Our Vision
Making South Gippsland a better place to live by enriching the lives of its community by establishing art and culture programs that benefit the local economy, create volunteerism, stimulate arts engagement, improve children’s literacy, boost tourism and make our weekends fun.
Our Purpose
Fabelo Incorporated is a not-for-profit incorporated association that exists to inspire cultural events in South Gippsland and to provide governance, oversight and funding of the organising committees it establishes and of third-party local community arts organisations that deliver on its vision. It is a registered charity and has Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status.
Fabelo operates with clear rules, well-defined roles and responsibilities for board members, appropriate financial knowledge, accountability and transparency to members and stakeholders.
Greatest Achievements
Fishy Stories
Fabelo established this volunteer and community-led committee to run an annual children’s literary festival and writing challenge. Fishy Stories is now in its 5th year.
Fishy Stories delivers both a school writing challenge in Term Three for students from Grade One to Year Eight culminating in a public festival – a significant Victorian event with a growing national footprint. The Writing Challenge engages young people in the process of developing their creativity through the exploration and production of their own narratives. At the Festival each November, the children and families come together from across Gippsland and elsewhere in Australia to meet each other in the parklands in Fish Creek, where their stories are performed, displayed and presented in published form. This success is celebrated at the festival with well-known children’s authors and illustrators, sharing their expert knowledge delivering writing and storytelling workshops.
Prom Recitals
Fabelo established this volunteer and community led committee to develop and deliver a program of regular classical music concerts and other recitals in local community halls across the region.
Prom Recitals has staged twenty concerts since 2020. It supports an engaged and connected classical music community that delivers social and economic benefits to South Gippsland. Prom Recitals also contributes to school and community initiatives through workshops, masterclasses, residencies and scholarships. town halls.
Celebrate Her!
In 2022 Fabelo partnered with The Hon. Justice Michelle Gordon AC to create 'Celebrate Her!’, a program to celebrate and feature the women of South Gippsland who are making a significant contribution to South Gippsland.
Fish Creek Memorial Hall
Fabelo also partnered to the Fish Creek Memorial Hall to raise $50,000 to acquire a concert grand piano for the Hall to provide greater flexibility in attracting artists and performers and give the local community a world-class musical instrument to enhance their events.
Introducing Fabelo Board members
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Mark Avery - Chair
Over 40 years Mark established entertainment businesses who worked with Universal Studios, Warner Brothers, Hit Entertainment, Nickelodeon, Disney, BBC World- wide, Cirque du Soleil, the Commonwealth of Australia and all Australian State Governments. The businesses operated in 35 countries, in 17 languages, produced and promoted events and shows around the world in 737 cities and towns.
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Deb Bray – Board Member
Vice Chair. Deb is the co-founder of Fishy Stories, a Speech Pathologist who is driven to assist children to draw, write, read, play, participate, collaborate in story making and sharing. Deb is also a Natural Meats farmer!
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Dr Nicholas Dwyer – Board Member
Nick worked in the private school sector in Australia, the UK and China. He pioneered the export of Australian high school education to Asian countries and established and oversaw a number of VCE programs in China, the Philippines and East Timor. Nick then spent five years in China where he founded two Sino-Australian schools, in Beijing and Guangzhou, as joint ventures with Chinese partners.
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Beth Liley - Secretary
Highly skilled General Manager with over twenty years of achieving excellent outcomes overseeing complex, major development projects within large organisations. A strong, positive communicator with experience leading high performing teams and a commitment to people development and culture. Highly organised strategic thinker with proven ability to deliver results through authentic leadership, skilled and respectful stakeholder engagement both internally and with customers and community.
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Daryl Standfield – Treasurer
A Chartered accountant for 25+ years, working in both public and private enterprise, currently in a snr finance position with a large multinational. Taking the treasurers role with Fabelo and overseeing the various groups finances has enabled the combination of professional finance experience with a life time’s interest in arts and music, particularly as an enthusiastic home pianist!