COUNCIL CONFIDENT OF LARGE TURNOUT FOR A POSITIVE EVENTThe Council’s Executive Committee said today that registrations for the Saturday event at Corroboree 2000 had picked up significantly over the past few days and that the Council is confident that there will be a packed audience at the Sydney Opera House for the historic event. The Council said that registrations so far had topped the 1,000 mark and at the current rate of new registrations it was likely that the 1,800-seat capacity of the Opera House would be full on the day. "All the signs are that Corroboree 2000 will be the historic and uplifting event which Council believes is essential to the reconciliation process and to shaping a positive future for the next generation," Chairperson Evelyn Scott said. "It will also be an event which will honestly acknowledge the work which remains to be done towards reconciliation, and the different views about how to get there." Ms Scott said that recent media stories had made much of the fact that not all seats are taken as yet. "However, this is often the case with these events. For example, I understand that the Council’s historic and highly-successful Australian Reconciliation Convention in May 1997 was in a similar position not long before the event, and a late rush of registrations saw several hundred people having to be turned away," she said. "Those registered so far represent a wide range of our diverse society, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and organisations, and business, industry and community groups from around Australia," she said. "However, the Council would like to see even wider representation from communities, and we want every seat filled. To that end, we are contacting organisations, groups and individuals who are not well represented and asking them to consider attending this event," she said. Ms Scott said that the Council knew that some people had delayed their decision to attend because they have not seen the Council's documents. "Now that these documents have been released, many of these people are sending in their registrations." SYDNEY 19 MAY 2000 |
