Bryce was first involved in the Fairfax Youth Initiative in the 1990s, as a teenager growing up in regional Australia. In 2016, Bryce was a key artist and facilitator at the Fairfax Festival, and in 2017 this led to Bryce facilitating a significant cultural mapping process for the Swan Hill Rural City to form a regional creative strategy. Bryce directed the 2018 and 2019 Fairfax Festivals and has played a significant role in mentoring young people in the region, through the Fairfax Youth Initiative and through his work with the ABC’s Heywire Regional Youth project.

Bryce Ives has led some of regional Australia's most significant game-changing projects. Bryce has designed extraordinary programs and experiences to help grow the long-term prosperity of Australian rural industries. This includes as the Chief Facilitator of Evoke Ag, Asia Pacific's premier agrifood tech event attracting the entire ecosystem – farmers, innovators, researchers, corporates, government and investors – to one location to connect and collaborate. Since 2010 as Chief Facilitator of the AgriFutures Horizon Scholarship and, since 2016, the AgriFutures Rural Women's Award, Bryce has developed leadership programs for the next generation of leaders.

His long-term history of supporting creative ambition, storytelling, strategy, and impact in rural and regional places supports this basis. Bryce was the longstanding Chief Facilitator of ABC's Heywire Regional Youth program (from 2007 to 2019). Bryce was instrumental in building Heywire into a powerful platform for rural youth, putting them at the centre of the conversations that shape their communities. Bryce has also facilitated strategies ensuring impact, including as Facilitator of the Talking 2030 roadmap for Australian Agriculture, with the ultimate bold target to exceed $100 billion in farm gate output by 2030.

Bryce co-founded the Present Tense Ensemble as a creative leader and with professional experience as a theatre-maker, composer, director and writer. This award-winning performance-based ensemble created contemporary music theatre that was immersive, highly sonic, and performed with heart and enthusiasm in the here and now. He is a previous Director of the Ballarat Arts Academy and Gippsland Centre of Art and Design and the previous Artistic Director of Theatre Works St.Kilda, and the Fairfax Youth Arts Festival. Currently, he is a curator of the Buffer Fringe in Cyprus.

As a champion of young people, Bryce was also a driving force behind the Student Youth Network, one of Australia's most significant participatory youth media projects. As a movement, SYN fundamentally changed the face of Australian media and storytelling; Bryce has worked with thousands of young media makers through SYN and the ABC.

Bryce is an experienced company director and c-suite executive with a focus on engagement, communications, public and government affairs, and social impact work. He is also profoundly shaped by his training in theatre making, improvisation, music, and his hundreds of hours of experience as a live radio and television broadcaster..

An arts and cultural management specialist Merryn has an extensive background in strategic thinking and community engagement.

Merryn’s career has spanned the length and breadth of the arts sector in Australia, with a particular focus on performing arts, community arts, arts programming and the Australian performing arts touring circuit. Merryn is a highly respected industry professional. With experience traversing local government, small, medium and large arts organisations, festivals and tertiary institutions, Merryn’s depth of knowledge comes with demonstrated sound business methodologies and practises.

Merryn works to build unified approaches to sustainable strategic change. Solutions and results focussed, she has worked closely with communities and community organisations to build and re-build solid foundations and relationships. ​

Working as a consultant, Merryn has forged a solid reputation, bringing a creative edge to projects and delivering visionary thinking with grass roots engagement, supporting organisations and individuals in navigating through complex issues to bring clarity of thought and direction. Most recently Merryn worked with Swan Hill Rural City Council in the development of the inaugural 4-year Creative Strategy for the region, and the development of strategic and business plans for The Victorian Music Development Office (VMDO) which was established as part of the Victorian Government’s $22.2 million Music Works strategy.

Merryn runs corporate workshops in leadership skills development with middle managers and team leaders and is developing an undergraduate course in Cultural Leadership for Federation University, Ballarat. She was previously Festival Director for ChillOut Festival Daylesford and CEO of Peninsula Summer Music Festival.

Merryn can work with your teams, community or organisation to build a unified approach to sustainable strategic change. Solutions and results focussed, Merryn is a visionary and futurist providing the CREATIVE EDGE to all development - personal, professional and strategic.

Merryn studied Drama and Media Studies at Rusden State College and holds a Masters in Executive Business Administration (MBA).

Kayla is a graduate of BAPA and the John Bolton Theatre School. In 2017, Kayla played the lead role in David Williamson’s new play ‘Credentials’ as part of La Mama’s 50th-year celebration. 2018 brought along beloved children’s author Elizabeth Honey’s play ‘That’s Not a Daffodil’, touring throughout regional Victoria. Kayla has performed in the MICF and Melbourne Fringe, receiving nominations for Best Comedy and Best Cabaret. Since 2016, Kayla has worked as a Clown Doctor, working in hospitals to ease a child’s pain and spread joy in and amongst the hospital setting.

Kayla loves all things creative, including video editing, writing and podcasting. As a keen learner, they will jump in and give anything a go.

Hi, I’m Emma and I am a 24-year-old who hails from the charming town of Swan Hill.

I fell in love with the stage at the ripe old age of 11, starring in Aristocats. Once I started performing, I knew I would always want to be involved in productions in any capacity. I have always been a huge advocate for getting involved in the things you love, however you can, whenever you can.

In adolescence, I immersed myself in school drama classes, eisteddfods, pub bands and local musicals like there was no tomorrow – but there still seemed to be a creative itch that I just couldn’t scratch! Then, like a mirage in the desert, the Fairfax Festival materialised in front of me. It was such a good deal. Abounding creative opportunities and professional connections? Coming to our region?! Sign me up!

For 3 years, I became an enthusiastic participant of the festival, working with professionals in physical theatre, giant puppeteers (the puppets were giant, not the people!), Shakespearean savants and cinematographers. Looking back at the professional connections I made during that time, it’s incredible to think I’m still only a message away from reconnecting with them and creating more magic. This is my Fairfax story.

In 2018, I tried my hand at co-directing a musical. Bryce Ives caught wind of this – it’s not every day you see an 18-year-old attempting to pull Chitty Chitty Bang Bang off - and reached out. This is how I reconnected with Fairfax Youth Initiative as an artistic associate!

I’ve always wanted to use this association as a pedestal to advocate for the importance of young rural individuals using their voices, claiming opportunities with vigour, taking up more space (we’ve got hectares of it!) and putting our own creative stamp on what would otherwise be a dustbowl of an existence.

25-year-old from Swan Hill, was a part of the highly successful Marruk Project. Bayden strives to be a positive role model for young Indigenous people in Swan Hill. Completing his high school education through the SuniTAFE Murruk Marruk project, Bayden then participated in the creative leadership program through Regional Arts Victoria after which he was awarded a regional scholarship through Melbourne Theatre Group. Currently working at the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service. Bayden is now an Associate Artistic Director for the Fairfax Festival 2023 and is reigniting the Marruk Project.