May 21, 2014
John Schumann and the Vagabond Crew are coming back to Kingaroy and are promising an “Awesome Day”.
The legendary singer-songwriter from Redgum will be visiting as part of a series of concerts for drought and flooded-affected Queensland communities.
This will be his third visit in recent years.
This time John and The Vagabond Crew will be joined by Craig Hamilton, one of Australia’s leading mental health advocates.
After being diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder in 2000, Craig has travelled Australia, telling his own inspirational story to help de-stigmatise mental illness and to encourage help-seeking behaviours.
The Awesome Day Roadshow will roll into Kingaroy on Sunday, June 1, with a free concert and barbecue from 1:00pm in the Kingaroy Town Hall Forecourt.
The Roadshow concept was developed under the auspices of the Australasian Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health Rural in 2012.
The idea is to present a series of concerts in rural communities severely stressed by drought, flood or other catastrophic events.
At the same time, communities are exposed to specialised recovery, information and support services specifically tailored for rural people and their communities.
“The centre has presented nine Roadshows over the last two years and these have proved immensely popular,” centre managing director Dr Jennifer Bowers said.
“More importantly, they have been very successful in building awareness of mental health issues and promoting pathways to help.
“We know of at least five people who confidently say that they chose not to follow their suicide plans through because of their exposure to a Roadshow.”
John Schumann and the Vagabond Crew will be performing their two new singles, “Awesome Day” and “FIFO Road”, publically for the first time.
“Awesome Day”, inspired by Phil Cummings’ book “Danny Allen was Here” is about a farming family caught between a devastating drought and the promise of rain.
Like all John Schumann’s songs, it’s detailed, real and emotionally charged.
“FIFO Road” is about FIFO workers and is drawn from John’s own experience of working in mining camps in Western Australia.
Everyone who attends the Roadshow will receive a free CD of “Awesome Day”.
John Schumann is committed to rural and remote mental health and, as well as music, has been working in the area for five or six years now.
“It really is very gratifying. After every show people came up to us to say thanks, amazed that a band like us with our songs and history would come out and play in these smaller communities,” he said.
“The fact is we have a great time – we see some amazing country and we meet some really inspirational people. We’d much rather be playing out here than traipsing around the RSL clubs.
“We’re coming back again because we want these communities to know that even though the droughts and floods are off the front page, we remember and we understand that the struggle goes on. We want people to remember that they’re not alone.”
Dr Bowers said that it is exciting for the Centre to be working with Craig Hamilton again.
“Craig’s openness and honesty is instructive and inspirational. You can’t help coming away from listening to Craig with without a renewed sense of heart and optimism. You also can’t help coming away with a determination to seek help if you need it,” she said.
