Australia’s Flying History Celebrated On The Bondi Breeze

By Marcus Braid on September 3, 2015 in News

This year’s annual Festival of the Winds has been inspired by Australia’s most famous aeronautical pioneer.

In 1893, Lawrence Hargrave invented the box kite, which he used to make a box kite train to lift himself off the ground.

The development formed the basis for modern air flight, and now the theme surrounding the Festival of the Winds, which is set to take place on Sunday, September 13 at Bondi Beach.

The theme for the 37th Festival of the Winds is past and present Australians’ contribution to flight, featuring Robert Moore’s kite altitude record and Lawrence Hargrave’s contributions to modern flight.

A replica of Lawrence Hargrave’s box kite installation will be on show at the festival, which is organised by Waverley Council in association with the Australian Kiteflyers Society.

The festival aims to celebrate multiculturalism through kite art from around the world, and promises to be a very colourful day at the beach.

“Festival of the Winds, with its colour and vibrancy, is a wonderful family-friendly event to herald in the warmer months,” Waverley Mayor Sally Betts said.

“We love supporting Festival of the Winds every year, and like the kites, the festival itself is unrestricted. The Bondi sky is the venue and it welcomes kites and flyers from all over the world.”

There will be international food stalls, free dance workshops, children’s rides, kite workshops and demonstrations, roaming entertainment, puppet shows and art exhibitions in the Bondi Pavilion Gallery, among the many features of the day.

“Festival of the Winds reminds us what is possible when we let our imagination and creativity run free,” Cr Betts said.

“There are workshops for kids to design and make their own kites and even paper planes.”

Those not learned in the language of kite flying are encouraged to bring along their own creation and receive advice from the pros, who travel from far and wide for this annual spring tradition.

A competition of spectacular hand-made kites of all shapes and sizes will feature both Australian and internationally renowned kite flyers including Johnny Yep from Singapore, Edo Eorghetti from Italy and Dernhard Dingwerth from Germany, among others.

The pros will be showing off their flying skills and artistic handmade creations from 11am. There will also be a dedicated kite flying area for the general public, featuring paper plane flying and kite flying competitions with prizes. The ‘Youth Zone’ will feature live performances from local bands, whilethe ‘Kids Zone’ will have free face painting, a jumping castle, puppet shows, craft activities and an animal farm.

The multicultural stage will feature dance and performances from nations including the Cook Islands, Indonesia, China, Sri Lanka, Brazil and Africa, and Bondi Public School’s violins and choir will also perform.

Bondi Pavilion will be a centerpiece of the event, with the ‘New Skies and Other Worlds’ exhibition by Adam Norton on in the gallery.

The Festival of the Winds will take place on Sunday, September 13 from 11am to 4pm at Bondi Beach. For more information, please visit www.waverley.nsw.gov.au.