ROSEBUD KITE FESTIVAL 2018
SUNDAY 11 MARCH 2018
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no wait... it’s a kite! IT’S a telling sign in today’s high tech, fast paced world that people take such pleasure from the simple act of flying a kite. Now in it’s 15th year, the much-loved Rosebud Kite Festival has grown from small beginnings to be among Australia’s largest kite flying events. Powered by coastal sea breezes the super-sized inflatables known as Maxi’s, some measuring up to 12 meters in diameter, are back leading
the flight program again in 2018. These giants of the kite world are made using colourful fabric construction that catch wind in the folds of their intricate design. Flying tens of meters high above the foreshore in Rosebud, they are tethered back to the earth with multiple wires and weights that counter the huge lift forces they generate. Not for the faint hearted, it takes a great deal of skill and experience to keep these Maxi’s aloft. On
March 11th, Rosebud will host an internationally recognised team of professional kite makers, including Craig Hansen from Peter Lynn Kites and Jo Baker recently back from representing Australia in India’s most iconic Kite Festival, as well as some of our best known kite makers from around the country. They’ll be unfurling a store of animated creations including; a giant spotted Whale Shark, Flying Pigs, and Winged Dragons
and numerous Underwater Creatures. Along with the kite flying program, this FREE FAMILY FESTIVAL offers a program of live music and entertainment, performing artists, circus workshops and storytelling, kite making workshops, kids rides, food stalls, community demonstrations and all things fun under the sun (see website for full program) http:// rosebudkitefestival.com.au.
Interstate Kite Flyers Join the Party Ian Burrell
David Greer DAVID Greer is the current president of the Kite Flyers of Tasmania and a man who enjoys talking kites and kiting as much as he loves to fly them. This award winning kite builder and kite flyer has also been a Club committee member for more years than he can remember. He doesn’t escape the Tasmanian border control often but is glad to be back at Rosebud to share his love of all things kitey.
Sarath Kingsley
Craig Hansen
SARATH Kingsley, born in Sri Lanka but now living in Sydney, joins the Rosebud Kite festival for the first time. An artistic kite builder from a young age he received awards at Columbian kite festivals for the smallest kite & most creative kites.
CRAIG Hansen, the International visiting kite professional, lives and manufactures his colourful, air inflated soft kites in New Zealand, having developed his passion over 45 years ago as a boy in Zimbabwe. His giant kites are amongst the largest in the world which can generate incredible lift force that need a serious anchor, in our instance, a car, to keep them from taking off! Watch this man use all his weight to control his collection of kites.
Now a senior member from AKFS in Sydney, Sarath continues to build kites, winning many awards for his designs at Bondi’s Festival of the Winds over the past six years.
Our charity partner in 2018 is One Voice. Applying their compassionate and innovative thinking to a not-so-obvious social problem, One Voice have built a bus that offers mobile
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Mornington News 6 March 2018
shower services for homeless Australians. If you’ve heard about this amazing project and you’d like to show your support, you can come along to the Rosebud Kite Festival and
Some people collect stamps, others may collect art, but 69 year old IAN Burrell collects house sized Kites. Ian is the proud owner of more than 100 kites including a whale that stretches up to 16 meters in size and his fascination with kites began to bud at a young age. “We used to make kites when we were kids, but I can’t remember them really being successful because they were brown paper and string,” he said. Now his kites range in price from $20 to thousands of dollars. Mr Burrell said he enjoys travelling to kite festivals around Australia, meeting other likeminded kite enthusiasts. “I used to fish years ago, but now the line’s in a different direction”.
purchase a bottle of ‘Love Out Loud’ branded water: the sales and profits will help restore dignity to Australians dealing with homelessness.