PAN Magazine is a cultural biannual with a literary bent which includes the work of emerging and established writers. The whole production is pulled together on a shoestring budget, a driving passion for the arts and a whole lotta late nights. Emma Dallas tells the story of PAN Magazine to date, “There are twenty of us working very hard to make this little arts magazine a success. We love magazines but rarely see the kind of content we would like to read. We don’t want to compete with established magazines that focus on ‘how to look good and conform’. We want to offer a magazine with some depth as well as interest, some arts as well as fiction, poetry and essays presented beautifully. We’re on a mission to reintroduce thinking about our culture and specifically our arts in a broad and accessible way. As well as giving new writers and artists a platform to be heard in a way that does not commodify or belittle them. There is so much going on here in Australia, in all our cities. We aim to show people just how good it can be when you engage with what’s being created around you.” With a little help from the contents of… read more →

We’re a little sad to announce that one of our trustees is stepping down. But that means, there’s a space to fill and you could be it! What exactly is the position all about? 1. The  2nd Dr Greg Turner Chair for Higher Awesome Studies As a distinguished AF Sydney Founder, Greg Turner has had some awesome times with the gang. He’s graciously bowed out to give somebody else a chance to join our board. Taking Greg’s chair means attending our monthly dinners and pitching in $100 towards the $1000 grants we award. How do I apply?!? Pretty easy really. Drop me an email (renae.mason (at) gmail (dot) com) with a brief description of why you want to be involved. We’d love to see you get creative with your application. It can take any form – video, text, audio or even something like Storify has worked in the past. Just make it full of awesome! Greg leaves in a month, so don’t delay – we want to fill his chair as quickly as possible. Applications must be in by Monday 7th of November!!! The AF Sydney Board will be meeting on Tuesday the 8th of November to discuss the applications received.

September’s grant was awarded to Sarah Crowley and Charlotte Fliengner, a dynamic pair of Melbourne architects passionate about sustainability.  Sarah and Charlotte were looking for a solution for the amount of excess waste our  society is currently producing. Their answer is ‘I Have I Need’ a series of interactive community notice boards that encourage people to recycle rather than throw their unwanted goods away. The boards will transform blank walls into vibrant public spaces and encourage people to meet and interact with their neighbors to develop  stronger and greener communities. The first prototype board was made in South Melbourne. Look out for more boards to come on your local footpath or maybe even your favourite café. The girls would love to see this project grow in Melbourne and beyond so feel free to be awesome too and produce some  ‘I Have I Need’ boards of your own. Oh one last thing check out that awesome cheque…

Melbourne’s August grant went to the amazing Jacqui Hocking and her adventure to East Timor to film Spinning Dreams, a documentary of the 3rd annual Tour de Timor . The race brings riders in from all over the globe to show the world that East Timor is a beautiful and peaceful place. The race is also one of the most unforgiving tracks a cyclist can attempt and it’s even more unforgiving to a film maker. Last year’s race left Jacqui with two damaged cameras, a broken microphone and a tripod lost somewhere in the jungle. That all happened while Jacqui was riding backwards on a motorcycle capturing the event, but that didn’t stop her from making the trip again this year, but really how could you say no when the president of East Timor invites you back personally. Check out Jacqui’s work from last year’s race below or see the complete version here Jacqui’s big heart has her filming non-profit documentaries to raise money for charities constantly so this month’s grant was a deal breaker for Jacqui getting another opportunity to film an event as special as Tour de Timor. It is always rewarding to give the grant to someone… read more →

Congratulations to Di Andrews and her Winter Warmth project for being selected as our July grant recipient. Di’s project is simple, but it addresses the complex issue of Melbourne’s homeless by providing some of life’s basic needs. Winter Warmth will supply backpacks to the homeless filled with items like food, gloves, a toothbrush and pamphlets for assistance from organisations like Beyond Blue that support those affected with mental health issues. A few of the Melbourne trustees had the pleasure of meeting Di and saw firsthand the passion she has for helping others. She was overjoyed to put this project into action and is determined to grow it beyond the initial $1,000 grant through donations and support from the community. One of the qualities we liked most about this project was the opportunity it provides everyday people to give back. If you would like to contribute to the Winter Warmth project please contact the Melbourne Awesome Foundation at awesomemelb@gmail.com Meet Di and hear about her inspiration for Winter Warmth in the video below: