General News
25 April, 2023
All pumped up for Steampunk
Worlds of fantasy, whimsy and colourful make-believe are set to collide as thousands prepare to descend on the otherwise quiet township of Dimboola for the second Wimmera Steampunk Festival. Organiser Chan Uoy said the event brought together...
Worlds of fantasy, whimsy and colourful make-believe are set to collide as thousands prepare to descend on the otherwise quiet township of Dimboola for the second Wimmera Steampunk Festival.
Organiser Chan Uoy said the event brought together strangers who would leave as friends, linked by their love of fun, fellowship, fantasy and their own creative imaginations.
The festival, which began yesterday and continues until Sunday, includes bands, a play, historical tours, market stalls, multicultural dance performances, talks, flash mobs, and a session on creating Steampunk costumes.
Mr Uoy said people were “eager and driven” to be on board to help make the weekend a success.
Among the most popular performers will be dozens of multicultural participants, who at last year’s festival represented nationalities from the Philippines, India, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Kenya, Burma and Thailand.
“Steampunk is a rich and flexible world where the event is not just a gathering of people, but also a gathering of fanciful stories,” Mr Uoy said.
“As with our inaugural festival, the Wimmera’s multicultural communities will be there to remind us that Steampunk has global roots and ancestry.”
Wimmera Development Association settlement services manager Sara Barron has been one of countless coordinators behind-the-scenes.
“The Wimmera Filipino-Australia Club, Oasis Wimmera and the Karen community are busy preparing,” she said.
“We are so excited to be bringing the richness and cultural diversity of our region to this incredible event. Prepare to be transported once more!”
Thablay Sher, community leader of the Karen Community Group, said the Nhill and Horsham groups would be combining forces to create "a yesteryear time-warp experience that will transport the mind and delight the senses”.
Wimmera-Filipino Australian Club president Jayson Agustin said his community also was proud to be involved.
“It says so much about how much Filipinos appreciate the Wimmera and are proud to be part of the community here,” he said.
“The Steampunk Festival is an example of what’s so great about this region and is now one of the favourites in our calendar.”
Oasis Wimmera president Anubha Jalla Das is another festival supporter.
“Steampunk embodies what Oasis is about,” she said. “Bringing people together as equals, no matter their background.
“This year we have had so much interest from our elder generation, and we are looking forward to bringing some new performers centre stage.”
Perhaps the most surprised of all the participants is WDA project officer, Sokan Sat, who features on the front page of today’s edition of The Horsham Times.
“When I moved to the Wimmera from Cambodia three years ago, I never imagined I would be part of such an incredible event, organised by a fellow Cambodian with a giraffe in his shop!” she said.
“The Wimmera is certainly full of surprises!”
Mr Uoy, who runs Dimboola’s Imaginarium, a gift shop packed to the rafters with whimsy - and that giraffe - said Steampunk was primed for take-off.
“We’re locked in,” he said.