Arts Narrogin events manager Brad Flett reflects on a massive year and the epic Narrogin Hay Bales Concert

After a year of planning and hard work, Arts Narrogin and the Perth Symphony Orchestra gave the Wheatbelt South and beyond a night to remember at last year’s Hay Bales Concert. Event manager Brad Flett said the Arts Narrogin crew are still riding the wave after their Green Shoots pilot program delivered a live-streamed spectacular on November 25 that exceeded all expectations. “I said to the team earlier in the year ‘strap yourselves in, this could be anything’,” he said. “The success for me is measured out there in the community, individually, socially and mentally. “Where we go from it now, that’s where we’re excited.” Another measure of success and a strong indication of the Wheatbelt South’s support for the arts was seen when tickets for the event sold out 48 minutes after going on sale. With community members on stage and working behind the scenes, the concert showcased the region’s talent and togetherness. “I was blown away with who came from where in this district to help,” Flett said. “I want to thank every single person, they know who they are — if I was to name them it would take up all of the paper, we’re so, so thankful.” The Green Shoots program that saw community members work with the PSO in the lead-up to the concert was expected to attract around 40 participants and culminate in a show for a few hundred people. Over 100 people from across the Wheatbelt South performed on November 25 before an audience of around 1000 that included Minister for Culture and the Arts David Templeman in an arena made from 500 large rectangular hay bales. “Where do you go to learn to build an arena?,” Flett laughed. “I’m elated, we did a bloody good job and gave it a red hot go without a template.” Seven hundred households around the world live-streamed the Narrogin concert which was seen by viewers in places like Belgium, the Netherlands, Taiwan, South America, South Africa, Italy, Spain and the US. “We’re still hearing about it, still experiencing it,” Flett said. As a result of the program, the Occasional Singers Choir, now known as the Green Shoots Choir, has seen its numbers swell and live music is being enjoyed at events throughout the region as the bands that were formed play on. “Where we can go in the future is anywhere,” Flett said. “The sky’s the limit.”