A LEGEND HONOURED
Excitement has been building at Katherine’s Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts and Culture Centre (GYRACC), with the construction of their brand-new outdoor amphitheatre now complete.
WORDS TIERNEY WHITE
THIS MONTH, THE space officially opens with a special ceremony to name the venue after an absolute legend of the region – the late, great Balang T.E. Lewis – who made an enormous contribution to arts and culture in the Territory, Australia, and the world, before his passing in 2018.
GYRACC Director Clare Armitage predicts the event to be a happy one, the venue suitably named to continue Balang’s legacy.
“We hope this will be a joyful event for Katherine and our region, after the long-awaited completion of our new performing arts facilities,” she says.
“It's also an important opportunity to remember someone who gave so much to the arts in the NT, and whose contribution will now be memorialised in the Balang T.E. Lewis Amphitheatre.”
This special ceremony is a collaboration between Godinymayin and Djilpin Arts, of which Balang was a founding director, and features Wugularr Dancers and Elders, and a performance by the Darwin Symphony Orchestra.
Djilpin Arts Manager Fleur Parry, also Balang’s wife, says the honour would have meant a lot to her late husband.
“Holding space for the art of story, in all its forms, was fundamental to Balang’s life and work,” she says.
“The Djilpin Arts family and community are delighted to see his cultural and artistic legacy reflected in the naming of this exciting new development for Katherine, and our region.”
Naming Ceremony & Grand Opening of The Balang T.E. Lewis Amphitheatre
WHEN TUE 8 APR | 7PM
AT GYRACC
COST FREE-$45 | $105 FAM
INFO gyracc.org.au
