God forbid the Gay Community in Sydney and Australia at large deceides to ditch the drugs and clean up its act?!!

A change is as a good as a rest….

I would hope this would promote smaller more intimate after parties around the whole of the Oxford Street/Newtown and Sydney Areas.

As a member, decisions of this calibre really need to be voted on at an AGM or extraordinary meeting before being announced to the public!

The latest member email from NMG states that the board are asking for our feedback on what should happen post parade rather than overturning this decision or calling for a vote. This is negligent behaviour and fails to understand major gravity of the situation.

When Mardi Gras did go bankrupt last time there were many paid employee positions therefore creating a form of hierarchal management within our community organisation.

It seems that this is happening again.

After viewing the NMG website recruiting for a Head of Events, Head of Marketing & Publicity and Festival Coordinator is occurring. I can’t help but think that these positions will only lead to a further flow on of other paid jobs within the organisation therefore further increasing its commercialisation.

Further to this New Mardi Gras have announced big bold plans that they are moving to a new office in Oxford Street whereas I believe the current property in Petersham is sufficient if some minor renovations occurred. The questions remains and prime concern being is there enough money for all of this if the party, one of their biggest fundraising events fails due to this decision?

It was not so long ago that the Gay Games in Sydney which had a similar event structure lost many millions of dollars due to mismanagement. These recent financial events of the former Mardi Gras and Sydney Gay Games cannot simply be ignored. More importantly our world is experiencing an economic downturn therefore in these tough economic times the decision to increase spending and risk is questionable.

Further negligent behaviour is the previously advertised dates of Mardi Gras 2010 having been published on their website for quite some time now!

There is a way to change this and it’s not too late for the NMG board to change their decision.

Further to this as members we have voting rights and can change the decision ourselves at the 2009 AGM! There are several ways that this can occur, one being an agenda item or another as voting for a new board however there would need to be a sufficient amount of nominations for these positions when announced. As members we need to jam pack the AGM this year, not unlike those similar times that happened under the Koala Oxford Hotel in the 90’s.

Come on Members, this year is the time to show up and vote!!!

This is a very radical decision they have made. I am exceptionally disappointed at the parade and party being split. Nothing can replicate the high of going to one of the world’s great partys after the parade. The pride, love and sense of family and friendship is unique and something I don’t want to lose by going to a club I can visit any night of the week, after the parade. NMG are now suggesting a members party after the parade. Err, we already have a pretty good party after the parade that I personally quite liked.

Apart from the parade party split, which seriously affects Sydney visitors, is the now two week festival, which affects sydney-siders more. Kicking off with Fair day (on a sunday) effectively gives the whole festival just two Fridays and Saturdays to fit in everything with the parade on one saturday and the party on the other and harbour party on the other Sunday. Where does Tongue Twister go? The bitch night? Where do all the bears events go? When is the Great Debate? How do you fit the film festival in? Pool party long gone? Any chance of getting to any visual arts events on either weekend? What about plays? How about divas like Joan Rivers et al, when do we see them? How does anyone have any time to practice their parade routines with all this stuff on? Even if we all have the time and the money to go out every single night of the festival, I really can’t see how we fit it all in. And who has the time or the money to do it all? I don’t mind taking the odd day off for Mardi Gras but I can’t take two weeks off.

Then there’s the personal matter of having just two weeks ago booked non-transferable, non-refundable flights for a recovery holiday in Byron after carefully consulting the NMG website to check the date of the parade, assuming the party would be on the same night, as it has been for the last 30 years. I feel very much for the Atlantis cruise people and other international visitors that books fares in advance based on advertised dates for the parade. A decision such as splitting the party and parade should have been made for the 2011 season and with plenty of warning and consultation, not for 2010.

I can’t say I’m happy with any of this and think it is a very rash decision that isn’t going to work. From the comments here, the majority of people are not happy. I think this is a very irresponsible decision and I don’t know a soul who was consulted at any stage. I am a NMG member and all I can remember is completing a survey about DJs and internationl acts. Why on earth would they look to events such as New Orleans and Rio for guidance. They are VERY different beasts. I’ve no idea why people keep saying Mardi Gras is unsuccessful and needs to change. It seems every event I go to (and I go to a lot) is packed out and fabulous. (Maybe except Harbour Party but until you can control the weather and the police, it will always be problematic). This is one unhappy member.

Are you really saying it’s up to every member of New Mardi Gras to personally telephone the Chair to find out their reasoning behind this decision?

Perhaps you’d like to post his phone number here so we can all call up and talk to him ‘at length’? I’m sure he’d love that.

Surely a members forum would be better so it can be explained to everyone ‘at length’ at the same time?

Editor’s Note: David Imrie has agreed for SSO to publish his email address for those wanting to offer their opinions direct. It is David.Imrie@mardigras.org.au.

All you people who claim that its a good thing will just simply arrive on the night of the party and winge and carry on, on how dead it is – I know youre type.

It is such a huge cash cow- it just needs to be better managed. And that is what they are trying to do.

What is a problem, though, (and this is obvious from everyones comments) is the lack of consultation. It suggests an arrogance and a contempt for the community that I think many people will struggle to get over.

Many of my friends are interested in being involved in the parade again. They do not have to make a choice between being exhausted before the party by being in the Parade and getting value out of their party ticket outlay (a not inconsiderable amount these days.

There was a notable lack of buzz in the week prior to the parade. So it will be fun to see what happens in 2010.

As for hoping it will save Habour Party, don’t know. A few changes there might be worthwhile. How much did it make this year??