14 September 2024

ACT Labor pledges to bring Birdman Rally back to Lake Burley Griffin

| Oliver Jacques
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Could The Birdman Rally be making a comeback? Photo: ArchivesACT.

Canberrans have seen a flurry of wild election promises over the past month but ACT Labor raised things to new heights on Saturday (14 September).

“We will celebrate the quirky side of our city’s history by bringing back the Birdman Rally to Canberra Day and Saturday morning busking to a revitalised Garema Place,” the party said in a statement.

The Birdman Rally was launched in 1985 and held at Lake Burley Griffith during the Canberra Festival every March.

To enter and win a $10,000 cash prize, contestants had to construct a homemade flying machine then run and jump from a six-metre high launching platform at Regatta Point.

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Bronwyn Barnett of the National Sound and Film Archives (NSFA) recorded some of the event’s early history.

“By 1987 the number of entrants had reached 39. On a beautiful, sunny autumn day the estimated 100,000-plus spectators cheered on the brave, innovative or just plain mad birdmen and birdwomen leaping off the 10m-high platform in the hope of flying 50 metres and collecting the $10,000.

“Whether gliding gracefully or nose-diving straight into the water, contestants were assisted back to shore by members of the ACT Water Police, who used the occasion as a training exercise for their divers,” she wrote in an article for NSFA.

The Birdman Rally was a hit. Photo: ArchivesACT.

Ms Barnett said the event was canned in 1992, due to the rising cost of public liability and prize insurance.

ACT Labor has not explained how it would overcome this barrier nor provided details on how it would revive Saturday morning busking in the city

Busking in Garema Place was popular in the 1980s, when it gave musical comedy quartet Doug Anthony Allstars their start in show business. Street performers have been less of a sight in that area in recent years.

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ACT Labor says it will also invest in other major events Canberrans love and bring back some Canberra icons.

“We will enhance the autumn Enlighten Festival by adding hugely popular drone shows to the program,” the party said.

“Reflecting our changing climate, Floriade will start earlier each year and we will increase the length of the Festival and extend its opening hours in the final week.

“We will continue to work with Telstra to reopen their iconic tower on Black Mountain as a Canberra visitor destination, features will include a café, retail space and observation deck.

“It’s part of our plan for the Canberra you love, but better.”

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This is a hollow promise. Liability and uninsurability will prevent it ever happening and unless the government is prepared to self insure it (they won’t be) it just will prove impossible. So its a promise made in the knowledge that they’ll never actually have to do anything.

As usual, it takes an election to inspire our Labor politicians into making promises of more fun for citizens. You’ve had 20 years in power but only before an election do you ramp up this wish list.

As usual, Canberrans will forget about the last 20 years, vote Labor like they always do, then after the election none of the promises will be fulfilled. Again.

This is worse than a recorded message.

DAA were a trio not a quartet and used to busk during the week, used to watch them in Petrie Plaza during my lunchbreaks.

this is going to make all the difference to life in the ACT. well done Barr, you’ve really knocked it out of the park with this promise.

The many unpopular NANNY things Labor could flip on….
or LIBS could back..
Reinstate the Birdman Rally
Reinstate Canberra’s Food and Wine Frolic
Reopen Civic Pools Top Tower..
Reinstate 60KMH on Civic roads..
Reinstate plastic shopping Carry Bags..
Reinstate free CHOICE for Electric OR Gas
and…

Another populist promise! Barr knows he’s hated and many do not want him in government, so he’s doing whatever he can to keep his power. If he succeeds, we’ll all pay for it in our rates and prices for government services including the cost of servicing the massive debts he keeps building up.

Loved the Bman rally! But why so long to bring it back? Oh an election of idiot labor members…and voters

Hahahaha! Isn’t this just Liberal policy from 2020? Is Barr just trying to copy Alistair Coe’s playback?

Hahahaha copying Alistair Coe!

Andrew Barr isn’t that stupid!

GrumpyGrandpa5:53 pm 14 Sep 24

Ok, who in Canberra isn’t a fan of the Birdman Rally?

But seriously, in an election year, does the government seriously expect voters to believe that, if elected, they will bring back the Birdman Rally, given that it was cancelled due to issues associated with public liability?
We all know that public liability hasn’t become any cheaper in the last 32 years. It’s just another vote-buying election promise that won’t be honoured.

Deborah Johns5:18 pm 14 Sep 24

How many years have Labor had to bring it back. 32 years!!

So if it is okay to bring it back now why haven’t they brought it back before this point in time? So the left side of politics does have a sense of humour, amazing. I am sure Labor will stipulate that there must be diversity quotas for the entrants and whatever they build it must be done in a carbon neutral way.

Vote winner lol

Rattenbury will be thrilled, he gets another shot at the title.

Why would Labor want to bring back something that is fun? It’s so unlike them. Will the contraptions also have to be carbon neutral, recyclable and also solar powered?

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