The board meets every three months with the meetings taking place in each of the shires on a rotational basis and last week’s meeting was well represented with all six shires in attendance.

Ashley Wielinga opened the meeting on behalf of Warren Shire Council. It was with regret that we said goodbye to our RADO (Regional Arts Development Officer) Angela Sidoti who resigned to move closer to family in Sydney. Sam Newstead has kindly agreed to continue to act in the role until a replacement can be found. We have also been advised that we can now seek to employ, for one day per week in each shire, a RICDO (Regional Indigenous Cultural Development Officer) to represent the needs of that shire’s indigenous community. Negotiations are currently underway and we hope to start filling these positions in the very near future.

Meanwhile Warren Central School will be the venue for this year’s biannual Youth Arts and Skills Program (presented by Outback Arts).

The Artstart 2009 program will take place over three school days from Friday June 26 to Tuesday June 30. The program involves theatre practitioner Jeff Stein on a tour of the far west working in schools and youth centres “to get young people’s voices out there through dance”.