I approached five schools in the Lake Illawarra area with the idea and they took no convincing at all. The school Principals were very supportive and the children are just loving it. Ms Fefey, who travelled to Ghana in 1996 to study African drumming and dance, got more than she bargained on her overseas trip when she met and married drummer and performer Franklin Fefey. My aim was to teach drumming and dance on my return to Wollongong and to bring cultural diversity into the schools. I feel that drumming is a great non-verbal way of communicating and can be learned immediately.
Children love to make noise.
I think it's a truly lovely setting, which is under utilised as a location for cultural events. I feel that the areas around Warrawong and Berkeley are a depressed region of Illawarra especially for young people. It has been a real delight to see so many children involved in this event and gaining so much enjoyment from drumming. We wanted Rippling Rhythms to be a celebration of youth, cultural diversity and our picturesque lake.