Southern Tablelands’ Lieder Theatre director Chrisjohn Hancock and film-maker Hilary Balmond from Welby were each awarded a 2018 Veolia Creative Arts Scholarships for their arts practice. Sculptor and painter Lucinda Lewis of Moss Vale received an Arts Recognition Scholarship.

Veolia creative arts patron Jennifer Lamb and Wingecarribee Shire Council cultural development officer and panel member Jenny Kena recently presented the scholarships, which aim to support practicing and emerging artists and recognise the valuable contribution artists make to enrich our community.

“There are many arts workers across all artistic disciplines in our region, and most receive minimal financial reward for their work, even though that work enriches communities across the region, and beyond,” Lamb said.

Film maker Hilary Balmond, from Welby, received a $3000 Arts Practice Scholarship.

She has finished the principal filming of her recent feature documentary Champion Girls and the film is now in post production.

She intends to enter it in the Sydney Film Festival 2018 at 'rough cut' stage. Balmond hopes that the film is screened in regional cinemas around Australia.

Sculptor and painter Lucinda Lewis from Moss Vale received a $1000 Arts Recognition Scholarship.

Her sculptures are generally abstract with a systematic, playful approach to colour, line and shape.

She was a Tom Bass Sculpture Prize finalist and will be exhibiting at the Bowral Art Gallery.

A $3000 Arts Practice Scholarship was presented to theatre director Chrisjohn Hancock of Goulburn. He has been artistic director of the Lieder Theatre Company in Goulburn since 1992 and has a passion for working in regional communities to create and producing arts projects that are entertaining, innovative, educational, challenging, healing and dynamic.