Eumundi Voice Magazine

Eumundi Voice

8 hours ago

When Eumundi Voice first featured Cooran teenager Banjo Brown last year, he was already attracting attention for his impressive metal sculptures. Now at just 14yo, he has completed his most ambitious work yet: a striking large-scale sculpture inspired by the elaborate form of the swamp banksia, a native plant found in coastal wetlands along Australia's eastern seaboard.
The sculpture is a unique interpretation of a botanical form. Inspired by the horizontal cross-section of a swamp banksia seed cone, Banjo has reimagined it in a vertical orientation, transforming the natural pattern into a dramatic 3-dimensional artwork. Constructed from steel and copper, the sculpture celebrates the detailed geometry, texture and toughness found in the Australian landscape.
Creating the work demanded months of dedication. Banjo and his mentor invested more than 100 hours designing, fabricating and refining the sculpture, with Banjo bending every section of steel by hand and crafting many of the specialised tools and jigs required to complete it. To produce the detailed copper elements, he also learned traditional metalworking techniques including chasing and repoussé.
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Eumundi Voice

1 day ago

A sold-out crowd filled Eumundi State School Hall on 22 August as young Sunshine Coast musicians celebrated 10yrs of Eumundi School of Music (ESOM) with a lively showcase of local talent, topped off by a special performance from acclaimed singer-songwriter Kate Miller-Heidke.
Founded by 5-time ARIA Award winner Katie Noonan ESOM is marking a decade of helping young musicians pursue their dreams through tuition, mentoring and performance opportunities. Each year, aspiring artists work one-on-one with professional musicians for 3 months before taking the stage at the end-of-program concert.
Saturday night’s concert unfolded as a mini-festival, featuring 2026 ESOM bands Compass and Real Creations, teen band Red Bin Chicken, showband Solidified, and local band Soleil, which formed through ESOM. A special reunion band of alumni also returned for a 1-night-only performance, bringing together former students from across the program’s 10yr history.
Katie said she was incredibly proud of the 51 young rockers who performed and of how far ESOM had come since it began.
“Seeing a full house and an audience with full hearts was the perfect way to celebrate 10yrs of ESOM,” said Katie. “The young musicians absolutely rocked the stage – giving it everything they had, playing their hearts out and showing just how much talent, passion and energy they have.”
She said watching ESOM grow and flourish over the past decade had been enormously rewarding, with more than 300 young people taking part in the program, forming bands, building confidence and developing lifelong friendships through music.
“ESOM has always been about community, creativity and the joy of making music. Celebrating this milestone with our students, alumni, families and supporters has been incredibly special,” said Katie.
Katie also thanked Kate Miller-Heidke and her husband and musical collaborator Keir Nuttall for sharing their experience with the next generation.
“Kate and Keir brought extraordinary musical talent and experience to the celebration, and it was fantastic to see our students share the stage with them,” she said. “Seeing our young musicians step up, perform with confidence and embrace the opportunity was a wonderful way to mark ESOM’s 10th anniversary.”
Photos by Worth Photography ... See MoreSee Less