Jane Austen Festival Australia seeks 60-minute volunteers

The sixth annual Jane Austen Festival will be held at St John’s Church, Constitution Ave, Reid, Canberra from Thursday 18 to Sunday 21 April 2013 and is currently looking for people willing to assist for just 60 minutes during the festival to register for discount earlybird volunteer tickets. Part of the A.C.T. Heritage Week Festival and Australian Heritage Week, it is the only festival in Australia to focus specifically on Jane Austen, Regency life or Napoleonic history.

‘All ages are welcome – we have registrants aged 13 through to 80’, said Festival Director Aylwen Garden-Gardiner. ‘The programme is full of cultural activities of the time such as dancing, hand sewing, cooking, bonnet workshops, craft, card games, singing, acting, music, archery and cricket. We’ll even teach you how to look like a person of the Regency period.’

‘We’re celebrating 200 years since the publication of Pride & Prejudice and on Friday we have interstate and international literary speakers taking part in a Symposium on Pride and Prejudice – covering a range of topics related to the novel, including musical themes and film adaptations.” Attendees will enjoy a most scrumptious afternoon tea of muffins, cakes, biscuits, quiches and tartlets, and other regency-inspired delicacies.

‘And Saturday night’s crowd will be abuzz with excitement as Austen aficionados play “dress ups” at the Grand Regency Ball. After the huge success of past balls, we are delighted that Canberra’s Town Crier, Mr Alan Moyse, will be welcoming guests through the door: the sight of over 100 people in Regency costume is quite a sight to behold’, Mrs Gardiner-Garden said.

‘And on Sunday we hold our ever-popular Costume Promenade and Picnic – popular for dressing up and taking photos and ideal for the whole family to attend. Afterwards we will be holding a Jane Austen House Party and twilight fair with regency entertainments and stalls.

For more information, including programme, stall holder info and ticket prices, go to www.janeaustenfestival.com or email janeaustenfestival@gmail.com