Sky’s the limit at kite day

Flying high: Four-year-old Gabriel was one of many people who took part in a kite flying event run by Ballarat Neighbourhood Centre at Western Oval in Redan on Sunday. Photos: ALISTAIR FINLAY

IF you looked towards the intersection of Pleasant and Eyre streets in Redan on Sunday, you may have caught a glimpse of something a little different the sky.

Kites of all shapes and sizes were up in the air over Western Oval as part of a Ballarat Neighbourhood Centre run initiative called Let’s Go Fly A Kite.

Thomas Duke from Duke Kites with a cuttlefish and ray kites.

“The idea came from Redan resident Peter Waugh after he saw an article in a newspaper from the 1800s about Chinese members of the community coming out and flying their kites every Sunday,” said Emily Macdonald, community engagement officer with the Neighbourhood Centre.

While links to the past was one aspect of the event, it was also about the Ballarat Neighbourhood Centre seeking to further strengthen ties in the area.

“We were wanting to do some community engagement in Redan and we started connecting with different groups and people, and Peter was one we connected with,” Ms Macdonald said.

“He had the idea and we thought it was such a fun idea, so let’s go with that.”

Supported by the Work for Victoria program, which had some extra capacity, the day also included an opportunity for people to come along and learn how to make kites.

“We were keen to have some experienced kite flyers here to show off what can be done with kites,” Ms Macdonald said.

“With the community kite making it’s also showing how simple it can be to do something fun.”

One of those experienced kite flyers on hand to show where the art of kite making and flying can take you was Thomas Duke.

He’s been involved with the craft as long as he can remember and was at Western Oval with his family run company, Duke-Kites.

He said that while he often went to the major events around Australia like Festival of the Winds in Bondi and the Adelaide International Kite Festival, it was good to be able to show off his passion where he lives.

“To be able to put on a display in our town, which we don’t get to do very often is always great fun,” he said.

“I love seeing people’s reactions to it. It’s generally a nice expression of surprise. You don’t normally see this unless you travel.”