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Elphinstone Chronicles: Highland Centre a work in progress

I had a chance to chat recently with Rick Andrews who, along with his wife Terry, runs the Highland Centre for music. Residents of Elphinstone for many years, the Andrews began building and developing the property in 2010.
highland

I had a chance to chat recently with Rick Andrews who, along with his wife Terry, runs the Highland Centre for music. Residents of Elphinstone for many years, the Andrews began building and developing the property in 2010. Conveniently located opposite the turnoff for Lower Road, Highland Road runs up the hill and the Centre is the second driveway on the left. You may have spotted the large sign on the highway.

Rick tells me they bought it as a retirement project and have, “turned it from a dream to where it is today, which is a good step, but only a step towards where we’d like to see it go.”

The property was once the old Gibsons Wildlife Club, where there used to be a firing range, and Rick still finds slugs embedded in trees. He remembers an Elphinstone Electors’ Association meeting held in the clubhouse there in the mid ‘70s when Frank West was chair. Rick can still hear his voice calling out, “The question. Are we ready for the question?”

The beautifully landscaped grounds hold a large, lovely hall for performances, for audiences of 100 and a second building that houses two well-appointed studios and an ensemble space complete with kitchenette. Some well-known musicians teach out of the studio spaces including Serena Eades, Sarona Mynhardt and Beth (Currie) Buono. Meticulous attention to detail is apparent throughout the property.

Rick generously showed me around the varied rooms and spaces and I learned that they use geothermal to heat the buildings. He pulled back the cover on a Baldwin concert grand piano that came from the Little Mountain Recording Studio and has been played by many famous musicians. There are even two harpsichords available. The Andrews’ two sons, Mark and Neal, are excellent musicians in their own right and many on the Coast will remember having heard them.

The large hall has excellent acoustics and several Sunshine Coast Orchestra Association ensembles practise there. Lots of information about the space and bookings is available at www.highlandcentre.org.

If you have Elphinstone news to share, contact me at elphin@coastreporter.net.