Russell Birdman returns
Russell was buzzing at the weekend for the annual Birdman Festival that brings together a number of events to keep people entertained from Friday to Sunday. The weekend has mural painting, a drag race with a difference (the male contestants dress up in drag to run along the Russell foreshore), a scavenger hunt, a Kidzone at the Russell Town Hall, dinghy races, a Wok Cook Off and to stop everything being too tasteful, a spaghetti-eating contest. The big event, though, was the Birdman Competition in which colourful competitors competed to see who could “fly” the furthest off Russell Wharf. Tim Grant was the Birdman winner in a flax-winged unit. No one got past the seven-metre buoy, so the distance prize carries on to next year, adding $1000 to take the amount $3000. Advocate reporter Lindy Laird and photographer Stephen Western captured these images of the weekend fun.
Image 1 of 4: The contestants limber up for the Drag Race along Russell foreshore during the festival.