Tarerer Festival

Back at the PAC -- Warrnambool Standard 13th Feb 1997 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard 1997. All rights reserved

 After the monumental success of the inaugral Tarerer concert last year, the event is back again to showcase the souht-west's stellar indigenous talent. Top of the bill for the March 1 concert are Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter, Tiddas, Shane Howard, Jarrah, Andy Alberts, Lovett or Leavitt and Breakaway. One notable absentee from the line-up is Neil Murray, who lives at Lake Bolac. A prior commitment with the Womadelaide festival prevented him from performing at Tarerer. This year's line-up includes a larger representation of Aboriginal performers. This was not planned in order to make the concert exclusively Koorie, but was simply a sign of the depth of talented Koorie performers in the Western District. Some performers at the festival may not be Aboriginal, but all have a strong link with the Western District and its indigenous culture. The Tarerer cultural celebration will also feature indigenous dance groups from South-West Victoria, such as the Brambuk Dancers from Gariwerd and the Kuyang Yandaa Dance Group from Warrnambool. The Latji Latji dancers from Mildura and the One Dreamtime dance group from Bendigo, also will perform a Tarerer. Tarerer dance coordinator Jamie Commons said the organising committee decided to include indigenous dancers in the concert to add an extra cultural dimension. After last year's concert, the idea of making Tarerer an outdoor festival was raised, but it will be held again at the Warrnambool Performing Arts Centre, where it was a sellout. Tarerer organising committee spokesman Allen Edwards said the committee was hesitant to turn the concert into an outdoor festival because they felt the success of the original concert may have a "fluke". The massive logistical effort required to organise an outdoor event was another stumbling block, he said, but the committee had not dismissed holding Tarerer outdoors in future years. The sellout success of the inaugral Tarerer concert had come as a surprise to many, Mr. Edwards said, as organisers were banking on selling 200 tickets to cover costs. The concert will be followed by a performance at Lake Pertobe on March 2 as part of the celebrations for Warrnambool's 150th anniversay. Tickets are available through Bass.

Tarerer, time for sharing -- Warrnambool Standard 13th Jan 2000 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard 2000. All rights reserved
AS well as high-lighting the importanceof reconciliation, the fifth annual Tarerer concert will give Aboriginal musician Lee Morgan a chance to catch up with his family. Based in Melbourne for the past six years, Morgan said he wouldn’t miss returning to his old stomping ground to perform at the concert. “It’s a great family affair now. It’s such a beautiful warm environment, I wouldn’t miss it,” he said. A self-taught guitarist, Morgan grew up at the Framlingham Aboriginal Settlement. His grandfather, and Aboriginal elder Banjo Clarke, later taught him how to tell stories through his music. Morgan said his music is best described as a combination of soulful country rock with life experiences adapted to song. “This time is a story-telling experience, my experiences have been adapted to song,” he said. “Tarerer is about reconciliation and I’ve written a few things on the subject — it’s going to be a real sharing experience,” he said. A former player with Colours, Talison and Jarrah and Tarerer concerts, Morgan, at this year’s concert, will be playing solo there for the first time. Tarerer will be held at the Warrnambool Performing Arts Centre on Saturday night and will also feature headlining act the Warumpi Band, Gyoto Monks, Kuyang Yanda, Ploughboys, Dalriada, Shane Howard, Christine Ward and Andy Alberts.

 Double the Tarerer fun -- Warrnambool Standard January 12th, 2007 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard  2007.  All rights reserved
Lovers of music and indigenous culture will get double the pleasure this year with two Tarerer events planned. The first is the Tarerer family day on Saturday January 20, while the long running Tarerer Festival is planned for November. Next Saturday's event will be at Railway Place, Port Fairy from noon until 9.00 pm. It will feature British artist Rory McLeod, David Arden, Andy Alberts and the Walkabouts, Robbie Bundle, Pat Clarke, Gunditjmara Karrween, Tonchi McIntosh, Peter Rotumah, Amy Saunders, Crispian Clarke, Paul Wright, Brett Clarke and the Tal-Kin-Jeri Dance Group.

Bold leap forward pays off -- Matt Neal. Warrnambool Standard November 12th, 2007 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard  2007.  All rights reserved
THE new-look Tarerer Festival was not without its hiccups on the weekend, but organisers were rapt with its bold leap forward. Using a big top arena and multi-stage set-up for the first time, the Killarney event proved to be a successful mixture of music, arts, culture, issues and fun. Festival director Lyn Eales said an estimated 1500 people made the journey to the Killarney Recreation Reserve to see the likes of headline acts Archie Roach and Troy Cassar-Daley. ``People have come from far and wide,'' Eales said.``It's been great fun and the weather has been absolutely perfect.'' A film festival and long walk last weekend served as a prelude to the event, which kicked off properly with an official Gunditjmara welcome Saturday morning. While delays during both days led to changes in the line-up and running order, Eales said the relaxed atmosphere was something patrons had enjoyed. The mood of Tarerer ranged from the hilarious to the serious, with the Deadly Funny Komedy Mob providing the laughs and a forum chaired by ABC journalist Jeff McMullen dealing with the big issues yesterday. South-west talent was well represented at the event, with Shane Howard, Neil Murray, Andy Alberts And The Walkabouts, Tank Dilemma, The Chosen Few and more entertaining the crowds. A trade fair was also a new addition.