Thursday 13th February

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Hello Canberra,

📆 Today: Canberra's digital music history + an eats festival.

🌦️ Weather: 30° and possible showers. 50% chance of rain.

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Watch: 🎹 How Canberra Pioneered Digital Music

Did you know Canberra played a key role in the development of the world's first digital synthesiser? While the Fairlight CMI—one of the most influential synthesisers ever—was developed in Sydney by Kim Ryrie and Peter Vogel, it was shaped by earlier work done right here. Engineer Tony Furse created the Qasar M8, an innovative digital synthesiser that introduced ideas later incorporated into the Fairlight.

Canberra-based production company Mustard Flats has put together a fascinating short documentary on this little-known piece of music history. Well worth a watch! Details here.

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Further Afield: 🦪 Eat Festival

The Eat Festival on the Sapphire Coast is back this March, with the main event happening in Merimbula on March 9. The shores of Merimbula Lake will transform into a food lover's paradise, featuring award-winning oysters, fresh seafood, prime cuts, and sweet treats. Every dish is capped at $15, making it possible to sample a variety of dishes. Details here.

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Made in Canberra: 🌸 Better Blooms

I came across a post from Amberly Farm announcing they will be stocking fresh, spray-free, bee-friendly flowers grown right here in Canberra. Amberly Farm in Kambah runs a farmers' micro-market all week, packed with farm-fresh produce and locally made goodies. These beautiful blooms will be available tomorrow (Valentine's Day). Details here.

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Stage: 👑 Diana The Untold and Untrue Story

The Daily Mail hated Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story when it toured the UK, including at the Edinburgh Fringe—which probably means it's a pretty good show! Camp and unfiltered, it's coming to The Street Theatre on February 27. Details here.

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Kids: NetSetGo Play Day

Curious about NetSetGo, the netball program for girls and boys aged 5-10? There's a come-and-try play day this Saturday at the Arawang Netball Courts in Stirling. Details here.

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Tidbits:

Have You Spotted this Bug?: Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs have previously been found in Sydney. The pest can cause major damage to agriculture, nurseries and ornamental plants. They look similar to native Australian stink bugs but have distinctive white bands on their antennae. There have been no detections of the pest in Canberra, and the ACT Government has asked people to keep an eye out and report any sightings to the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline at 1800 084 881 or email a photo to [email protected]. Details of the bugs can be found here.

Brumbies Season Opener: The Brumbies season gets underway this weekend. The team are playing Fijian Drua in Fiji on Saturday. The game can be streamed on Stan Sport.

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Cause: International Women's Day Breakfast

Soroptimist International is a women's organisation and charity which focuses on the well-being and education of women and girls. They've been operating since 1921! The Canberra branch is holding its major fundraising event of the year—a breakfast for International Women's Day. There will be a cooked breakfast, coffee, tea, croissants, raffle, plus live music by AIR & GRACE. Funds raised will provide scholarships for refugee women studying at Canberra Institute of Technology. Details here.

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Classifieds:

Best of Bridgerton: Dearest Reader, Lady Whistledown has already given her verdict: the event of the season is here! Join us for a magical live music performance with Candlelight: Best of Bridgerton on Strings. Only a few tickets left for this weekend's performance. Details here.

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Classifieds are paid ads that support Canberra Digest

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🎸 Live Music Festivals This Weekend

There are three mini-music festivals happening around the region this weekend.

Front Yard Fest: Happening this Sunday at Capital Brewing in Fyshwick, Front Yard Fest is a full day of rock, folk, indie, pop and more from local musicians and plenty of good beer to wash it down. Details here.

Googfest: Make a short trip to Googong to see Australian pop idol Samantha Jade perform at Googfest, a free mini-festival. Details here.

Day Four: There are still tickets left to GangGang's Day Four festival featuring a stacked lineup of electronic artists. Details here.