Our Story

When Neil came to me and shared his dream about a Lantern Parade I was delighted to join him and to help bring Lanterns of light to Belgrave. My experience in community health, management and health promotion together with Neil’s creative skills and community development made for an ideal affiliation. Together Neil and I co founded the Belgrave Community Arts Partnership. (B-CAP)

We wrote a briefing paper which we presented to a number of community agencies. From here we spoke to friends and community members, wrote articles for newspapers and held the vision in our hearts.

Our first BCAP meeting brought major parties together and we moved forward with great attendances throughout January to June. Lantern workshops were offered to community and school groups and a stall at Kallista market to attract interest was set up throughout the summer. Submission writing, financial management, marketing, and other tasks were undertaken in order to develop sustainability for the project.

Many community members and businesses generously offered their skills and support; offers to develop a concept, flyer, website, advertising and printing, events management and major lantern building came forward easily and generously. Many worked behind the scenes and sent the word around that Lanterns of Light were on their way.

The Shire of Yarra Ranges, Ranges Community Health Service and the Belgrave Traders came forward with financial support.

This has been a wonderful, challenging busy and joyful process. What a vibrant, diverse, generous and artistic community we live in. The love for our hills home shone brightly on the faces of all the people as the parade wound its way down our main street on June 23^rd 2007. A miracle had happened, what started as a few thoughts became a reality. Never underestimate the power of thought.

This is now your parade; your celebration of your Hills Community; it is now up to you to carry the light forward so that the magic of this first parade can grow and become an annual event.

Shakti McLaren, BCAP Co Founder

Lantern Parade BCAP Belgrave Community Events Arts Partnership Peace Winter Solstice Circus Hills Yarra Ranges Sherbrooke Belgrave Community Arts Winter Solstice	Our Story
	BCAP's FIRST EVENT A SUCCESS... Belgrave was ‘all lit up’ in a celebration of community warmth and harmony at the 2007 Winter Solstice. Over 2000 people filled the main street of Belgrave for the first event produced by the Belgrave Community Arts Partnership (BCAP) - the Winter Solstice Lantern Parade 2007. Our events are all about bringing together community in a celebration of creativity and of living in the Dandenong Ranges. The Lantern Parade for example, is an event for everyone - a bringing together of people of all ages, abailities & walks of life, and a wonderful community arts event that acknowledges our unique environment, the seasons, and our creativity as a community. After the first Lantern Parade, which included fire twirlers & circus performers, live music and theatre in the cafés, a special "Winter Solstice Celebration Ceremony" was held at the end of the evening in the Masonic Hall. What was very special about this event was that the event WAS THE COMMUNITY, in that the parade was made of community members - THE COMMUNITY WAS THE ENTERTAINMENT - after months of working together on individual & group lanterns, and on the event organising- making the vision a reality - it was a very special event tuly made possible by the community, for the community. We are now ALMOST READY to "Light Up Belgrave" again in the 2008 Winter Solstice Celebration & Lantern Parade in the Main Street of Belgrave for Saturday 21st June 2008 - maybe the beginning of a new tradition for hills folk?	Above: Final Details - a meeting of BCAP members at the library - just before the inaugural event, June 2007 Above: Reflection - a 'feedback' meeting at Burrinja following the 1st Belgrave Lantern Parade in 2007, to discuss what went well, what could be improved. Above: Neil & Janine with their lantern creation "Amaterasu" - the Japanese Sun Goddess and the goddess of Cultural Unity & Bringer of the Light
	an article from "The Hills Alternative", Sept 2006 "I'm going back to live in Byron Bay! Nothing juicy like that ever happens around here" - such was my response recently to a report I had just watched on the ABC's 'Sunday Arts' program about a huge community arts event in Northern NSW. Cheered on by a crowd of 23,000 people, large lanterns in a multitude of mythical shapes were paraded at dusk through the streets of Lismore to celebrate Winter Solstice. The part I liked most about this festival was that in involved the whole community - school kids, teenagers, football clubs, the local traders association, the elderly ... it wasn't a bunch of professional artists/performers putting on a show to entertain the masses - it was the community celebrating the community. And it has been happening and growing stronger every year since 1994. Then an hour later I realised I didn't need to go anywhere, it CAN happen down here in the hills, it just needed someone to put the idea out there and start getting it together - there's heaps of talented & community minded people round these parts. And like me, others with some background in organising community groups and events as well. So I organised a meeting, and made contact with a similar group (who were planning an arts based event for the autumn equinox) plus local schools, the Uniting Church arts group and a handful of individual artists........... .......The group believes in the philosophy of total inclusiveness and the ideas promoted by the state government around Community Cultural Development, that a healthy community is one where all people can feel like they belong, and that community-based arts activity add to the overall well-being of that community. So, would you like to come along on September the 9th and learn how to make simple but beautiful lanterns from cane and rice paper, and be involved in an upcoming lantern parade/fire sculpture at Belgrave Lake Park? Phone Neil....It'll be fun.
	When Neil came to me and shared his dream about a Lantern Parade I was delighted to join him and to help bring Lanterns of light to Belgrave. My experience in community health, management and health promotion together with Neil’s creative skills and community development made for an ideal affiliation. Together Neil and I co founded the Belgrave Community Arts Partnership. (B-CAP) We wrote a briefing paper which we presented to a number of community agencies. From here we spoke to friends and community members, wrote articles for newspapers and held the vision in our hearts. Our first BCAP meeting brought major parties together and we moved forward with great attendances throughout January to June. Lantern workshops were offered to community and school groups and a stall at Kallista market to attract interest was set up throughout the summer. Submission writing, financial management, marketing, and other tasks were undertaken in order to develop sustainability for the project. Many community members and businesses generously offered their skills and support; offers to develop a concept, flyer, website, advertising and printing, events management and major lantern building came forward easily and generously. Many worked behind the scenes and sent the word around that Lanterns of Light were on their way. The Shire of Yarra Ranges, Ranges Community Health Service and the Belgrave Traders came forward with financial support. This has been a wonderful, challenging busy and joyful process. What a vibrant, diverse, generous and artistic community we live in. The love for our hills home shone brightly on the faces of all the people as the parade wound its way down our main street on June 23^rd 2007. A miracle had happened, what started as a few thoughts became a reality. Never underestimate the power of thought. This is now your parade; your celebration of your Hills Community; it is now up to you to carry the light forward so that the magic of this first parade can grow and become an annual event. Shakti McLaren, BCAP Co Founder