Spring Migration to go ahead

After months of uncertainty, this year’s Spring Migration festival will go ahead with organisers Gary Hayward and Andy Stevens announcing they will coordinate the event.

The couple quit organising the festival last November, claiming a number of people’s attitudes in the small north Victorian town of Yackandandah had marred the event.

In a turnaround, Hayward announced the pair would organise the September festival with some help from the Indigo Shire, neighbouring towns and regional gay and lesbian groups.

Although some events will still be held in Yackandandah, the major dance event, Full Moon Party, will be held in the nearby town of Beechworth.

Hayward said the festival is also set to go from three days to a seven-day event.

Although unprepared to talk about it at the time, Hayward has admitted that homophobic crap from a few townsfolk was the main reason he was disillusioned.

It’s been a hard slog, people with those attitudes hold power in the town.

He said moving to Beechworth would take away some of the bullshit that goes on here. It’d be a shame to let it go, so we’re going to keep going, otherwise we would have lost it.

The Sunday market will remain in Yackandandah, and Hayward is involved in talks with nearby towns to host other festival events.

The Indigo Shire have thrown verbal support behind the festival, however, they say they don’t believe homophobia is a problem in the region.

Shire tourism manager Kate Biglin said the Shire won’t be involved in the event planning stages but will assist in promoting the festival and logistics tasks such as rubbish collection.

Biglin said Spring Migration rates as an important event in the region’s calendar and denied there was a problem with local attitudes.

It’s not my feeling that there is a big issue of homophobia in the Shire that needs addressing, she told the Star.

The biggest issue raised was among some families who thought there were some people inappropriately dressed for children to see.

But on the whole, the Shire is supportive of the festival and the Shire doesn’t see there is an issue with homophobia around the festival.

info: www.springmigration.com.au