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ABC News
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
ABC's Pop-Up Pianos are bringing the gift of music to communities around Australia
Rescuing pre-loved pianos isn't just about sparing them from the tip for Mike Hendry. It's about giving them a whole new life. Something he's been able to do in more ways than one as part of the ABC's Pop-Up Pianos campaign. Mr Hendry is a piano tuner and partner at Pianos Recycled, a rare enterprise breaking the cycle of pianos ending up in landfill, by rehoming or repurposing them. "We get 80 inquiries a month from people wanting to get rid of pianos," Mr Hendry says. "We fix the ones we can and others we take apart, and make all kinds of things; tables, bedside tables, storage boxes [and] desks." One client even requested a casket be made from their old piano, something Mr Hendry said says was a tough request to beat. To celebrate the ABC iview series, The Piano, the ABC and Piano Plus Australia are delivering 19 pre-loved pianos, donated by organisations like Pianos Recycled, and ordinary people, to communities across the country. Nestled along a wall of handprints in the common area of the Eastern Hub Geelong Community Centre in Victoria's south-west, is an upright pre-loved piano in its new home. The Hub's Admin Officer Joanne Brown, nominated the centre in the ABC Pop-Up Pianos town call-out. The centre hosts disability day services, aged care respite and community activities including acting classes and African drumming workshops. Ms Brown says the centre used to have a community piano along with their community choir which sadly dispersed during the height of the pandemic due to restrictions on gatherings. During that time, the piano was also taken away from their centre and they have been without one up until now. "This is an opportunity for [the choir] to come back because they can have a piano here," Ms Brown says. Ms Brown says her team have been reaching back out to community, calling on choir members to return and use the space now that they have access to a piano. But it's not just for former choir members to enjoy. Ms Brown says this piano is a sign of hope for a new generation of creatives too. "The other great thing about having the piano here is having budding young pianists come in on the piano, use the space and make it theirs," she says. Further south along the Great Ocean Road in the seaside town of Warrnambool, another community gather around to receive their gifted keys. The Lighthouse Theatre is among the towns across Australia that geared up to welcome their ABC Pop-Up Piano. Venue Service Manager Meg Deyell says while the theatre host a lot of big showcases like the ballet and Shakespeare, what it lacked was community music. "It's really important for a community to have these focal points, these opportunities to share these experiences together," Ms Deyell says. The Find Your Voice Collective, a choir made up of 200 plus people of all abilities and ages, were the first to grace the piano as it arrived in Warrnambool last month. "Some are in wheelchairs, some have intellectual disabilities, others just love being part of the group and have joined," Ms Deyell says. Up north in Townsville, Dr April Miu says music plays a huge role not only for her but also her community. "I have been playing the piano since I was a child. It's been something that I've grown up with and it's been a way for me to relax after a difficult day." Dr Miu says. The surgeon at Breastscreen Queensland says this sentiment is something she shares with her local community. The north-eastern town of Queensland was hit hard earlier in the year by flooding that left houses inundated and cars destroyed. There were records of more than 200 millimetres of rain falling across parts of north Queensland, which Dr Miu recalls was a difficult time for her town. This was her motivation behind nominating her local hospital to receive an ABC Pop-Up Piano. "[It's] for the community to have a nice distraction, especially when someone comes to a hospital because they don't come to the hospital without a purpose… and the purpose isn't necessarily the most positive thing," she says. Dr Miu is among the local musicians who will be performing at the Townsville University Hospital's Pop Up Piano Community Concert. Pop-Up Piano Community concerts are happening in winning towns across Australia over the next few months.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Green Courte Partners Acquires Industrial Outdoor Storage Property in Tampa, Florida
CHICAGO, June 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Green Courte Partners, LLC, a private equity real estate investment firm focused on building industry-leading companies within niche real estate sectors, announced today that its sixth investment fund, Green Courte Real Estate Partners VI, LLC and its affiliates, has acquired 1650 Hemlock Street, a 32-acre industrial outdoor storage (IOS) facility located in Tampa, Florida. The property sits in the attractive East Tampa industrial submarket and is adjacent to Port Tampa Bay. The seller, Hendry Marine Industries, Inc., will lease back a portion of the site, including 1,600 linear feet of marine bulkhead. Hendry Marine Industries, together with Moran Environmental Recovery, LLC, which separately occupies part of the property, will utilize approximately half of the site, while Green Courte will redevelop the remaining 16 acres into new, well-located IOS space. "With stable, long-term income in place combined with additional near-term redevelopment potential, 1650 Hemlock Street offers the flexibility to meet the needs of a wide variety of IOS users," said Jordan Kerger, Managing Director at Green Courte. "The property's direct waterfront access, heavy-industrial zoning, and proximity to port and rail infrastructure make it an ideal fit for our long-term IOS strategy. We're excited to continue expanding our presence in this sector and remain committed to identifying opportunities to grow our national footprint." "This was a complex transaction," said Mike Hendry of Hendry Marine Industries. "We appreciated Green Courte's professionalism and solution-oriented approach throughout the process. We're excited to continue the relationship and maintain 1650 Hemlock Street as part of our long-term home in Tampa." For information about leasing IOS space at 1650 Hemlock Street, please contact Brad Hutton at Franklin Street at (813) 793-8492 or About Green Courte Partners, LLC Green Courte Partners, LLC is a Chicago-based private equity real estate investment firm focused on building industry-leading companies within niche real estate sectors. The firm has active investments in the following sectors: active-adult/independent senior living, land-lease communities, industrial outdoor storage, and near-airport parking. The firm combines focused investment strategies with a disciplined approach to transaction execution, operations, and asset management. Green Courte's goal is to invest in high-quality real estate assets that will generate attractive risk-adjusted returns over a long-term holding period. For additional information, please visit Green Courte's website at View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Green Courte Partners, LLC Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
