Day on Dorward to bring community together
HOSTS: Craig and Allan Dorward are excited about hosting 'Day on Dorward' this Sunday.
People across the Eyre Peninsula and South Australia are expected to gather at Dorward Oval in North Shields this weekend to help raise money for important causes including Blaze Aid.
Day on Dorward will take place this Sunday from 10.30am and will be a free music event featuring 13 local artists donating their time to perform 30 minute sets over eight hours.
Event organiser Teresa Melzner said just like many people throughout the summer, she watched the footage of the bushfires across Australia, including South Australia and felt "shocked, bewildered, emotional and helpless."
"Many of the West Coast crew are heavily related to the KI, Adelaide Hills and Yorke Peninsula mob and it just seems to hurt more when those close to you are suffering," she said.
Mrs Melzner said it was great to see the way Australia and the world came together and supported thorse in need through big gala events, but not all these events were available to average, every day rural community members.
"Acknowledging that 'music connects people' we too are hosting a music event with a difference," she said.
"Day on Dorward will be a free family friendly picnic event to get lots or rural people together from our wider community in one location, a green sports oval surrounded by a traditional Aussie white picket fence, on one Sunday, the first in March."
The line up of artist for the day include Alice Haddy, Joshy Willo, Lisa Kuerschner, MTC Dance Crew and El' Devi. The event will raise money for Blaze Aid, local CFS and Red Cross, RSPCA, 2 Songs Wildlife Sanctuary, SA Variety, Western Districts Football Club (Kangaroo Island) and Royal Flying Doctor Service.
Mrs Melzner said she heard communities including Streaky Bay, Tumby Bay , Cleve and Arno Bay were organising carpooling and community buses for the event, and the event was attracting media attention from across the state.
The North Shields Sporting Association is involved with the event with Craig and Kym Dorward involved in the organising group.
Craig Dorward, whose family owns the oval said it was good to host an event that would get the whole community together and go towards great causes.
"It will be pleasure to have people out here, especially with local talent performing, it will be a great day," he said.
Mr Dorward said the clubhouse would be closed for the day but the sports association would run a bar.
He said there had been increased interest for events at the oval which was great because it would help raise money to go towards the oval's upkeep including water costs.
Other people involved in the organising group are Jamie Kidney (sound and staging), Andy Seymour (stage manager and event host), Luana Kraft (North Shields representative) and Mrs Melzner's husband Nigel Melzner.
The CFS are also getting involved by welcoming and marshalling traffic into the car park and the oval will be encircled by food, bar and coffee vendors, all donating profits to a charity of their choice.
Children will get to meet with 'Smokey' the koala on the day or go into the Red Cross tent and use the 'apple slinky machine' and Xtreme Kites and Paddle could be on hand to provide entertainment including bubble soccer as well as a jumping castle.
Other organisations invovled include RSPCA, St John Ambulance, Mentally Fit EP, Lincoln Alive and SA Bushfire Garden Revival.