Mackay Lions Rock, Pop and Mime for 40 Years

Mackay Host Lions Club recently celebrated the 40th anniversary of its Rock Pop Mime event for local schools.

Rock Pop Mime began in 1984 as part of the 10-day Lions Sugartime Festival, which ran from 1979 to 2002. The festival featured family carnivals, fishing competitions, a beer festival, BMX carnivals, children’s quests, beach carnivals, and a school Rock Pop Mime show.

Today, Rock Pop Mime is the sole remaining element of that festival.

Lions Rock Pop Mime is an annual youth dance and mime spectacular, cherished by local school students and eagerly anticipated by families and the wider community.

There are separate programs for primary and secondary schools, with attractive cash prizes and trophies awarded, thanks to corporate sponsorship.

In the secondary school category, students typically choreograph their own performances, and all schools dedicate months of preparation leading up to the event.

This year, students from 16 schools spent weeks perfecting their routines before competing against one another.

The competition is fierce, and the students love participating, always delivering performances of a high standard.

Each act is judged on originality and creativity, mime accuracy, movement and coordination, costume, participants’ enjoyment, and overall impression.

This year, St John’s Catholic Primary School in Walkerston won the primary school section, while Mackay North State High School triumphed in the secondary school event.