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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2019-05-14 Daily Xml
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Kernewek Lowender Copper Coast Cornish Festival

Mr ELLIS (Narungga) (15:10): I rise today to speak about the Kernewek Lowender Copper Coast Cornish Festival, the largest event staged in the Narungga electorate, which has attracted in the vicinity of 45,000 people every two years for the last 40-plus years. I note that my grandfather was on the inaugural committee that set up this wonderful festival. The festival is currently underway this week in the towns of Kadina, Wallaroo and Moonta and it runs from 13 to 19 May.

I encourage everyone to come and visit the wonderful Cornish festival. I advise them that, if they are planning to head out to the Copper Coast this weekend, there are plenty of election booths to vote at and an early voting centre in Kadina, which will remain open until Saturday night, catering for the expected influx of tourists from interstate who have not already voted at pre-poll locations. It does not matter what your postcode is; you can vote at the Copper Coast, so do not let the federal election stop you from travelling to Kadina, Wallaroo and Moonta to visit the Cornish festival this weekend.

The program is packed with entertainment, Cornish food and all the traditions the festival is famous for, like maypole and furry dancing, the Moonta street parade and the Cornish pasty bake-off. I was talking to the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment earlier this week, who recalled, with some jocularity, his failed effort at a pasty at the last iteration of this festival.

The entertainment also includes the classic cavalcade of cars and motorcycles, concerts, Cornish ceremonies, markets, feasts, exhibitions, the tourist railway, cemetery walks, miner's cottage open houses and gardens, the Dressing of the Graves events and the bards ceremony conducted entirely in the Cornish language. I am advised that new to the week's program this year is a Wallaroo street party featuring Swanky beer, live entertainment and a Nos Lowen music event, which means 'anchors a-weigh'.

I wish all well for a successful event that can reward the efforts of the hundreds of volunteers it takes to stage such a huge event, as well as all the local businesses that participate, resulting in many working diligently in Cornish costume, which adds so much of the flavour of the week. It really is a wonderful event that has been the flagship tourism event for the region for decades and is renowned internationally due to the authenticity of the activities on offer and the efforts of the hardworking volunteers on the organising committee, hardworking community groups that help stage all the events, supportive local businesses and loyal sponsors.

Major partners this year are the South Australian Tourism Commission and the Copper Coast Council. Gold sponsors are Newbery Chemists, Apex, Drakes Supermarkets, the Moonta National Trust, NYP Rotary, RAA, 5CS and Magic FM 105.9. The festival would not be possible without this financial support and the support of other multiple silver and copper-level sponsors.

At the risk of singling people out, I am moved to mention the Kernewek Lowender Organising Committee Chairperson, Lyn Spurling, and Executive Officer, Glenys Blacker, who work tirelessly to make sure this event happens. I would also like to mention the NYP Rotary Club, the Wallaroo traders and town development group, the Moonta Progress Association and local Apex club members, who are all kept particularly busy over the weekend.

Some 300 volunteers from the three towns work together for the common cause, which gives an idea of the size and impact of the Cornish festival for the local area. The Marshall Liberal government is also proud to be a supporter, providing money from its Tourism Events Grants Program to ensure this major state cultural festival is promoted intrastate, interstate and overseas to the standard that it deserves.

I was also pleased to note the Moonta Mines Museum was the successful recipient of a South Australian Heritage Grant for wall conservation and that the Moonta Mines National Heritage precinct received $88,000 of Australian heritage grant money to develop a conservation management plan for the precinct. I am also pleased to advise that the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, the Hon. David Ridgway from the other place, is officiating at the festival's official opening this Friday at Moonta, which I will also be attending, and I look forward to opening the coveted Kernewek Lowender Art Prize later that day.

Regional tourism is recognised by this government as vital to the state's economy and it is a topic that I have spoken about regularly in this place. Current tourism expenditure on Yorke Peninsula is $198 million. The aim is to grow that to $302 million by 2020. We are on track, with the latest International Visitor Survey results showing that South Australia has grown its international visits by 7 per cent and its expenditure by 8 per cent, both outstripping national averages.

Mr ODENWALDER: Mr Deputy Speaker, I draw your attention to the state of the house.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Elizabeth, you have drawn attention to the state of the house with just a few seconds to go in a grieve, but I note that there is no quorum.

A quorum having been formed:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Narungga.

Mr ELLIS: I am done.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: You are done. Before I call the member for Elizabeth—

Mr Odenwalder: I wanted a full house, sir.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Indeed. I will give you the call. As one of Cornish descent to another of Cornish descent, I look forward to seeing the member for Narungga in his Cornish national tartan tie on the weekend. Member for Elizabeth.

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