LUMEN Summer 2019 - Flipbook - Page 27
ever had,” said Ms Verschoor.
Over the next decade, Adelaide's
current Lord Mayor worked with
Australian arts royalty, including
Robyn Archer on the 1998 and
2000 Adelaide Festivals, and Ian
Scobie on a number of projects
including WOMADelaide and
Katrina Sedgwick on the Adelaide
International Film Festival. She was
CEO of the Fringe for four years
(2006–2010), working alongside
Director Christie Anthoney, and
was the CEO of the 2017 Adelaide
Festival for directors Rachel Healy
and Neil Armfield AO (who recently
received honorary doctorates from
the University of Adelaide).
“I have worked with some of the
most fascinating people globally,
all here in Adelaide, so I’ve been
incredibly lucky in that way,” Ms
Verschoor said.
The move into local government
came after completion of her
Masters, when she was approached
about a contract to set up Adelaide
City Council’s Vibrant City Program.
“I was here for five months and
absolutely loved it – outside it
looked like this slow lumbering
beast and inside there were so many
extraordinary people who were so
passionate and dedicated to what
they did and I thought, 'this is pretty
amazing’.”
Since that time, Dr Verschoor has
contributed to the vibrancy and
culture of the city in interesting ways,
including producing Adelaide Festival
of Ideas twice, and spearheading
Splash Adelaide – a Council program
designed to give Adelaide’s creatives
an opportunity to realise their
ambitions while minimising risks,
responsible for initiatives including
the mobile food trucks and the
Adelaide Night Market.
She has also led teams that worked
jointly with state government to drive
changes in licensing, resulting in
more than 100 new small bars and
venues opening in the city.
Now, as Lord Mayor, there are no
signs of slowing down.
“We do groundbreaking projects in
this city, we’re just not very loud at
telling our own story. Adelaide people
are passionate, creative and push
boundaries, yet are quite humble at
the same time, which is the thing I
love most about this city.”
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