As parliamentarians we have the privilege of meeting people from all walks of life, and today I would like to share the story of a truly remarkable and talented man, Mr Alan Burge.

Alan is an 83-year-old man who is still tuning pianos by ear.

From a young age, Alan loved music, but it wasn’t until a friend asked him to tune an untunable piano that his desire and passion for this unique skill set began.

Reading all the workshop manuals he could and working with expert piano tuners, Alan’s talent for tuning and love of pianos led him to become an expert and then to be elected as secretary of the piano tuners guild.

It wasn’t long before he became the go-to man for tuning pianos in South-East Queensland.

Alan has tuned pianos for celebrities like David Helfgott, as well as for the Brisbane Jazz Club and countless community and local music teachers.

In fact, Alan has been expertly tuning and helping me restore a 1907 Australian made Beale piano in my electorate office in Wynnum.

By doing so, we have preserved this unique piece of history that would otherwise have ended up in landfill.

I’ve always loved listening to the piano, but Alan’s knowledge and expertise has inspired me to admire and appreciate the craftsmanship of pianos just as much as the music they make.

As ABBA said, ‘Without a song or a dance, what are we?’ So I say, Alan, thank you for the music and the joy that you have brought to thousands of people with your passion for tuning pianos.

Expressions of interests (EOI) applications for the 2023 – 2024 Volunteer Grants have now closed.

All groups who applied have been notified of the outcome of their EOI and if they have progressed to the final round with the Department of Social Services.

I am waiting to hear if Volunteer Grants will be open for 2024-2025, and will update my website and social media once this becomes clear.

In the meantime, if you are looking for federal funding opportunities for your club, please click here: GrantConnect Help and Information (grants.gov.au)

Please also email at ross.vasat.mp@aph.gov.au if I can be of assistance.

Cheers

Ross

Picture: One of the many Volunteer Grant Recipient for 2023: Priceless House

Batch 2 of the Saluting Their Service (STS) Commemorative Grants Program is now open!

This program is designed to commemorate the service and sacrifice of Australia’s service personnel in wars, conflicts and peace operations, and their families.

Community Grants (CG)

Grants to a maximum of $10,000 are available for community-based commemorative projects and activities.

These small grants are for projects and activities that are focused on the local community, commemorate the service and sacrifice of local community members, and are primarily accessed by the local community.

Some examples of CG projects and activities include:

• development of an Honour Roll
• restoration of an existing local War Memorial
• supply and installation of a cabinet to display military memorabilia
• installation of flagpoles

Major Grants (MG)

Grants between $10,001 and $150,000 are available for major commemorative projects and activities that are significant from a national, state, territory and/or regional perspective. MG grants will have a much wider focus than CG category applications and must be commemorative of the service and sacrifice of service personnel beyond the local community, and/or consist of elements that are available to the whole nation, or residents of a state, territory, or regional area. If your project has a high monetary value, it does not necessarily mean that it is considered an MG.

Some examples of MG projects and activities include:

• construction of an interactive memorial walking track dedicated to all Australian service personnel from the Vietnam War
• development of a digital honour roll and interpretive signage to commemorate the history of service personnel from a particular region
• development of a documentary commemorating Australian Prisoners of War.

Batch 2 – applications submitted between 14 June 2023 and 10 October 2023

For more information, click here

For information on how to apply, please visit Grant Connect here

Application can be found here