Lights, cameras, action: Ryan Wilkinson and Sophie Weeks again provided the entertainment between acts on the Tongala Carols by Candlelight stage in Mangan St last week.
When the credits rolled at the end of Tongala’s Carols by Candlelight event on Saturday, December 9 it was almost as lengthy a list as a Hollywood feature film.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
A 25-strong cast and crew from the Embrace Church were responsible for the delivery of the Christmas spectacular at the Tongala soundshell, headed up by musical director Jodie Weeks, technical producer Matt Burt and Pastor Lyn Hope — responsible for overseeing the entire event.
“We began planning meetings at the start of September. There was a lot of time spent planning and organising the event,” Ms Weeks said.
She said the Embrace Church team was no newcomer to productions of this kind, having spent 23 years managing the Carols by Candlelight event.
“We have done other smaller events, usually in our church building, but Carols By Candlelight is by far our biggest event,” she said.
All I want for Christmas: St Patrick’s Primary School children were one of several community acts and among the songs they sang was All I Want for Christmas is You.
Primary pose: Adelaide Mackrell was among the Tongala Primary School singers who appeared at the soundshell on Sunday for the annual carols event, which was co-ordinated an Embrace Church team.
Among the 22 support crew were Ryan Wilkinson and Sophie Weeks, who co-hosted the event, alongside a six-member band, the sound and audio team, a handful of roadies, along with the drink sellers, lolly baggers, the Lions club (who managed the barbecue), and other community organisations involved in delivering the various musical items.
Alongside the Embrace Church band were a solo violinist Gabrielle McMaster, a group of Solomon Islands men working at Greenhams and a duet performance by Rachael Costello and Sophie Miller.
“This is a skill set we have acquired over time and has led to some of us either helping at or being hired to do other functions,” Ms Weeks said.
“Matt Burt from Embrace Church heads up the technical production team. He has a Cert 3 in Technical Production and what started out as a hobby has developed into a business.”
Mr Burt has operated MCB Tech Productions for two years now.
“His team for our carols came from Echuca (Epicentre Church), Bendigo (Victory Church) and Kerang (Matt’s dad, formerly of Tongala), along with some of our own people from Embrace Church,” she said.
The team from Epicentre in Echuca also produced the Echuca Moama Carols Spectacular — the images produced projected onto a big screen from Platinum Signs, Screens and Media in Albury.
“It all went off pretty much without a hitch. There were a few minor issues that were easily solved as we went along, but nothing out of the ordinary. Even the weather was good for us,” she said.
Ms Weeks said her band had rehearsed weekly for about two months prior to the event.
“Some of the band were Embrace Church members and some of the musicians have played with us before,” she said.
“A couple of them were new to Embrace Church this year and new to carols, so they did an amazing job learning so many new songs in a short time and performing them to an excellent standard.”
Funding for the event came from the Tongala Bendigo Bank, Embrace Church, local businesses and a Campaspe Shire Council grant.
Storytime: David Lloyd has the full attention of children during the story telling session at Tongala’s Carols by Candlelights event last week.
Centre stage: Jodie Weeks (centre) with Michael Foley and Sam Wanesiofa. They were one of the opening acts on the program.
Going solo: Gabirelle McMaster plays the violin at the Tongala soundshell for the carols event.
Stars in the making: Rachael Costello and Sophie Miller performing a duet for the large crowd which assembled on the lawns to watch the performers.
Christmas spirit: The Tongala community has been enriched in recent years by the involvement of several different nations who have been employees at Tongala meat giant Greenhams. This group of men are from the Solomon Islands.
16°C