Wednesday 22 July was one of those days that passed in a complete blur. In fact, June and July had both passed in rather a blur after we'd re-opened the Gallery at the end of May. Do not get me wrong - the easing of the intrastate borders was a gift to us and many others in regional towns. We were experiencing guest numbers that we had never seen previously in the history of the East End Gallery.
An added stress was the drama surrounding Michael's surgery on his right arm. In mid-June, the shortening of his ulna and fusing of three wrist bones was supposed to reduce pain and lack of movement. We kept waiting for his pain to reduce after four weeks. We approached his X-ray just prior to our Northwest departure on Tuesday 14 July with hope but also some trepidation. The following appointment with the Boy Wonder was not reassuring. Michael's ulna had fractured under the plate. Further urgent surgery was scheduled for Friday 17 July. My birthday. Oh goody...
We both spat the dummy. We were going to leave on Friday 24 July on our northern trip. I was planning to drive all the way to Port Hedland and back if necessary. Which I did...
So we come to Wednesday 22 July. All my focus was on packing the caravan, caring for Michael and preparing the Gallery for our artists to cover during our absence. Sam Fricker, Staffer Extraordinaire at the Beverley Community Resource Centre, rang me. She suggested I change out of my jarmies into some clothes and meet a journalist who was keen to visit the East End Gallery. How did Sam possibly know I was still in my jarmies?!
The journalist turned out to be Mogens Johansen from Seven West Media. Hoping I did not resemble a cat dragged through the fence backwards, I was putty in Mo's hands. We chatted, he photographed and most horrendously, he wanted an image of me. I took a deep breath and prayed I wouldn't look like I'd had a stroke.
After that morning, I promptly forgot all about my encounter with Mo. Whilst we were away, I spied an article in the West's travel section about a tank of fuel leading visitors to the Avon Valley. The East End Gallery was given a paragraph, so I was thrilled at the publicity.
Fast forward to Thursday just gone. The first inkling I had of any mention of Beverley was due to a scurry of messages I received from some of the girls in Perth. Taken from my interview with Mo, Beverley had received a double-page spread. James Giddy's street art, the Station Gallery, the East End Gallery...and me...featured in the article. Ye Gods...
Within an hour of opening the Gallery, we welcomed our first guests who had read the article and decided to take a drive out to Heavenly Beverley. I swung into tourism mode, directing all and sundry to take in the delights of our beautiful town - the Cornerstone Building and Visitors Centre, Station Arts and Vincent Street shops such as Lucky Find (best frock shop in the Wheatbelt) up one end and Mandy's Garden Art Centre at the other.
Throw in our eclectic Art Deco and Federation architecture, Avon Trading and Nex Dor (best hardware and homewares shop in the Wheatbelt), Red Vault Cafe, Beverley Bakery and our two pubs (Freemasons Tavern and the Hotel Beverley) plus our burgeoning Community Garden and that's just the bare bones of our town. For those fascinated by curios, treasures, antiques and collectables, Wares West and Alex's Green Corner are marvellous purveyors of the wonderful and the weird. History buffs can enjoy Barry and Kath Fergurson's Vintage Machinery and pottering through our quaintly named Dead Finish Museum with its authentic Wheatbelt garden.
With the advent of the warm weather, the Platform Theatre is revving up for the Season of outdoor entertainment. A programme to delight the young and young at heart continues until Easter 2021. Cocky's Crossing ( a play by BAD - Beverley Amateur Dramatics) will be performing between 16 - 24 October. Station Arts, located in our restored railway station is currently hosting three amazing artists - Sally, Thelma and Veronica. Open Thursday to Sunday between 11 am and 3 pm, the Artists-In-Residence are there to open the Beverly council's art collection and display their own distinctive talents.
Next weekend boasts the Beverley Heroic, orchestrated by the sensational Mister Toby Hodgson and his Heroic team. A weekend celebrating the bicycle, the Heroic was inspired by the Beverley to Perth Road Race, which ran for one hundred and two years and was considered the most gruelling bicycle race of its time. Come 17-18 October, the Heroic features vintage bikes and vintage riders, cyclocross for kids and big kids, a bicycle workshop at our brand new Beverley skate park and playspace, some serious racing and some very un-serious prize giving. Minor hiccups with traffic management have meant alterations to the racing schedule, but I would urge all the Heroic participants and their supporters to ignore this issue, damn the torpedoes and be even more Heroic this year. We all owe this to Toby Hodgson, who works tirelessly to get this event ready every October.
The Beverley Soaring Society has its spectacular gliders in the sky every weekend. Undaunted by most weather conditions, Sid and his Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines will take you on an experience that is awe-inspiring and unforgettable. With my feet firmly on the ground and my tongue firmly in my cheek, I do love watching the silent beauty of the gleaming white gliders as they fly above. I just am not keen on leaving the safety of Terra Firma...!
Even a haircut or beauty treatment is a fabulous experience. Lindsey, Apprentice Hairdresser to the Stars will be parking his beautifully restored pearl pink 1957 Chevrolet Belair out the front of U Beauty and Hair, located in our Forbes building. I would suggest that there are not many salons around where clients can feast their eyes on such a stunning vehicle. Further down Vincent Street, Diana's Beverley Barber caters for blokes' cuts only.
So, all city slickers longing for a day in the country, pack the car, rev the engines and turn east for one hundred and thirty kilometres to Heavenly Beverley. For those wanting to spend a few days here, we have plenty of accommodation options including the Wheatbelt's Famous Beverley Caravan Park, free camping by the Avon River, the Beverley B&B, the pubs, Airbnbs and farm stays. Coming soon are six purpose-built self-contained accommodation units adjacent to the Caravan Park.
Wanting to Be Very Beverley? Come and spend some time exploring the myriad delights and joys of Heavenly Beverley!
And all roads really do lead to Heavenly Beverley.
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