Wow! We’ve had rain. It is quite amazing to see how quickly it greens up, but I think we’re all a bit cautious and not celebrating too soon. For some of you, it may have been too much of a good thing, with local flooding. It’s a little strange to think that last month we were worrying about fires, most of which are now out, and now we’re awash with water.

There’s a huge amount happening once again this month. Let’s Go Dancing is back for the New Year. There are more profiles of Celtic Festival performers and Australian Celtic Music Awards Nominees.

This month’s Newsletter has a distinctly Irish flavour, which is appropriate given that the Australian Celtic Festival is celebrating the Year of Ireland and The Isle of Man. Information about the Annual Symposium at the Festival has been provided by Nigel Brown.

So with no more ado…………

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I hope that, for most of you, it has indeed been a happy New Year. I have spoken to a couple of regular Celtic News readers who have been impacted by the current disastrous bushfires. All that I can say to you is that we wish you well. Please stay safe!

Despite fires burning across the country, there is still a great deal happening out there. So take a little time to go out and have some fun.

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Many of you will remember the excitement as we prepared for and delivered Outlandish 2018 Outlander Fan Gathering in October last year. We had a wonderful time, but more importantly so did the 600 Attendees at he event. Outlandish proved an international tourism success with people coming, not only from all over Australia, but from New Zealand, the USA, Germany, Scotland and Afghanistan. This outstanding event couldn’t have taken place without the resources and support of Glen Innes Services Club.

The Club’s submission for the ClubsNSW Clubs and Community Awards was accepted a few months ago. I am delighted to announce that Outlandish 2018 won the Award in their category of Arts and Culture. Several members of the Team were able to attend the event in Sydney on 2nd November.

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Last month, I wrote about the Peter Allen Festival in Tenterfield, which was held during the weekend on which the major fires in that district had started. Unfortunately it has continued to be a dire situation in the Northern New England.

We have finally had a decent rainfall event so most fires are now well and truly under control. This month I have news of two events that are supporting the residents of our area who have been impacted by drought, as well as raising funds for the organisations that are giving practical aid.

Why not attend both of these events and make a weekend of it? This is a practical and enjoyable way to demonstrate your support for our communities.

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It’s been a busy month here in the Northern New England area. One of the nicest things that happened during the month was a call from Al Buchan of fRETfEST, following on from the story about the statue in Ayr. Turns out that Al was born in Ayr and he had quite a story to tell, so I’ve included that in this month’s newsletter.

Tenterfield hosted the Peter Allen Festival last weekend. Of course, that became a bit dicey with the town threatened by bushfires. But the show must go on, and it did, despite power outages and smoke-filled air. Tim Dillon from the Commercial Boutique Hotel, which was one of the focus points of the Festival, tells me that many of their guests on Saturday evening were locals who were really grateful that they could find a place to relax and have somebody else cook their meal after a stressful day. Well done to everybody in Tenterfield, not least our wonderful Fire Crews.

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