Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary’s Sunday sesh takes flight.
Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary’s Sunday sesh takes flight.
The humble Sunday session is the highlight of the week. The culmination of all your hard labour distilled down into a handful of carefree hours when you can switch off and surround yourself with good company — and perhaps a drink or two — and bask in the momentary utopia of minimal responsibilities right before Monday begins all over again. Name us anything that sits better with you weekend warriors — we’ll wait!
The formula is simple, right? Good (live) music, framed by a friendly and welcoming atmosphere, with a sprinkling of food and a spattering of drinks. Throw in some fine weather for good measure, and hey presto, you have the inimitable recipe for a flawless Sunday afternoon.
One place that is tapping into this idea (but is better known for its furry, feathered, and scaly attractions) is Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. And this summer they will play host to a FREE event called Sanctuary Sounds: Sunday Sessions on their Village Green – and you’re all invited!
This series of Sunday Sessions runs every Sunday throughout summer from 1pm – 5pm. Featuring a diverse free musical offering each week, the event has a relaxed, family-friendly vibe, providing the community with the chance to get together over tasty food and drinks with the musical backdrop of incredibly talented local artists. Visitors familiar with the regular Friday night Sanctuary Markets will know how easy it is to enjoy casual seating and soak up the weekend vibes; so if you feel compelled to spend the last evening of the week in the best way possible, bring a blanket and settle in.
Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary General Manager Michael Kelly said, “We wanted to celebrate the Queensland border opening up again. We’re opening up our beautiful Village Green and inviting our community to come together, relax and catch up, just like old times.”
When DJ Cory Hotline performs on Sunday 12 December expect an attractive blend of party, house, bass, and trap genre all condensed down into an audio cocktail and served neat.
Shenzo Gregorio Quartet take to the stage on Sunday 26 December who are a virtuoso viola player, jazz musician, composer, and stuntman! Often considered to be one of the most creative violinists in Australia, Shenzo’s approach to jazz is an ode to tradition while at the same time bringing an inventive flair to your ears. A must experience.
Keep your ear to the ground as January and February artists are yet to be confirmed but will be released on their Facebook page later this month! Better yet, follow them on their social to keep up to date with everything they have planned over the Summer period!
So, we think it’s safe to say, one thing is for sure: the Southern Gold Coast’s dreamiest summer Sunday Sessions are here. All that is left for you to do is insert yourself into the equation and soak it all up!
When: Every Sunday between 1 – 5pm throughout summer
Where: Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary – Village Green, 28 Tomewin Street, Currumbin
Words by Alex Mitcheson.
STORY SPONSORED BY CURRUMBIN WILDLIFE SANCTUARY
Creativity has been at an all-time over the last couple of months with businesses forced to come up with new ways to keep things moving forward amidst the strangeness.
We’ve seen the Gold Coasts’ fine dining restaurants switch to takeaway, online exercise classes becoming the norm and takeaway cocktails becoming our new favourite thing. Genius the lot of it.
One sector that has taken a big hit is the events industry and we’ve seen many that have had to cancel or reschedule. Some though, have found ways to go ahead and the one in particular we are here to discuss is the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital Foundation’s annual Benefit Under the Stars.
The event, which of course usually takes place in person, will this year switch to a digital version, meaning we can all attend along with rest of the world and support our much-loved, local animal hospital.
So what will happen at this new virtual gala we speak of? Well, many fun things that you can enjoy from the comfort of your bed while also sipping on wine and laying down when it’s time to sleep instead of having to get an Uber home, take your makeup off, get undressed, all the most annoying things.
It will be an evening of entertainment, performances, interviews, wildlife stories and an inside look at one of the world’s busiest wildlife hospitals. Stay tuned for announcements of celebrity guests and hosts who will be making appearances throughout the evening.
In 2019 the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital admitted over 12,000 wildlife, a record, which is on the rise in 2020. Their mission is to treat, rehabilitate and release wildlife back to their home while finding ways via research and projects to protect the most vulnerable patients.
The Hospital depends on the community for support to continue their work and the annual gala each year helps to raise much-needed funds to continue the service free of charge to the community.
No doubt, most of us have had the pleasure of visiting the Sanctuary at some point to pat and stare lovingly at the huge array of animals that are lucky enough to live and be rehabilitated at the Hospital there.
It’s so good to be able to see the Hospital doing their thing for the wildlife, right here on the Gold Coast and so supporting Currumbin Wildlife Hospital Foundation is something we’re quite passionate about.
Tickets to the Virtual Benefit Under the Stars are just $25 each and the event wil take place on Saturday May 9th from 6pm until 7.30pm.
Get yours here and prepare yourself for an entertaining evening filled with lots of cuddly creatures.
How nice.
Words by Kirra Smith
Since the dawn of time (probably) people have had a soft spot for cute, cuddly creatures and since the dawn of Instagram, people have loved creeping on cute, cuddly creatures via adorable videos and of course, the beloved animal meme.
Which is why it’s a really great idea to include photos of said cuddly creatures in a calendar that raises money for those who need it after a particularly trying year.
Pop a few scantily clad Aussie firefighters in there and you’ve got yourself a best seller.
In case you’re not aware, that’s exactly what’s been happening for the past 28 years with the Australia Firefighters calendar.
Our very own Currumbin Wildlife Hospital Foundation is the charity of choice for of the the 2021 calendars, which has raised over $3 million for various organisations in their time.
It’s not hard to see why.
Aussie Firefighters are flown in from around Australia to take part in the week-long shoot (obviously a little different this year) which involves them posing with various cuddly (and some not so cuddly) creatures for our viewing pleasure.
Obviously times are tough at the moment and with the last bushfire season creating so much devastation across the country, the funds raised from the calendar couldn’t have come at a better time for Currumbin Wildlife Hospital Foundation.
Of course, some of the firefighter images were shot at the hospital so you can expect to see the sweetest of koalas, slightly intimidating eagles, a playful dingo and a spiky little echidna to name a few.
Currumbin Wildlife Hospital opened 31 years ago and has grown to be one of the busiest wildlife hospitals in the world. It admits over 12,000 animals a year, including almost 600 koalas. The Currumbin Wildlife Hospital’s mission is to treat, rehabilitate and release sick, injured and orphaned native wildlife and is a service that is provided free of charge to the community.
Not only those sweet little things though, there are also puppies and kittens included and honestly, what could be better than good looking men and adorable animals in the one image? Probably nothing.
The 2021 calendar will be available in October so do your eyes, and Currumbin Wildlife Hospital, a favour and grab one here. We’ll remind you when the time comes, but in the meantime, you can donate to the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital now here.
You are welcome.
Words and photos by Kirra Smith
