Eurobodalla Mayor Mat Hatcher, Bega MP Michael Holland on event funding

Both men were in attendance at River of Art's Luminous: Art after Dark on Saturday evening, September 24, which both council and the state government helped with funding.

Dr Holland said September had become a busty time for the Bega electorate.

"We've got so many things going on," he said. "Moruya's had this, we had the Wanderer Festival down at Pambula, so it's art at one end and music at the other.

"This (Luminous) has been a great initiative, and the atmosphere is fantastic - credit to the people who organised it, and this'll be something I see happening again in the future.

"Art is a part of our culture, it goes across cultures, and it helps introduce culture, so it's very important."

Dr Holland said it was time for events on the Far South Coast to receive "regular state support".

"The way funding is organised is a little bit awkward, you need recurrent funding," he said.

"So often these events are run by very generous volunteers, and they're so professional now that they need regular state support, not just to help with new events, but to help these people who are working so hard.

"A lot of people don't appreciate the volunteerism that occurs with these things."

Mayor Hatcher said it was "great" to see the community come out in their thousands to support Luminous.

"All too often we talk about wanting more of these events, so it's really important to support the ones we have," he said.

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"There's a real community spirit here, and it's really exciting to get back to some sort of normal."

Mr Hatcher called River of Art "extremely successful" and confirmed the event had secured Hallmark funding for the next three years.

"We're giving River of Art $20,000 over the next three years to make sure they've got a bit of security behind them," he said.

"We're really excited about what they'll bring to the table next year and how we can support them in that.

"We've got the Bay Pavilions, we've got the Bas in Moruya, and the Narooma Arts and Community Centre will break ground next year, so there's a long-term vision for art in this Shire.

"Sculpture for Clyde is coming back to Batemans Bay next year, and I know they're planning on extending events across the entire Shire, so it's great to see the arts supported."

The $20,000 per year is a "lot of money" according to Mayor Hatcher, but he said there would need to be more support from state and federal governments to keep events like River of Art going.

"The reality is an event like this one costs at least $100,000," he said.

"Our funding is a little way for council to help, but the state and federal governments have to step in and support events like this.

"I'd like to see more funding going into events (from council), but at the same time it's about balancing the budget."