Delegates to the ASCA Conference in November are in for a rare treat. Along with an exciting and educational conference program the social program and study tours will not only entertain delegates but provide valuable opportunities to network with international and local guests.
The Welcome Reception on Saturday 8 November is sponsored by the Japanese Embassy and is being held at Turners Vineyard, Orange’s newest and most spectacular vineyard and conference centre. With panoramic views over vineyards and the Lucknow Valley, Turners Vineyard offers delegates a unique experience as they wine and dine in bacchanalian splendour.Delegates will be entertained by the frenetic energy of the Taiko percussion group ‘Taikoz’. The group seeks to explore a synthesis of East and West, old and new, drum and flute, drawing on their collective experience and training in Japan. Taikoz combines the awesome power of the traditional Japanese drums with the plaintive, ethereal tones of the Japanese bamboo flutes.
Following the Welcome Reception, delegates have the opportunity to attend an unusual performance of ‘Carmen Burana’ in the Careflight Helicopter hanger. This composition by Carl Orff is being performed by the Orange Conservatorium of Music and will provide an interesting contrast to the Japanese culture groups who, it is proposed, will also be involved in the recital.
In a return to popular Australian culture, delegates will be entertained on Sunday 9 November by local school choirs and Aboriginal dance groups between sessions. Dinner on Sunday will be a traditional Aussie barbecue at the Orange Function Centre which will be transformed to replicate an Aussie Shearing Shed. Delegates are requested to dress in Australiana and will dance to popular bush band November Shorn.
Orange is fast becoming well renowned for its food and wine and delegates will have an opportunity to sample some of our excellent fare on Monday night. Several Orange restaurants are opening for conference delegates who will be able to experience gastronomic delights at the restaurant of their choice.
To revitalise delegates after being sated by local produce the night before, an Energiser Breakfast has been organised for Tuesday morning. Colin Slater, who is the Director of the National Network of Choirs called Sing Australia, will lead an interactive, energising session that will emphasise communication and bringing communities together through song.
Study tours have been organised for Tuesday afternoon to showcase Orange and the region. These tours are designed to consolidate the attractions that can educate those involved in the Sister Cities movement.
The Conference Dinner on Tuesday night, held in the Coral Sea Room of the Orange Ex Services Club, will show case the area’s fabulous food and wine with a magnificent meal produced by the President of Food Of Orange District (F.O.O.D) Inc and chef, Gordon Muir. The entertainment is being provided by the Heavenly Divas who perform songs by some of the 20th Century’s most renowned, but sadly departed, divas including Billie Halliday, Janis Joplin, Dusty Springfield and Judy Garland.
The gala social event will be the ASCA Awards Dinner on Wednesday 12 November to wind up the conference. The dinner will be held in the art deco inspired and designed Orange Function Centre. The ASCA awards to the most outstanding Sister Cities projects over the last 12 months will be presented, after which delegates will be able to celebrate a successful conference to the music of ‘Take Two/Take Five’. The music features modern popular music that can inspire even those with two left feet to ‘trip the light fantastic’ with the greatest of ease.
The Orange Sister City Committee and Orange City Council are sure that delegates will remember their visit and perhaps return to enjoy all that Orange can offer on many occasions.
