Honour shared by arts leaders

TWO local community members were honoured as joint winners of the 2015 Lindsay King Arts Award last week.
Gregory Marks and Revati Ilanko were named the shared recipients of Casey’s highest individual honour for the arts at the annual Mayoral Arts Dinner, held on Friday 28 August, at the Casey Civic Centre.
Casey mayor Mick Morland congratulated the winners, who he said had gone above and beyond to help develop, support and promote the arts in Casey.
“The Lindsay King Arts Award is Casey’s most prestigious arts award and both Gregory and Revati are worthy recipients given their passion and dedication to creating opportunities for the community to get involved in and enjoy the arts,” Cr Morland said.
“The council thanks them both for their contribution to the arts locally and the many others who devote their time to all forms of art here in Casey.
“Casey is home to a thriving arts scene and the Mayoral Arts Dinner is the council’s opportunity to celebrate the strength of our arts community, as well as the success of the council’s three-month long Winter Arts Festival, which wraps up at the end of August.”
Gregory Marks is the current director of the Casey Concert Band and has committed more than 50 years to the arts.
He has taken the band’s membership from eight musicians to 40 and through his dedication and expertise has led the group to become a major contributor to the arts in Casey.
He has also assisted in raising more than $10,000 for Berwick Primary School which enabled them to expand their music department.
Revati Ilanko is the owner of the Indian dance academy, Navaratna Arts, and is the executive officer at the Federation of Indian Origin Multi-Faith Organisation (FIMO) – a non-profit peak body bringing people from multiple faiths together.
Revati has been instrumental in bringing together the Indian and Sri Lankan communities in Casey by supporting and tailoring events that appeal to everybody.
She is a former member of the council’s Arts and Cultural Advisory Committee.
Established in 2007, the Lindsay King Arts Award was named in memory of a Cranbourne resident whose vigorous commitment to the arts and passion for local history, tourism and culture made a significant impact on the Casey community.