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BEVERLEY Horwood has been behind the curtain for forty years\u2019 worth of Ballarat Lyric Theatre shows.<\/p>\n
When her 16-year-old son was cast in his first musical, the mother of five \u201cfell\u201d into performing arts too.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019d never danced a step in his life, but from then on, I used to go and pick him up,\u201d Ms Horwood said. \u201cI walked in the door, and before I knew it, I had a job. That was in 1980 and I\u2019m still there.\u201d<\/p>\n
For 20 years she sewed and coordinated costuming, and had a brief stint as assistant secretary, but for 26 years Ms Horwood was Lyric\u2019s secretary, at the heart of the committee.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheatre became a way of life,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s something I\u2019ve really enjoyed, from the audition period, through the transition to a show going up on stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s the glitz and the lights, but to be working backstage and to see it all come to fruition, that\u2019s what I like about it. It\u2019s an interesting field and always something to do, even making a cup of tea for somebody,\u201d Ms Horwood said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the thrill of the greasepaint, that\u2019s what they call it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ready to stage Les Mis\u00e9rables <\/em>this week, Ms Horwood said every show has been a highlight, each with \u201csomething special.\u201d She\u2019s been proud to see Lyric go \u201cfrom strength to strength\u201d each decade, enriching Ballarat.<\/p>\n \u201cIt gives you lot of satisfaction that you\u2019ve helped to give someone an opportunity. Someone might be a chorus person, but they might stand out and gain enough confidence to go for a lead the next year,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s so many talented people around and I think the performing arts are important because they give people hope. You can be anything and express yourself.<\/p>\n \u201cBLOC and Lyric are both striving to put on a good quality show, and we do bring people into town from Melbourne and afar. Ballarat\u2019s economy does benefit from it.\u201d<\/p>\n But Lyric isn\u2019t the only group that Ms Horwood has supported, formerly at the core of the region\u2019s swimming culture.<\/p>\n \u201cMy daughter joined Ballarat GCO Swimming Club in 1983. She was there for about nine years before she left, and I stayed,\u201d she laughed.<\/p>\n Until last year, Ms Horwood was a member of GCO and the Midlands District Amateur Swimming Association. At school, country and state meets, she mastered many roles on the pool deck as a chief timekeeper, Swimming Victoria official, a judge, marshal, check starter, recorder and semi-automatic timer.<\/p>\n The MDASA\u2019s secretary for 16 years, Ms Horwood was acknowledged by United Way in 2011 as their National Sport Volunteer of the Decade.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I first started, I didn\u2019t know anything about swimming, but I grew to like the atmosphere, the friendly people, the comradery, and we had a lot of fun,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was about being there to help the children get times, and see them achieve their goals, to go onto bigger and better things.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s wonderful when they do a PB because they\u2019re very happy, and you\u2019re happy for them. It\u2019s exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n Recently nominated as one of the Zonta Club of Ballarat\u2019s Great Women for 2020, Ms Horwood is only just coming to terms with her 2019 honour, the Ballarat Arts Foundation Denis Bateman Award for long-term service to the arts.<\/p>\n Also celebrated for being a Royal South Street Society usher, and giving 35 years of volunteerism to the Citizens Advice Bureau and the Charity Christmas Card Shop, she said it\u2019s \u201creally special\u201d to be recognised.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of men get awards, but women often get left behind. I never thought I\u2019d fit into the Great Women category, so I\u2019m quite chuffed about it,\u201d Ms Horwood said.<\/p>\n \u201cMy husband was in the navy. I brought up the kids practically on my own and all I knew was inside the house. I was a shy person, so volunteering helped me gain confidence.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s made me a better person, helping and learning from other people. It\u2019s given me independence, I\u2019m a much more positive person and I\u2019ve loved every minute of it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" BEVERLEY Horwood has been behind the curtain for forty years\u2019 worth of Ballarat Lyric Theatre shows. When her 16-year-old son was cast in his first musical, the mother of five \u201cfell\u201d into performing arts too. \u201cHe\u2019d never danced a step in his life, but from then on, I used to go and pick him up,\u201d […]<\/p>\n