Two weeks ago, the Northern Rivers of NSW and Southeast QLD were devastated by a natural disaster of unimaginable magnitude and severity.
Today Secret Sounds is announcing a range of fundraising initiatives to assist with recovery across the region, with a target of raising $1 million in one month and a commitment that 100% of money raised will go directly to flood affected communities.
“I live in this region,” said Secret Sounds co-ceo Paul Piticco: “My nearest town is Murwillumbah and it has been devastated. Local schools, friends’ homes and businesses, lives and livelihoods all just swept away by the floodwater. This story is repeated in Lismore, Ballina, Mullumbimby, Coraki, Brisbane and many other communities.
“The recovery, physically and especially mentally, is going to take a long time and will need lots of support so I am very pleased Lifeline is providing targeted and specialised assistance for everyone that has been affected. It has been an extremely tough two years for the music business but we are still here and still banding together to help our communities. Please join us. Give generously, buy a ticket, buy a shirt, make a bid and support however you can to get these families and towns back on track.”
“This is deeply personal for us. Many of our team live and operate businesses in the region and some of them have been directly impacted. We have also run our events in the area for decades. We are part of this community and we’re heartbroken to see the pain that’s being felt right across the region” said Jessica Ducrou, co-ceo of Secret Sounds.
Splendour in the Grass and Falls Festival Byron have kicked off the fundraising with a $100K donation each ($200K in total). Bank of Queensland has also jumped on board as a key sponsor to help make the concerts happen.
Martine Jager, Bank of Queensland’s group executive retail banking, said: “From Gympie to Lismore, and many areas throughout Queensland and NSW, we’ve seen the devastation the floods have had on our people, customers and their local communities. We’re so pleased we could come together and help those who have been impacted, while also supporting the music industry which itself has faced many challenges from the pandemic. We’re proud of this partnership so let’s all do what we can to get onboard, buy a ticket and support Aussie music and communities.”
From fundraiser gigs and limited-edition merch items to auctions, there’s a range of ways the public can get involved to help the cause.
Tickets for all shows on sale now.
Aussie icon Bernard Fanning will play the Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane on Saturday 26 March with The Rubens, Cub Sport (DJ Set), Last Dinosaurs and Stevan. And multiple ARIA and Grammy award winning rock act and Byron locals Wolfmother will take to the stage at Byron Beach Hotel with Dune Rats and fellow local Tex Perkins.
Bernard Fanning, The Rubens, Cub Sport (DJ Set), Last Dinosaurs, Stevan and Hanni at The Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane – Saturday 26 March
Wolfmother, Dune Rats, Tex Perkins & Jez Mead, Waax, Kobie Dee and Mylie Grace at Byron Beach Hotel, Byron Bay – Saturday 26 March
In addition to these shows, Flight Facilities have allocated 100 tickets to their almost sold out Airfields event this Saturday in Sydney. They’ll be available for a special price of $99.90 and all proceeds from those sales will go to Secret Sounds Flood Aid.
It’s a bit cheeky but it’s also a bit true yeah? Limited edition “Where The Muddy Hell Are You” t-shirts and hats will be available across the fundraiser month.
Stay tuned to the Flood Aid Auction site as items and experiences are added across the campaign month including VIP tickets to the sold out 2022 Splendour in the Grass as well as money can’t buy experiences with some big names!
For the duration of the Flood Aid campaign, all Australian Live Nation and Secret Sounds Group shows will include a donate button at checkout. Ticket buyers can add their donation to the ticket price. Thanks to Live Nation, Ticketmaster and Moshtix for supporting the campaign!
All money raised through Secret Sounds Flood Aid campaign will be distributed between four key organisations to provide direct assistance where it is needed. Every cent of every dollar raised will go directly to the community. All recipient organisations have made this commitment.
Lifeline will provide tailored face to face and digital psychological first aid for affected communities including counselling, information resources for individuals, crisis helplines and Lifeline text. These services are being specifically created for these communities and for this situation.
Lifeline CEO Colin Seery said that the organisation’s staff and volunteers have been working on the ground tirelessly to support local people.
“Lifeline is at the very heart of the communities that have been hardest hit so we have a clear picture of just how devastating these floods have been for individuals and families.”
“The funds raised from the Secret Sounds initiatives will enable us to continue to extend and tailor Lifeline services and to help communities reach a point where they regain sustainability and resilience.”
Givit is a national donation platform managing donations of items, services and funds for people impacted by floods across parts of Queensland and New South Wales. Givit works directly with councils, outreach teams, charities and community groups in impacted areas to identify exactly what’s needed to make sure people get what they need, when they need it.
The local newspaper of the Bundjalung region, Koori Mail is wholly owned by five Bundjalung Aboriginal community organisations. These regions have been severely flood impacted and fundraising will directly support these communities.
The well-established Byron Community Centre has partnered with regional philanthropic body, Northern Rivers Community Foundation, to support a community-led flood recovery. Funds will be distributed to grass roots community organisations throughout the Northern Rivers Region, giving help to communities when and where they need it.
It is impossible to overstate the impact of the flooding that hit Northern NSW and Southeast QLD a fortnight ago. All previous records were smashed by metres. Roads and bridges were washed away. Schools were destroyed. Thousands of homes were inundated, with water levels in Lismore exceeding a previously unfathomable 14 metres. Residents climbed into ceiling cavities to escape the floodwaters or onto rooftops in hope of being rescued by civilians in tinnies.
Huge landslides moved houses down mountains in the hills behind Mullumbimby, and now scar the Northern NSW hinterland. Heroic community members trekked through the bush, across raging torrents and waist high mud to rescue the isolated and injured. They carried in generators, fuel, supplies, even a satellite dish and radios and they encountered scenes that no civilian volunteer should ever have to witness.
Further south in Woodburn and Coraki the floodwater has only just subsided and a massive clean-up effort is underway in that devastated region.
Thousands of homes are now uninhabitable. The families who lived in them are facing an uncertain future. Northern NSW was already facing a housing crisis and the situation is now critical. Many have also lost their businesses or income for the foreseeable future.
Whether directly affected by flooding or volunteering for rescue and clean up, this disaster has been traumatic for the entire community and has taken a huge emotional toll on everyone in its path.
Your support, to help raise as much money as possible for devastated communities, is much appreciated!
Secret Sounds would also like to thank Wanderlust, Jack Daniel’s, Byron Bay Brewery, Smirnoff and Red Bull who have also jumped on to assist with this campaign.
