Adelaide has been and gone – what a beautiful city and great Convention. Congratulations must go to the organising committee and the myriad of volunteers who helped make this Convention such a success. Adelaide Town Hall was a great venue with the grand pipe organ providing the back drop, and the innovation of video screens which allowed the audience to get up close and personal with the performers. Thank you to the BHA for the foresight of streaming the competition for FREE on Youtube - it allowed our past-members, friends and family to view and feel part of it, plus we know it was shared wider creating a larger fan and interest base!

Congratulations to The Festival Statesman, scoring an all-time high score for an Australian chorus. We wish their director Jonathon Bligh continued success on his future path and thank his chorus who have well and truly raised the bar for Australian choruses and given us all something to strive for.

Convention day commenced for us with our traditional breakfast setting the scene and tone for the day.  Acknowledgment of past and life members, and first convention participants makes for a special part of the breakfast as well as enjoying breakfast with our partners and supporters.  We had a very successful Convention, coming away with 1^st place in the large chorus and 3^rd place in the Open Competition. Our score vindicates our Music Team’s decision to take us on the path that they have mapped out for us. We’ll continue on that journey and see where it leads us. Credit also to Blenders Youth Chorus (BYC) who won the Youth Competition.

A highlight for The Blenders was a BYC lead initiative that saw them share the stage in a combined performance with their youth competitors The Fellas for the show case concert.  It just happened that both choruses had sung the same ballad in competition, Come What May, and My Girl was in both chorus repertoire - albeit slightly different arrangements. With a quick rehearsal, the guidance of Jono Albertini and Jeff Clarke plus the addition of Open Champion Quartet Blindside, a hugely memorable moment was created. Congratulations must go to Jeff Clarke for preparing and bringing The Fellas to Adelaide and getting them involved in The Barbershop world.

Congratulations to Pan Pacific Champions Blindside who won the Open Competition and one of our newer quartets, Sundays Best who won the Youth quartet competition and finished in the Top Ten of the Open competition. Well done to them both. Congratulations also to Benchmark on winning Senior competition featuring one of our Life Members, Derek Cosburn.

To top off the Convention, The Blenders won Club of the Year which is testament to all the effort that goes on behind the scenes and our emphasis on community and youth engagement.

Our next major event is our 30^th Anniversary Dinner and Awards Ceremony to be held on the 3^rd November. Blenders Alumni will come together with current members to celebrate 30 years of Blenders history.  One of the highlights of the evening will be a performance by the combined Blenders and Alumni Chorus. It should be a fantastic night. Bookings are available on www.trybooking.com and are $55 per head. All are welcome.

Ian Mackey
Secretary