We are very proud to have two chorus members who are on the Regional Management Team for Sweet Adelines Australia - Cathy Sterling is the Events Coordinator, and Karen Phillips is the Marketing Coordinator. In October 2023 Cathy and Karen travelled to Louisville Kentucky to represent the RMT and to support our champion chorus and quartet. Brindabella Chorus and Skykark Quartet.

Here is an article written by Karen which was publised in our regional newsletter, OzChords.

It was a privilege for Cathy Sterling (Events Coordinator), Annie Freeman (Finance Coordinator) and me to support our competitors and represent Region 34 at educational events in Louisville. Our first task was to connect Brindabella Chorus and Skylark Quartet to Australia via the live-streamed RahRah on Sunday night, wishing them luck for the contest ahead and passing on well wishes from home. We attended their shared rehearsal with Pennsylvanian chorus Vocal Harmonix, and it was great to get a preview of their competition package.

As first-time international attendees, we were excited to go to the full day of RMT training on Monday. This was a great opportunity to meet coordinators from other regions and discuss our experiences in regional management. We were proud to share some of our Region 34 initiatives and took away some interesting new ideas. We also met members of the International Board of Directors, who ran sessions throughout the day, including our very own Sharon Cartwright, and International President Thérèse Antonini talked to us about the importance of leadership and the value of the regional management teams. That evening we attended “From Sweden With Love”, where Rönninge Show Chorus, Malmö Limelight Chorus and Keep Cruisin’ Quartet performed their competition packages.

The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion workshop on Tuesday was another valuable opportunity to discuss important issues with fellow Sweet Adelines. The focus this year was on fostering a culture of belonging. The topics discussed at the workshop encouraged us to think about ways to be more inclusive at the international, regional, chorus and personal level. And that night was the Harmony Classic competition, featuring the top small and mid-sized choruses from around the world. We were so excited to support Brindabella Chorus, brandishing our banners and Aussie flags, and were over the moon when they won!

Wednesday was the Quartet Semifinals, where we cheered on Skylark Quartet – it was a very full day and evening of barbershop! Thursday was the Chorus Semifinals, Friday the Quartet Finals, and Saturday the Chorus Finals. Sharon Cartwright and Glenda Lloyd did a great job as webcast hosts. We were blown away by the performances, they were just so good! We also attended the Coronet Club Show and the Quartet Music Education Class with Renée Porzel, and met lots of friendly fellow singers. It was a very full week, and an absolute joy to represent our region in the SAI community.