President’s Report, Louise Wakefield
Last year I gave you a poem at the AGM. This year I give you a speech. Every year someone asks me why councils should fund the arts when there are potholes to fix. Every year I aim to have a better answer…
I’ll start by borrowing from a UCL researcher who published in May 2026: arts and cultural engagement is not a luxury. It is an essential, as fundamental to human health and longevity as exercise. Science has now caught up with what anyone who has ever watched a community come alive around a creative experience already knew.
Over 2025, STA delivered 63 Mobile Office days across seven venues, 50 editions of Stories from the Studio, 48 letters of support for artists and organisations, and nine CASP grants reaching every LGA. Connect@Gunning Station drew 2,500 people through 21 exhibitions and hosted 552 participants in free creative workshops. ULACHT opened the Upper Lachlan’s creative heart to visitors for the first time. Art therapy sessions ran at Kenmore Mental Health Hospital. A lantern parade of 1000 people wound through Queanbeyan on a Saturday night. Create NSW selected Connect@Gunning as a Heartland case study – national recognition that what we built in a small country town is worth replicating. The Veolia Creative Arts Scholarships, nineteen years old and still going strong, supported Rosa Daniela Diaz, Austin Johnson, Michele Barker and Barbara Nell.
The list of how STA support and work with our communities goes on and on. Rose and the team wrote, organised, facilitated, promoted, and showed up for this region in ways that a board report can list but not really capture.
On funding: STA received four-year Create NSW funding at $217,000 per annum – a continuation, not an uplift, in a round where 76 organisations received nothing and one RADO was defunded entirely. A parliamentary inquiry has since found the system is under serious strain. The NSW Government’s Heartland strategy is welcome, and we will hold it to account.
So, STA continues to deliver beyond what would be reasonably expected from the funding received and the team resources we have. In a climate of ever increases costs, we continue to deliver because we already know access to and participation in arts and cultural practice is fundamental for regional communities to survive and thrive. The energy required to maintain this level of support is finite. A new approach is required to maintain the levels of service and support into the future.
Our councils are excellent partners. The conversation I want to have with them – about shared investment in the cultural infrastructure that underpins tourism, wellbeing, and community identity – is one whose time has come.
Thank you to our heartland – the creative practitioners, collaborators and audiences at the centre of our regional communities. Thank you to our Council teams, our STA team and the STA board members – all of whom continue showing up because creative practice is not a cultural add-on, but the generative core from which community identity, economic activity, and social cohesion radiate outward.
Thank you.
Treasurer’s Report, Joanne McCauley
It has once again been a privilege to serve as Treasurer of Southern Tablelands Arts. Over the past year, STA has continued to play a vital role in supporting the local government areas within our region and the diverse community of artists and creatives who call it home.
This year saw continued improvements to our financial processes with the support of Town & Country Bookkeeping. Robyn Burgin and her team have provided invaluable expertise, helping to further streamline systems, improve the quality and clarity of reporting, and strengthen our financial governance. Their professionalism and attention to detail have been greatly appreciated, and we are grateful for their contribution to the organisation.
I would also like to acknowledge the dedication of Rose Marin and the STA staff team. It has been another demanding year, and throughout it all they have remained focused, committed, and passionate about STA’s purpose. Their resilience and dedication ensure that STA continues to deliver meaningful outcomes for artists, councils, and communities across the region.
From a financial perspective, the audited accounts reflect another positive year, with a surplus of $93,321. As is typical for an organisation delivering multiple funded projects, a portion of funds remains allocated to projects that will be completed in the year ahead. These funds have been carefully set aside and quarantined from operational activities. STA continues to maintain sufficient reserves to support its ongoing operations and meet future obligations, providing confidence in the organisation’s financial sustainability.
In summary, this has been a successful and productive year for Southern Tablelands Arts. I extend my sincere thanks to everyone who has contributed to that success — the STA team, our Board, our partner councils, the artists we support, and the communities we serve.
Executive Director’s Report, Rose Marin
2025 was a year of renewed cycles. Critical to our existence is the four-year funding through Create NSW, and 2025 marked the first year of the current agreement, which extends to 2029. STA was successful in securing funding after being moved into a competitive funding stream alongside our fellow Regional Arts Development Organisations that make up the Regional Arts Network (RAN). This was an unprecedented move by the State Government and resulted in a complex, challenging, and highly pressurised process.
A major part of the Heartlands policy announcement in February 2026 was the recognition that the RAN is critical to the cultural ecosystem of NSW, and that a funding safety net would be created to ensure its continued viability. The relief I felt at this announcement was overwhelming, and we now await further advice from Create NSW regarding the details.
We also entered into renewed Strategic Partnership Agreements with the seven local governments that make up the STA region. The new agreements align with the 2025–2029 funding period. With our core partnerships and funding in place, STA is in a strong position to lead cultural delivery and innovation. 2025 proved to be a busy and productive year, with an emphasis on core services and project delivery, several of which deserve special mention.
Connect@Gunning Station celebrated its second year of operation in November 2025, coinciding with the sesquicentenary of the station itself. We marked the occasion with a large community event in partnership with Transport for NSW. Live music, the Arty Market, community group stalls, and activities made for an amazing day. The star of the show was the Sesquicentenary: Celebrating 150 Years of Gunning Railway Station heritage display by the Gunning & District Historical Society. It was the second exhibition the group has delivered with us at Connect, and we deeply value the rich partnership that has developed.
Connect is a partnership between STA and the Transport Asset Manager of NSW (TAM) through their Community Heritage Program. Throughout 2025, the program and staffing at Connect were supported by the NSW Government through the Stronger Country Communities Fund, a grant that has now been completed and acquitted. We gratefully acknowledge the NSW Government’s support through this fund.
By the end of 2025, STA had delivered 21 exhibitions showcasing the work of hundreds of local artists from every local government area across the STA region. These exhibitions were enjoyed by approximately 2,500 people. STA also delivered 28 free creative workshops facilitated by local artists, attended by 552 participants.
The PAINT THE TOWN Street Art Tour continued to grow, showcasing the 50+ murals STA has achieved across the region. The interactive online tour now features more than 100 murals to discover.
The STA team experienced a significant change in 2025, with Erin Olafson leaving her role as Project and Communications Officer in February. Erin continues to work with STA in a casual capacity, supporting program delivery and administration duties. A huge thank you goes to Erin for all her work in achieving fabulous outcomes for our community since commencing in the role in April 2022.
In May, Kevin Greaves from Hilltops joined the team and hit the ground running with an incredible range of expertise. Kev’s journey to joining the team began when he produced the STA Story, and I was thrilled when he put his hat in the ring to become our new Projects and Communications Officer.
For a small team, STA achieved impressive results in 2025 — outcomes only made possible through the support of our dedicated Board, a team of volunteers who help steer the good ship STA through a complex and multilayered environment. A huge thank you goes to Louise Wakefield for her continued leadership as President of the STA Board.
Louise Wakfeild
President
Joanne McCauley
Treasurer
Rose Marin
Executive Director
We acknowledge Aboriginal people as the traditional custodians of the lands where we create, live & work.
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