Dream job for Wollongong’s String Family after 2.5 years on the road

Former String Angel Sarah Moir said after performing all around Australia and overseas with her husband Joel and children in recent years they are returning this week with some big news.

“Paronella Park in Fare North Queensland has asked us to create a show to be performed every night in the castle from May to November next year,” Mrs Moir said.

“So that is where we will be living for at least six months next year. Performing every night. It’s a dream come true for us. We still can’t believe it.”

The heritage listed tourist attraction was an entertainment venue until the late 1970’s when a fire swept through the castle, leaving only the walls and the turret as a reminder of what had been.

Mrs Moir is creating a theatrical show for the family to perform during the nightly light up of the castle.

She said the new news means The String Family has plenty to celebrate in Wollongong this weekend.

“We have a concert which we hope will be a big one with the Arcadian Lamplighters at the Salvation Army Citadel on the 29th of September,” Mrs Moir said.

“We are sharing the bill and doing one piece together also”.

The String Family story

Joel and Sarah met at Wollongong Eisteddfod as children. Married young and had kids.
Joel had been attending school at Sydney Conservatorium of Music High School with aspirations to join Sydney Symphony Orchestra. He injured hand whilst at school and could not play cello for 15 years. So went into IT and had several businesses.
Sarah went on to be a violinist performing around the world as a soloist and with String Angels playing lead. She toured with Ronan Keating and Sharon Corr around Australia and NZ. And has played with Kylie Minogue, Susan Boyle, Seal on TV shows such as X Factor, AGT, Logies, the ARIA Awards and iTunes Awards. She also performed as a Guest Entertainer on cruise ships around the world.
2010 Family lost house and all money in the Global Financial Crisis and went into debt. They struggled for many years financially and personally. During that time Sarah was coming and going overseas to play violin. Being away so much was disruptive to family life. She found she was not spending enough quality time together with her family and was missing many important moments as he children quickly grew.
In 2016 an Ambulance was called in the middle of the night for Joel. Doctors told him he needed a less stressful job and lifestyle.
Sarah started performing more with her family and they went on to win the Australian National Busking Championships. Performing as The String Family they bought a caravan and hit the road on an unplanned national music tour.
In February 2017 The String Family left home with no bookings or plans and successfully self funded a music tour that has now lasted 2.5 years. In the process they have manged to pay off some old business debts.
The family has been playing at festivals, concerts, on cruise ships, in caravan parks and at corporate events. In the process they have become well known around the country as The String Family.
In 2018 they were planning for the children to return to high school instead of being home schooled and settle back into a more normal life. But after 2.5 years on the road they have been offered a dream job at the iconic Australian heritage listed tourist attraction Paronella Park. It was an entertainment venue in it’s heyday but has not had regular live music since 1979 when a fire swept through the castle, leaving only the walls and the turret as a reminder of what had been.
Sarah is creating a theatrical show for the family to perform nightly during the light up of the castle. The show will last for at least 6 months which means the children will attend the local high school.