By Oliver Lees
Hume’s creative community has renewed its decades-long call for improved arts infrastructure in the municipality, as Hume council considers community feedback on the matter.
Late last year, Hume council opened a survey requesting feedback on how it should allocate resources among the arts and culture sector.
As the treasurer of the Boilerhouse Theatre Company and president of the Sunbury Community Arts Network, Tony Rains has been advocating in this space for 25 years.
Mr Rains said repairing the Boilerhouse Community Arts Centre was at the top of the list of priorities for the arts community.
As well as serving a theatre, the space is also used as a gallery, for visual arts groups and as a pottery studio.
“[The council] is only just starting to realise there isn’t anything for the arts in Hume, Boilerhouse is the only theatre company in all of Hume, it’s just ridiculous,” Mr Rains said.
“In areas like Broadmeadows and Craigieburn, with such multicultural communities, you’d think there’d be some sort of arts organisation there.”
Star Weekly reported in June 2021 that Boilerhouse Theatre Company members had been forced to rehearse at other venues, such as Victoria University and Killara Primary School, due to the Boilerhouse being in disrepair.
The theatre company reported that the Victoria University venue regularly leaked.
Mr Rains said the shortage of available arts infrastructure combined with the pandemic had meant the company had not put on a performance since 2020.
“There’s people involved in organisations that need this sort of activity for their mental health, I’m really hopeful that we can get back into it soon,” he said.
Hume councillor Jarrod Bell, who holds the arts and culture portfolio at Hume council, took to social media to share his sympathy with Hume’s art community.
“We have amazing sporting infrastructure, global learning centres… [but] it always seems the art and performance side of things has always lagged,” Cr Bell said.
Hume council’s Arts Infrastructure Plan survey will close on January 31.
Council will also be holding five workshops across the municipality in February.
Details: participate.hume.vic.gov.au/
