Randwick Health & Innovation Precinct staged a free creative festival last week connecting the campus and wider area – part of a new Precinct initiative under the community brand Heart of Randwick funded by the Office of the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner and Transport for NSW.
The first event, Creative Night, brought locals together to ‘feast, play and create’ on Friday 11 April. Supporting community connection, wellbeing and night-time vibrancy for thousands of local workers, patients, residents, students and businesses – it was a taste of what’s to come in Randwick as redevelopment nears completion.
With support from South Eastern Sydney Local Health District (SESLHD) Operations teams, the Precinct transformed the fleet carpark in the sandstone ‘Heritage Quarter’ on the Prince of Wales Hospital grounds with a night market run by the Cambridge Markets team, whose vendors offered special deals for local health workers. Amongst the many food, clothing and craft stalls, health science activations for kids were also a hit, with a special Minderoo Children’s Comprehensive Cancer Centre stall and roving mascot.
A short walk to Inglis Park and The Spot offered live music and free creative workshops that brought communities together and provided a showcase of local talent and expertise. Gujaga Foundation ran highly popular shell art and weaving workshops led by celebrated local First Nations artists and designers. Artist Nadia Odlum gave a glimpse of her artwork commissioned for the new Sydney Children’s Hospital, with a workshop that got both kids and grown-ups moving. NIDA Open offered free group improvisation classes that broke the ice with some fun, whilst at the Ritz Cinemas, crafter Susie Rugg turned participants into movie stars. A Community Canvas project, led by experts from Black Dog Institute and Mindgardens with creatives from Muralisto, created a space for reflection, while a sneak glimpse of interactive STEM experiences was offered by the team from the future UNSW Health Translation Hub exhibition space.
RHIP sends their deep gratitude to all the partners and collaborators who came together to make this project a reality, with special mentions to RHIP’s founding partners SESLHD, UNSW and Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network, in addition to the Children’s Cancer Institute, Mindgardens, the Black Dog Institute, Randwick City Council, CBRE, The Spot Chamber of Commerce and Reactivate Consulting for coordinating the event so seamlessly.
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Photo credit: Mark Bond Photography
The Creative Night event was proudly funded by the NSW Government as part of the Community Improvement District Pilot Program. The Heart of Randwick initiative has been enabled and funded by the Office of the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner and Transport for NSW.
