Three local Brunswick residents, Bec Klaassen a New Zealander; Amy Mulcahy, a member of the Rotary Club of Brunswick and Lois Sandilands , were compelled to put their personal resources together to create a night of talent, hosted by the Brunswick Hotel, to raise much-needed funds for the city of Christchurch.
"I was devastated to see the destruction and trauma on the faces of the people affected. I felt compelled to try to do something to help. I thought of ways I could help. I know a lot of bands here in Melbourne and people I could approach who would be willing to help. So I decided to organise a gig to raise as much money as possible, to assist in re-building the city and the lives of the people effected." – Bec Klaasen
Five Melbourne bands including; Spider Goat Canyon, Red Rockets of Borneo, Copse, Chico Flash, and Carly Fern donated their time to perform at the event, which generated a diverse range of sounds on the night, enjoyed by all.
“I had a number of good experiences during the evening, but two stood out.
The young man buying a sausage in bread at the BBQ put $5 in the donation tin which I thought was not only a significant community gesture, but that we were connecting with him. I can tell you one of the drummers caught my attention, I’ve never seen or heard anything so brilliant on drums, eat your heart out Ringo! “ - Mal Dubock (Brunswick Rotary member)
Sound, lighting and photography was also volunteered by David Crowley, Akiko Saito and Steve Martin, respectively.
“For me, it was about engaging the community along with the Rotary Club of Brunswick, to get onboard a great cause. This is an event that most might not expect to see Rotary involved in.” – Amy Mulcahy
Officially $1.900 was raised on the night. Donations from President Karin Penttila’s Swiss cooking class fundraiser; individual Brunswick Rotary members and from the board of the Rotary Club of Brunswick has brought the total donation to Rotary New Zealand Canterbury Earthquake Appeal to a total of $5000.