Our collaboration with Save the Kimberley began after meeting with the John Butler Trio and Blue King Brown after their show in Newcastle. John Butler has spent the year touring under the Save the Kimberley banner and spreading the word about what is happening in that pristine part of the world. We used this opportunity to help raise funds at these concerts. The John Butler Trio and Blue King Brown are artists who create "conscious music". They demonstrate a passion for raising awareness and taking action against the atrocities of our government's greed for wealth and power. We are so very pleased to have their full support for our guitar projects and we have achieved great awareness for Save the Kimberley through the collective of passionate beings who have the courage to stand for what is right!
To date we have raised $9120 for Save the Kimberley.
Hand painted guitars signed by BKB and John Butler Trio were raffled at shows in Canberra ACT, Brisbane QLD, Winnipeg MB Canada, and Calgary AB Canada.
A hand painted guitar was also signed by performers at Festival of the Sun in Port Macquarie, NSW. Including: Xavier Rudd, Regurgitator, Sharon Jones, British India, Calling All Cars, That One Guy, Dallas Frasca, The Gin Club, The Seabellies, Sierra Fin, Ebb n Flo, Bob Corbett, Lissa, and Mojo Bluesman.
Most recently, with the support of John Butler Trio management, Big Day Out organisiers and Maton Guitars, we had a hand painted Maton guitar signed at Big Day Out Sydney 2011. This guitar is went up for auction online on the Save the Kimberley website. The winner bidder was from the United States and won the auction with a bid of $4000.
Big thank you's go out to the Save the Kimberley crew for all their hard work in assisting us with logistics and exposure. Thanks also to Macron Music on the Central Coast, NSW, Axe Music in Calgary and to Anthony Knowles at Maton Guitars who have donated guitars for these projects, without their support we could not have achieved these leaps and bounds. A thousand thank you's!
Our gratitude also to our team at Circle of One: Jason Weeks, Anita Tassone and Vanessa Young representing in Brisbane. Chelsea French and Mark Johnston representing in Winnipeg. Emily Exon representing in Calgary. Belle Cumming, Julie Lowe and Rebecka Valle representing in NSW.
Props to the artists who painted these beautiful guitars: Rebecka Valle, Chelsea French, Mark Johnston, Emily Exon and Belle Cumming.
We encourage you all to take a moment to learn about what is happening in the Kimberley region, and why it is so important to take a stand and fight this good fight. The threat to the country, the culture, the song lines, the pristine environment is not something to be ignored! Check out www.savethekimberley.com and be informed about how our government has plans for compulsory acquisition of the land. Take a stand! Make a fuss! Our government speaks of "moving forward" let's not move backwards into colonialisation, theft and invasion.
