We got to the City Hall early for the 10:30 concert. We never really know what to expect with these things so we are always early. However we did not expect them to keep the doors closed until just 15 minutes before the concert begins. So off we went and found a Lamington treat at a cute little cafe located right inside the City Hall Building. Lamingtons are sponge cake dipped in chocolate and dusted with a finely chopped coconut. It was invented in Brisbane so we had to give one a try. We stashed this in our bag in case we needed to snack during the 1.5 hour concert. There was some confusion about tickets for the free concert. We double checked the website and there was no mention of needing tickets, turns out they did not need to see then anyway! Light the World with Music was the name of the variety show. It was sponsored by the Church of Latter Day Saints, aka the Mormons. Several performers were featured and it was simulcast around the world. The "Father Henry Willis Organ" is 120 years old and considered one of the best preserved organs of its kind. It got a great workout with two different organists featured in the show. The Brisbane Pipe Band got the most work as they played the intro and the finale and three other times during the show. Those pipes really are loud. Other acts ranged from a guitar and violin solo to a choral group to a single singer songwriter accompanying herself on the piano. All in all it was a very fine way to spend a Saturday Morning. There was no overt religious content provided. At the end they did encourage folks to donate to local charities using the "Giving Machine". This was described as a vending machine where you can choose from 20 possible donations according to what and how much you choose to donate. Oddly the machine was not on site and one would need to seek it out to donate. We stepped outside and found a nice spot to eat our lamington. We took a few pictures, went shopping for essentials and then back to the apartment. Later we could hear loud chanting outside. We went downstairs and witnessed a protest march in the street. 1000 people or more were waving Iranian flags and carrying protest signs.
Lamingtons!
The Shingle Inn is old timey
It looks old because it is
The tree outside is up
City hall on a Saturday morning
92 years old!
The organ is getting warmed up. It is over 120 years old and went through an renovation in 2010-2013. The acoustic properties of each pipe were recorded prior to the renovation and then verified to be the same upon reinstallation
In come the bagpipes, filling the hall with sound
The Brisbane Pipe Band is a volunteer group dedicated to sharing the pipes with new folks
Dr. Stephen Nisbet has been playing church organs since he was 16
A choral group "Musica" sang a few songs and also sang along with the pipes
Tammy White sang her own composition in French
Father and Daughter team playing the Man From Snowy River theme, Lorin Nicholson and Harriot
Leah Hiller sang two songs she also sang along with the pipes
The big finale saw all the performers on stage except he Musica group who were off to another engagement
The city hall in Leggos! Fun Facts follow. The copper dome is the largest in the Southern Hemisphere that sounds impressive but less than 15% of the worlds population live in the Southern Hemisphere. The clock in the tower is the largest analog clock in Australia.
Hanging with the Roos!
A bread slicing machine in the store
A protest in the streets
Anti Iranian government protestors
It has been 167 days since we began our Migration
