In February the Basil Sellers $2000 Midge Point Art Prize was launched at The Point Tavern with artists celebrating this, the first occasion such an art prize had been established in the area.
The event noted that the "Entry Form" for the 27 July art prize was to be the next public function as the "Entry Form" in effect set the artistic endeavours into play with the topic Carlisle Coast Synergy.
The Basil Sellers $2000 Midge Point Art Prize is part of Well-Being Australia's community environmental, respite and art initiatives.
Kim Hanson of Bloomsbury and editor of The Chronicle the 8 page monthly news-sheet, designed the art prize Entry Form and Kim was able to explain to those present the key elements of the design, its water marks describing the various aspects of the region. Cane, Fishing, Boating, Agriculture, Beef.
This inaugural Basil Sellers $2000 Midge Point Art Prize is geographically restricted to the local communities of Midge Point, Laguna Quays, O'Connell and Bloomsbury.
Mr Basil Sellers AM donated the funds to establish an art gallery in Moruya where we then lived (2003) and then a $15,000 art prize (2004) and in 2006 Mr Sellers established the $100,000 Sport-Art Prize in Melbourne. Last year I approached Basil Sellers to support a small art prize for the Midge Point – Bloomsbury area to put something back into the community. The $2000 art prize was given the green light.
4 months full house at Missionaries Laguna Quays
The Basil Sellers Laguna Quays Respite ministry project was opened in 2011 and has enjoyed many missionary visits to the cottage for rest and quiet, indeed many missionaries home on furlough have utilised it. Missionaries seeking a rest and respite may contact us timeout@bushorchestra.com
It has been a full house this year with missionaries and pastors visiting, all the way through towards the end of August.
Over these past two years my wife Delma and I have established many links in this quiet coastal hollow which encompasses Laguna Quays, Midge Point and Bloomsbury, an area known as the Carlisle Coast, on Repulse Bay.
Many blessings
Basil Sellers has supported my benevolent mission activities for several decades which was initiated when we met in 1988 at the Bi-Centennial Cricket Dinner in Sydney. Basil Sellers was the host of the table in which I was assigned as the Australian Cricket Team chaplain and our philosophies in Christian service fitted hand in glove.
Since that time Basil Sellers has supported three Athlete Respite facilities for Australian Institute of Sport athletes (Moruya, Tweed Heads and Laguna Quays), along with two Art facilities, Basil Sellers Art Centre in Moruya and the Basil Sellers Tweed Art Studio.
He has untiringly supported the Cricket ministry, Country Town Tours of coaches and athletes as role models, Tourism, the young writers program and more recently assisted with the establishment of the respite ministry at Laguna Quays.
Well-Being Australia designs community activities as 'expense neutral'. There is no fee to enter the art prize, there are no expenses to recoup. They are based on good-will and community participation to enhance community well-being. We've developed good will across the board in this community so that when this project came up, there were people on board "in community".
Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children.
Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html