CRAIG JEFFERY (SA) – ORDINARY COMMITTEE MEMBER

I have been in love with the Eurovision Song Contest for as long as I can remember..

If you can recall the opening scene of the Will Ferrell Eurovision movie, well, I was pretty much that little boy who would dance in front of the television as my father would watch Eurovision on SBS. My father would watch to laugh along with the commentary, but as a child, I saw magic in the music and performances.

As the years went by, Eurovision became part of my identity and ignited a fascination for European countries, language and culture. I became obsessed with Eurodance Schlager, however struggled to find like-minded friends that shared my Eurovision passion. This prompted me to join OGAE Australia and was ecstatic to find a cohort of people after my own heart.

My favourite Eurovision moment? From that extraordinary moment when Eurovision embraced Australia in Malmö 2014, my dream was to see Kate Miller-Heidke represent us in the contest. Her spectacular 2019 performance showed Europe that we are serious about Eurovision and I've never felt prouder of our nation.

A little about my personal self - I live in glorious South Australia, am a massive bird nerd, my current favourite Eurovision song is ‘Dschinghis Khan’, and I am learning Swedish with the dream of moving there one day, marrying a Skarsgård and living happily ever after 🤣

A little bit about my professional self - I work within a communications and engagement team for the SA Government and my role is primarily visual communications. In the past, I have been actively involved in the organisation of the Adelaide Multicultural Festivals, as well as hosting an open-air cinema screening of the 60th anniversary Eurovision semi-finals.

I have joined the OGAE Australia committee to contribute my creative skills and events experience to a club that I am very passionate about. My priority on the committee is to celebrate diversity and inclusion, as well as building connections between members through creative and engaging experiences.