KEITH T. DENNETT | New South | CONTACT
As the dust settles from the recent Love Island-esque saga to erupt from the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), it’s believed one local in Wagga Wagga has been keeping a low profile.
A beloved figure within the local classical music community, violin maestro Andrea Rieu (58) has been conducting and teaching string quartets for over ten years out of the Riverina Conservatorium of Music
A former second violin at the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Andrea told The Advocate she originally settled in Wagga after years of performing across Australia at some of the biggest string festivals in the country.
Now caught up in revelations that disgraced former Member for Wagga Daryl Maguire used his position of power, influence and relationship with Gladys Berejiklian to allegedly funnel millions of tax-payer dollars into Wagga Wagga specific projects, Andrea is another local to get a leg up from the luxury kickbacks getting tossed around town.
“As a regional Conservatorium we usually run off the gold coin donations from our end of year Christmas concerts, but once Daryl got involved cash started raining into this place like we were operating a casino,” Andrea told our reporter.
“I turned up one day to unwrap a new Vincenzo Cavani violin imported direct from Italy, it’s vintage from 1955, one of the finest and most expensive in the country.”
Asked if she’d been involved in the recent ICAC investigation, Andrea said she’d done her best to sidestep getting involved in the Judge Judy-like court appearances playing out in Sydney.
“ICAC came sniffing around to interview us here at the Con but I managed to skip town for a few weeks to attend an orchestra camp in Adelaide, it helped me keep my nose clean from it.”
“But even if Daryl is in hot water surely if I just keep quiet I can probably keep this bad boy, besides you should hear Vivaldi’s Four Seasons on this thing, corruption has never sounded sweeter!”
