Saturday 12 July 2008

Seating increased 50 percent for Tim Flannery’s talk in Beechworth

The response to this year’s Kerferd Oration in Beechworth by Professor Tim Flannery has been so strong that organisers have enlarged the seating capacity from 300 to 450 seats.

The oration is being held at the Kerferd Conference Centre at the Beechworth campus of La Trobe University on Sunday, July 27, at 11am.

Kerferd Oration committee member Joan Simms said the response this year had been “quite overwhelming”

“So many people want to hear from someone like Professor Flannery. His oration on The Climate Change Challenge is more topical than ever. There’s been the recent draft Garnaut report, various local moves towards forming sustainability groups and a growing awareness of the need for all of us to do our bit for the environment,” Ms Simms said.

“We’ve had to increase the seating in the Kerferd Conference Centre to 450 seats and we have provision to stretch that a bit more to the deck outside,” Ms Simms said.

“We have advertised that doors open at 10.15am and the feedback we are getting is that some people are coming quite early to queue up before that. One group has told me they are bringing their breakfast to have in the grounds while they keep an eye on the length of the queue.

"And I know of another group from Melbourne who are extending their holiday at the snow, and staying in Beechworth overnight to attend the Oration.”

Ms Simms stressed that no booking was required for this free community event, however only the first 450 people at the door would be certain of getting a seat inside the conference room.

Students from Year 7 at the Beechworth Secondary College will have artworks and installations on the theme of sustainability on display inside the conference centre.

Parking is limited close to the conference centre and Ms Simms advised people to park in nearby streets and walk in to the venue.

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