around the world, will be held in Murwillumbah for the next 26 days.
