Bohemians help make this city ROCK. The place of a champion has now been built, it is what we do with and within it that will determine if the conformity of Rockhampton will be overwhelmed by a new bohemian spirit. If you didn’t see the musical We Will Rock You on the weekend that introduction may read rather weird. It might even if you did. Whether it was planned or just coincidence that both opened on Friday, the parallels between We Will Rock You and Riverside, were to me symbolic. The successful struggle of Bohemians to break free of conformity. In the musical the dreamer (Galileo) must find the place of champions that prophecy says has the planet’s last musical instrument which when played will break the chains of individual conformity. Riverside has its own place of a champion in Rod Laver Plaza. Here on the banks of the mighty Fitzroy our city once again has a bohemian heart; a place we can congregate, create, demonstrate our individuality, be entertained, inspired or just reflect. The plan to relocate the art gallery beside Custom’s House is so right and can’t happen soon enough. Then imagine if we should be successful in gaining a Super V8 race with the track on the other side of the river, all we need then is a pool in the river between them. Yes, a pool, because we can’t safely swim in this part of the river anymore like what once occurred. Residents of a river city should be able to swim in their river. Well that’s what a group of New York residents believe and are setting about to make it happen. Their floating +pool will use it walls as filters to provide clean, safe water to swim in. But the Fitzroy floods! Well the Hudson experiences hurricanes. Solutions to problems can be found, especially in a more bohemian culture. A bridge tethered to either side of the river would provide a pedestrian thoroughfare from the Super V8’s into the city. I’m sure Callaghan Park patrons would enjoy the short cut also. Picture the aerial view as the drone vision telecast throughout the world pans across from the race track over the floating river +pool to Riverside down the heritage buildings of Quay Street to the levee bank protected 10000 seat stadium in Littler Cum Ingham Park and back across the river to Callaghan Park and the V8 track. Impressive, desirable, vibrant; the positive adjectives would flow like the Fitzroy. We can’t stop now, the opening of Riverside and daring of the Council to go goth for their choice of the annual musical is the start of a new chapter in Rockhampton’s history. There is so much more to be written. May the bohemians within and amongst us help overwhelm conformity and make this region ROCK. Final performances of We Will Rock You are on this weekend, see it.