It was good to see the Cairns Post giving some serious space (13 June 09) to a discussion about finding an event or festival which will put Cairns on the national and world map. This followed a week after a front page article trivializing one of the ideas that had been suggested by community members: a Ukelele Festival.

The Queensland government produced a list of the top 15 events in the state. The Mt Isa Rodeo was there, so was the Woodford Folk Festival, the Birdsville races and the Noosa Triathlon. From Cairns? Nothing.

Yes, we have our local festivals - Babinda Harvest Festival, Yorkeys Knob Festival, Gordonvale Pyramid race, Sportsfest etc - but other than Carnivale at Port Douglas and the Amateurs racing carnival, our local events don't make a blip on the national radar or bring in tourism dollars for our local businesses.

The Ukelele festival idea has generated huge positive interest. Tony Hillier wrote that "Cairns is an ideal location for Cairns' first uke festival. An event of this nature has high potential to garner publicity nationally and internationally." Other people suggest that a ukelele orchestra be formed, a competition be held for the most ingeniously constructed ukelele (hub caps, coconuts), buskers on street corners, that there be competitions between our growing Pacific Island populations in Cairns: Samoans, Cook Islanders, Fijians, Tongans. Mention of the festival brings smiles to people's faces and that can't be a bad thing in this current financial crisis. Let's hope the proponents stick with the idea and are not put off by the denigrators and naysayers.

Council thinks it's important to play a lead role in developing an events strategy as an important way of stimulating the economy of Cairns as well giving people the opportunity to celebrate and have fun.