The final location has been revealed for the relocation of our local conservatorium (Coffs Coast Advocate, 07/03/2009). Of all the places, I don’t think as many people would have expected the Copacabana nightclub location to be infiltrated by local music teachers and students. So yes, time to crack out the Barry Manilow and party like it’s 1978!
With the other locations being mentioned like the “cultural precinct” at Brelsford Park and possibly taking over some space of the local university, I think the Coffs Con has a much better chance of forging an identity now and begin revealing itself to the public a lot more. Previously being located at the very back of the Home Base area opposite Park Beach Plaza, you couldn’t blame people for not knowing where the local conservatorium was. A search and rescue squad would normally be deployed to locate people trying to locate the conservatorium. And even if they did find the conservatorium, parents would usually drop off their child while still clutching to furniture bought from all of the surrounding stores while trying not to spill their coffee from the café immediately in front of the entrance.
While I am usually quick to point out the hidden facts of the conservatorium with lack of staff resulting in the lack of students and music programs, I will admit that I am very pleased that the conservatorium can relocate in the place of a nightclub. To me, it is very iconic. The big title on Wednesday’s Coffs Coast Advocate was “BLAME BOOZE!”, referring to the high local crime figures in reference to alcohol related misdemeanours. These included alcohol-fuelled assaults, drink driving, and high-risk drinking (binge drinking). Within the last couple of weeks a drug ring had been busted in the Park Beach area with a lot of drugs seized in high value. Could this be the start of turning some of the abusive traits of society around?
Parents have shared with me stories of their children not having an involvement with the nightlife, drinking and drugs of the area but rather taking an interest in other more productive activities. These children have benefited a lot more, unlike some of their counterparts having been caught up in what can be the unpleasant social nightlife experiences. I still remember one story of a young woman inviting friends of hers from school to go out to the botanical gardens for lunch. Her friends didn’t even know that there was such a location in Coffs Harbour, since the places they would normally frequent for socialising would either be the shopping centres or the pubs and nightclubs.
While the conservatorium won’t be the solution to solve all of these problems of replacing the red hot fury of alcohol abuse with the frenetic playing of the next Paganini, I certainly hope it is another avenue of social interest for people to explore regardless of age (especially for the younger ones!). It’s very special to be able to share your talents and craft with other people from a similar avenue or with similar interests. Not even sport in this region has successfully done this, although this coming Wednesday might be a different story with the gathering of local cricketers in the region for a local representative Twenty20 bash. As the door is being closed on a nightspot, let’s hope an even wider door can be open to the music and arts communities. The words of Pakistani captain, Younus Khan, would ring here just as much as they have in his country after the recent terror attacks on the Sri Lankan cricket team. “Our future as a nation (or in our case, a town - PM) is in our youngsters’ hands. ... If the sport is not there, there would be distractions. We have to be very careful about that. We must not allow kids to become terrorists. We all must do something to stop that happening.”
It might appear quite extreme to compare a terrorist attack with a society that is described as being high in crime in relation to alcohol, but both do have the same result; they take away. Let’s see what more we can do for the young and all of society and start to provide more opportunities and enjoyment through the activities that do give something, rather than bow to the pressure of those that steal in the night.
Better find Lola and her yellow feathers now...
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