YARRA JUNCTION FIDDLERS CONVENTION

Oh, what a weekend it was! Having just completed the last of the administration duties for the 2025 Fiddlers 

Convention I have time to ruminate on the festival just past. Another wonderful weekend of music, fun and friendship

was had by an enthusiastic group of likeminded lovers of old time, bluegrass, folk and string band music. Many old 

faces and new enjoyed a glorious 2.5 days of playing, singing, learning and socialising at our favourite venue, Camp 

Eureka, Yarra Junction.

I have many people to thank for helping make the 41st Fiddlers Convention such a success but first let me thank the 

weather gods. We really couldn’t have asked for better. Moderate temperatures with occasional sunny breaks made for

 perfect conditions for instruments and musicians alike. To the army of dedicated volunteers who go about completing

 a myriad of tasks to keep the festival running smoothly you have my constant gratitude. We couldn’t do it without you.

Thanks also to the performers and workshop presenters for sharing their music and knowledge, and to the sound and 

lighting technicians for making the magic happen.

I receive many kudos for running the festival but in fact it’s a team effort and we all deserve a fair share of the credit. 

Firstly, to Bruce Fraser who co-ordinates the volunteer army. You make it look easy, but I expect it is hard graft always

 done with a smile. Thank you. To Trish Glazier who makes sure the non-campers have a roof over their heads and

 keeps track of our merchandise sales, thanks for your continued dedication to the task. To Rob Lewis and Alan Lazarus

 who co-ordinate the workshops and run the open mic respectively, my heartfelt appreciation. Lastly to Liz Loke who

 keeps us up to date with real time posts on our Facebook page and generally, keeps me sorted in the internet

 department, my eternal thanks.

Of course, the biggest thanks must go to you who attended. Without you we wouldn’t have a festival and whether

 you’ve been coming for years, or this was your first Fiddlers Convention we value your participation and hope to see

 you all again next year. Which brings me to the dates for next year. The Camp Eureka co-op has asked me to consider

 moving the dates to a little later in the year to avoid the peak fire period and I’m keen to hear your thoughts on the

 matter. Drop us a line at our email address yarrajunctionfiddlers@gmail.com if you have strong feelings about this. I

 will advise any change as soon as possible.

You may not believe it, but we actually get some push back when advertising the festival. I am aware that despite our

 best efforts some people missed some vital information resulting in the worst case of someone missing the festival

 altogether. We depend on word of mouth to get our message out so please tell your friends of any changes you may

 have noticed or about the fabulous weekend they must not miss next year. I look forward to seeing all members of the

 Fiddlers family in 2026.

Cheers. Mark P