A founding member of an annual summer event will step down after being at the helm for 24 years.
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The 2024 Lake School of Celtic Music, Song and Dance event will be Felix Meagher's last as program director.
"It gives a chance for a whole lot of other people to step up and have a go," Mr Meagher said.
More than 20 years ago, Mr Meagher and his wife wanted to take their four children to a program in Ireland to learn about Irish music, song and dance.
The couple quickly realised they couldn't afford it and decided to create their own event.
Mr Meagher's sister-in-law, Val Cookson, was on the Moyne Shire Council at the time when Port Fairy Folk Festival founder Jamie McKew asked 'why don't you have it here?'.
"Then I came up with the idea of the Lake School, which is slightly related to an Indigenous concept where we look after the traditional music material," Mr Meagher said.
"We all tap into it and share it and belong to it and it belongs to us.
"The Lake School is a rich resource of traditional song and dance we use to teach and to create relationships with people."
Mr Meagher said there were many highlights of his time with the program, which included being inspired by Australian Irish musicians Billy Moran and Tim Whelan.
"...They really imparted the music and the feel of the music, they were very generous people about sharing music," he said.
Mr Meagher said they were also the inspiration behind the Legend of the Lake, which inducted a new person each year.
"In 2003 we had a night where we inducted Billy Moran as our inaugural Legend of the Lake and the Ambassador of Ireland to Australia, Declan Kelly, was invited," he said.
"He (Mr Kelly) said 'it was my best night in Australia'.
"I only met this guy once and it was such a special night."
Mr Meagher said another highlight was enrolments jumping from 25 at the beginning to hundreds within the next couple of years.
Outside of the Lake School, the musician and composer has worked with Australian director Baz Luhrmann. The pair wrote and staged a musical for Folkie in 1987.
Mr Meagher received a Medal of the Order of Australia in the 2020 Queen's Birthday Honours for service to Celtic music and dance.
An annual general meeting of the Lake School will be held at the Koroit Theatre on January 7 at 5pm.
It's hoped a successor will be found at that meeting to replace Mr Meagher.
The 2024 Lake School runs from January 2 to 7.
Lillian Altman
Lillian is an experienced journalist who joined Warrnambool Standard in late 2021. She has a particular interest in writing stories on the arts and culture, health, education, breaking news, police stories, as well as human interest and profiles.
Lillian is an experienced journalist who joined Warrnambool Standard in late 2021. She has a particular interest in writing stories on the arts and culture, health, education, breaking news, police stories, as well as human interest and profiles.
