Twenty years of Midsumma Festival – that’s a lot of picnic hampers and even more bottles of bubbly.

To celebrate this significant achievement we’ve approached a number of community leaders for their Midsumma memories. Not surprisingly, they all highlight the unifying celebration that is carnival day.

Lisa Watts
Current Midsumma Chair, Lisa Watts became involved in the festival three years ago.
“It was interesting for me to go from being a corporate executive to being part of a much flatter structure and team where everyone on the Midsumma board had a view and equal chance to influence and lead,” she says.

What does the festival represent?
“It's diverse, interesting with a great blend of new and old. It's a chance to see old friends and hang with best friends and meet new people over three jam-packed weeks.”

Dulcie du Jour
It would be difficult to imagine Carnival day without Dulcie’s Dog Show.
“Someone had a pair of Staffies a few years back who she said could fart on demand. They didn’t actually do it,” says Dulcie. “That was the year we had Joan Rivers on – that was spectacular. They gave her a list of things and she said ‘I wanna do that dog show with the drag queen’. And she was just amazing.”

Trying times...
“We’ve never been lucky enough to secure the services of Ms Minogue – not through lack of trying.”

Brenton Geyer
Brenton Geyer was Midsumma president between from 1992 to 1994 and festival director from 2000 to 2006.

“In the early ‘90s the hottest tickets in town were the drag forays into the suburbs and beyond,” he says. “My favourite outing was Dulcie du Jour’s Sunday expedition to Hanging Rock in a search for Miranda. Forty five drag queens ascended the rock resplendent in chiffon and sequin, hours later descending in tatters. Little did we know when we arrived at the grounds that the Hell’s Angels were enjoying their annual club family picnic. Not fazed, Dulcie gathered the showgirls and presented them like debutantes to the wide-eyed bikers.”

Trying times...
“The production of Corpus Christie at the Athenaeum Theatre that portrayed Christ as a gay man sent more than a few feathers flying. Stella’s controversial presence at the inaugural Summa Diva show at Federation Square in 2004 also falls under the scandal radar but someone else would be best to provide comment on that one.”

Geraldine Kirby
As a life member and long time Midsumma associate, Geraldine Kirby says Carnival day in particular represents a time for everyone to come together.

“I’ve met a lot of fabulous people through Midsumma and I’ll be always grateful for that experience,” she says. “A highlight was producing T-Dance with John Wain (from The Market) in the later years. Bringing business and community skills together always brings a smile to your face.”

Ron Thiele
As a former Midsumma chair, Ron Thiele says he was roped into the organisation in the early ‘90s and found himself squarely in the middle of a rift between Midsumma and The ALSO Foundation.

“Gay Day was ALSO’s event which ran out of Olympic Park at some time. They got infuriated that we were trying to take the event off them. But before that there used to be the Queen’s Birthday picnic which used to happen up in the Dandenongs somewhere,” he says. “My fondest memory is the first commitment ceremony which was held in a beautiful day in Alexandra Gardens where 200 people confirmed their love for each other. The weather was perfect and it was a beautiful collection of people.”

Trying times...
“In 1991 I remember having to call off a dance party at 3am with 2000 people at the old Greek theatre in Bridge Road, Richmond. I was standing there with the microphone having to actually end the party. The police decided they didn’t like our licensing arrangements and came in and found me on the dancefloor. After a short discussion they made it quite clear the party had to stop.”

John Oliver
JOY Melbourne (94.9) founding member, John Oliver says the Midsumma festival was actually a huge motivation for starting Australia’s first gay and lesbian community radio station.

“The first year that we broadcasted from the carnival live was 1995 by phone, we could not afford a landline at the time,” he says. “We played the music back at the studio. All the volunteers at Joy were so proud that we achieved this goal.”

Trying times...
Biggest controversy? Moving the carnival to Treasury Gardens. I am pleased that we are back at Alexandra Gardens.
 
Midsumma details: www.midsumma.org.au

by DAREN POPE and CATHY ANDERSON