LOUISE LOIK
E D I T O R
In a small community
known for a mellow lifestyle of
tree hugging and stargazing,
the energy at the Legion was
electric last Saturday night.
Gone was the Gore-Tex,
spandex and denim. Instead,
the women were wrapped in
blazing colours and silky fabrics
for a night staged like a set
from an Indian movie. It was
Bollywood on Bowen, a fundraiser
for the creation of the
Annex/Gallery in the cove.
The event took a whole
team of volunteers to transform
the legion, home for
anything from country and
western dances, to Celtic
revelry and formal dinners,
into the exotic setting for the
Indian meal served to 100
guests.
Kate Coffey, who organized
the event with Greta Smith,
made a practice meal at the
Legion in advance to ensure
that they would be able to
meet the demands of the celebrants.
In addition to great
food provided by volunteers,
the stage filled with Bhangra
dancers from the Royal
Academy of Bhangra. Bhangra
is a style of dance from the
Punjab and Bollywood is the
name for the Indian movie
industry based in Bombay.
Put the two together for a
theme night and you get lots
of drama and flare, sound and
colour.
The beneficiary project of
the fundraiser, the Annex/
Gallery, gained a lot of exposure
and awareness from the
event.
Tina Nielsen, chief librarian,
said she was “thrilled to
have so many people make
pledges in support of the
project
