Queensland Art Gallery Presscuttings Book 9 : Construction of the cultural centre, 1977-1981

NO zing too many stay at home By JANE CADZOW Is Brisbane very boring, mildly boring, or not boring oll? Very boring, according to the Australian Travel Industry Asso– ciation deputy chairman, Mr 8yd Williams, who thi.s week sug– gested tourists were staying away, Mildly boring, according to most or the people asked yester– day to assess the city's ex– citement level The New York Hotel general manager, Mr Charles Halstead, agreed that Brisbane nt&ht life, in particular, lacked zing. He said plenty of entertainment was pro– vided, but that Brisbane people failed to take advantage of it. "In Sydney and Melbourne they go out every night of the week," he said. "In Bri.sbane they Just stay home." Mr Halstead said Friday and Saturday nights were the ex– ception. Brisbane people let their hair down at the end of the week. But on Sund&)', Monday and Tuesday nights the central city was virtually deserted. Hundreds or tourists asked "Why ls Bris– bane •o quiet?'. The)' Just could not get Ol'er It. · The licensee of the Top of the State nightclub, Mr Ross Palm, No zing • From Pase l "Show me any capltnl city that Isn't closed up nfter 8 p.m., he said. "Other th&n the Opera House, what cnn you do In Syd– ney after 8 p.111. except go to a sleazy part of Kings Cross?" Mr Gibson said city centres had been taken 01,er by office blocks, banks and Insurance buildings, It was not surprlsln~ that they died after 5 p.m. Lone Pine Sanctuary pnrt-own– er, Mr Paul Robertson. rnlct : "I wouldn't suggest a person stay In Brisbane for more than • few dR.ys. We can't snt.tsf~• t heh· cu– riosity for 11 week. But for a oaid It was a chicken and egg problem. It was uneconomical to bring top over•eas acts to Bris– bane clubs becawie not enough people came to see them. "People ring up and complain that we haven't got a Diana Trask or Kame.hi or Max By– graves performing every night," he said. "But no matter who you put on on a Sunday or Monday or Tuesday night, people are apa– thetic." Mr Palm said Brisbane people were not always boring. "When they do get out they really enjoy themselves," he said. "They're Just stuck in their ways," Mr Bradley Garrett, of the Ar– cade Bistro, has been In the Bris– bane restaurant business for 13 years. He 8lld if Mr Williams thought this was quiet, he should have seen the place 13 years ago. "You could fire a cannon up Queen Street at 6 p.m." There was still a mass after– work exodus to the suburbs, but he thought that wa• inevitable in a city like Brisbane. "The place is so spr&wllng. We don't have high density living areas, so we don't have people who live In high-rise buildings and would rather go out than be contained In four walls," Most Brisbane people regarded the suburban home as a retreat. Understandably It took a lot to lure them out o! It. M r Garrett said the In– troduction of Friday night shop– ping in the city was probably the greatest single step towards a more vibrant night life. There was ho11e for Brisbane yet. "We're coming out ot the Dark Age,," he said. Lennons Plaza Hotel and Zebra Mote I general manager, Mr James Vavra, said the value of night life a• a tourist attraction was overrated. "Naturally we can't compare Brisbane with Paris, or cities like that. But do we want Brisbane full of nightclubs, or even broth• els, or do we want a decent law abiding city? Queensland Cultural Centre ar• chltect Mr Robin Gibson snid he didn't think Brisbane was boring at all. Certainly It was no more boring than any other Australian capital city. Continued Page 3