A Message from the Chair | BMI Board of Directors | March 2025

Hello everyone.

Autumn is here, and as the leaves start to come down here are some updates from the BMI! Mark has done the usual fabulous job of putting everything together for you below, I just wanted to highlight a few things here.

You will note that Twilight Talks and Author talks are well and truly happening again, and Rosemary is getting a great response from publishers in generating in the BMI author talk program, what a great position to be in, thanks so much Rosemary! Please help us ensure that her hard work is not wasted, by bringing a friend to the author talks and to the Twilight Talks for that matter, there is so much diversity in the topics and really something for everyone.

We are about to welcome BallaRat Pack into the building with their season of Broadway to Ballarat – The HauntedTheatre. This season will run from March 19-23 and I am sure you will agree our venue will be most appropriate for this piece. Chookas everyone.

Royal South Street Society have chosen the BMI to hold much of their programming in 2025 and as I mentioned in an earlier edition, a new MOU outlines the partnership going forward. To launch their annual season they utilised the Humffray Room on February 19th. What a terrific line up of talent and a wonderful celebration to mark the beginning of their year, also emphasising the reinvigorated relationship between the BMI and RSSS.

As referenced in the February newsletter, the Copland Foundation have provided a grant to restore two of our historical and important artworks; this work is now underway and we look forward to these two works hanging in our halls in all their glory, a far cry from their current condition which renders them unable to be hung in a public space, with rips, damage to frames and lots of dirt!!

We are pleased to once again be gearing up to be part of the Australian Heritage Festival (18 April – 18 May) and the Ballarat Heritage Festival (May 16 – 25), watch this space, Facebook and our website for details.

Australian Heritage Festival: Unearthed

AUSTRALIAN HERITAGE FESTIVAL: Unearthed. 18 April to 18 May 2025....

Ballarat Heritage Festival

BALLARAT HERITAGE FESTIVAL, 16 - 25 May | BMI events...

Our calendar is very busy, with lots of regular room hire returning now in term time and lots of new artists and groups coming forward to perform in and utilise our spaces. It is terrific to see the place buzzing again in 2025 and this is all part of our strategy to bring as many new visitors into the BMI as we can, in an effort to welcome those who may not have seen the building before or have an understanding of the many facilities we offer to the general public and of course our partners and members.

Welcome to new Corporate Member in Tony De Jong Drafting and Community Member – Ballarat Cemeteries Trust, we hope you have enjoyed being part of the BMI so far in 2025 and we thank you for your support. There are many benefits to Corporate and Community Membership – get in touch if you would like to know more.

I would once again like to draw your attention to the public talk by Professor Geoffrey Blainey AC on March 5th at 6pm. Professor Blainey will be talking on The World in 2025 and Beyond, the good news and the not so good news. There are still some tickets left (see below) and I urge you to come along for what promises to be an eye opening examination of the state of the world today and where we are going based largely on where we have been. This is a major fundraiser for the BMI and we thank Professor Blainey once again for his amazing and generous contribution to the BMI as our speaker; he is a “National Treasure” in this, his 95th year. Details and link to tickets below.

We will also be launching our annual fundraising campaign shortly, as our financial year end is April 30, but of course we welcome donations anytime and appreciate that many of you will attend to this if you can closer to June 30. An invitation to donate, along with details of our current projects, commitments and strategy will be forwarded to you in a separate email in the next week or so.

Community fundraising is a vital part of the success of the BMI and also serves to reinforce the history and future importance of community in the Institute – without you, the members and your ongoing contributions, the BMI would literally cease to exist.

Paula Nicholson