Central Queensland University’s Regional Centre of the Arts (RCotA) has funded new CD, DVD and writers workshop projects in 2005.

CQU academic Dr Philip Robertson will use his RCotA funding to retrace the steps of the documentary film maker who produced the 1966 film ‘Cape York Adventure’. This travelogue/road movie included many scenes along the coast from Brisbane to Cape York, including footage of Bundaberg, Gladstone, Rockhampton and Mackay. Dr Robertson plans to restore the original film and then re-film a contemporary version, reframing the original shots from the same locations and camera angles to show change over 40 years. He plans a regional travelling exhibition of the project.

The Bundaberg Media Research Group has gained funding to produce a CD incorporating the soundscapes, rhythms and stories of the sugar industry in the Bundaberg and Mackay regions. This is the first stage of a larger project combining the sounds with visual images in a multimedia format. The ‘sweet sounds’ project will utilise the talents of Bundaberg composer and percussionist Dane Costigan and oral histories from the Bundaberg and Mackay regions.

The Queensland Writers Centre has gained RCotA funding to offer CQ region workshops on editing and manuscript preparation (April 26) and review writing (May 17) and a seminar titled ‘One-Stop Shop for New Writers’ (July 26).

CQU’s Idiom 23 literary magazine has gained RCotA funding to conduct a writers workshop on North Keppel Island from April 29-31 next year.