Goya Dmytryshchak
Michael Stewart is the director of the Newport Folk Festival. He speaks with Goya Dmytryshchak.
What’s your connection to Hobsons Bay?
I first came to Newport in 1978 when I started teaching and enjoyed living here. When I married, I was teaching at Vic Uni and convinced my wife, Helen, that Newport was the place to be. We have now been here for 30 years and our two girls are born and bred Newporters. When they were young, while driving them to school I would point to the Substation and tell them that it would all change one day. Sure enough it has and I have enjoyed watching the transformation.
What do you like about Newport?
I love the geography – close to Melbourne, close to the beach. I love the cluster of community buildings – The Substation, the bowls club, the Scout hall, the RSL and the Newport Hub. I love Newport Lakes and the Market Street Reserve – two areas which have transformed the area for the birdlife and enhanced quality of life for Newport residents. I also love working with with the team who are developing the garden at Newport Station.
What would you change or what could be improved?
Easy! Open up the Newport Workshops to the public, to nurture local artists, musicians and historians, to train lovers and to children! With the right leadership and support the workshops could become a wonderful tourist attraction for our area and for our state. This is a world class historical precinct and all similar sites around the world have been sold off for development. It should become an amazing asset for our area – and one that everyone should know about, feel welcome at and want to visit regularly!
What’s your favourite local cafe or restaurant?
A tough question as we are spoilt for choice. However I have been going to Challis St Cafe for years. Apart from being my Monday morning ‘office’, hosts Jamie and Faye have welcomed my band, ‘Newport Gypsy Djangos, to play there on Saturday mornings. We share the gig with the Colin and Ted Allstars. Challis Street Cafe has been hopping almost every Saturday this year from 10.30 to midday. Come along and enjoy!
Could you please tell me about your involvement in the Newport Fiddle and Folk Club and Newport Folk Festival?
I had a band, Newport Convention, and we needed somewhere to play. A friend had been involved in folk clubs and she gave me the idea of starting a folk club in Newport. We had our first meeting in August 2004 and four people turned up! Gradually the word got out and our monthly sessions grew – sometimes to 40 people. We then started a choir and a bush orchestra and so the club had 3 activities. Seventeen years later and we have 240 members and 11 monthly sessions ranging from drumming to classical music. We created the festival in 2008 and we are now ready for our 14th festival. The invitation is to ‘come and play – in a COVID-safe way. Information and tickets are on our website newportfolkfestival.org.au
I am still the president of the club and director of the festival but strongly supported by two committees. My involvement with the club has been a great source of enjoyment and connection to my local community.
What’s something people would be surprised to know about you?
I taught children in a slum school in Bangladesh how to play ‘You Are My Sunshine’. I got involved with the school when I used to teach in Dhaka. Eleven years later, the school has lots of great musicians who are playing ukuleles made and donated by the Hobsons Bay Men’s Shed.
