The final celebrations for the year took place on Friday evening when the Port Augusta Music Club held their Christmas get together in the back yard of the gallery. The newly fixed pergola was ready for action and the "powers that be" very thoughtfully cut down the dead jacaranda tree over the fence in preparation. ;=] Members of the group had a BBQ tea and then enjoyed them selves by singing and playing music into the night. Earlier in the day there was another Celebration. Melva came back to the gallery for her usual Friday activity. It was also her 94th birthday and to be doing the things she loves was the perfect celebration for her.

A Day of Call Outs  Even on our closed days things can get quite busy at THE PLATFORM. Today at 10.30 we opened the gallery for Di Baker who was travelling through from Western Australia and was determined to come and see The Platform following rave reviews from some of her associates. Di has a background in gallery setup and shop sales in the UK and is a weaver and felt maker based in Denmark WA. She is very much involved with the Denmark Artists Trail, an event we explored when we visited the West. She was most impressed with our gallery set up and offered her congratulations to our "STYLING TEAM" .  You can see some of Di's works on her webpage  www.springdalefelting.com.au She is also a member of FIGS. Felters in the Great Southern Yes Di purchased a few things including Melva's placemats. In the mean time several people popped into the gallery when they saw it was open and will be back on Saturday. At 8am we were asked to open the gallery

The Platform Gallery lends itself  well to celebrations and with a few tablecloths and Christmas decorations is easily transformed into a formal dining space reminiscent of the room's original purpose, the dining room at the railway station.  At this busy time of the year it was lovely to celebrate our successful year with so many of our colleagues.  Melva achieved her goal of being well enough to attend the lunch and everyone was pleased to see her back in action. Members presented Georgie with a gift and thanked her for the time she spends managing the gallery and supporting artists who don't always have the time to do all the jobs that need to be done. Archers' Table provided a fantastic lunch with lots of interesting and surprising flavours.