Music to the ears of fire victims

Creatives from across the South West have joined forces to develop a two-city festival, Bushfire Aid, to “rebuild hope in the community”.

The festival will begin on Friday, January 31, with buskers and businesses in Busselton and Bunbury raising money via collection tins, donating profits and offering special events.

The Bushfire Aid concerts will then be held at Busselton Foreshore Amphitheatre and Bunbury Bricknell Music Shell on Saturday, February 2.

Event organiser Sam Ninness said an initial idea for a fundraising concert quickly ballooned to involve the wider South West community and soon became an entire festival.

“We felt rather helpless and frustrated and the emotional toll of the fires has been huge,” she said.

“We believe that there are two things that bring people together across the world in a positive way ... food and music.”

There will be a silent auction and a raffle during the Saturday night events, with food trucks, face painting, fairy floss, a bouncy castle and flash mobs entertaining patrons of all ages.

An array of South West bands and musicians will perform on the Saturday night in Busselton, including Dallas Royal, Violet Orange, Emma Louise Nisbet, Maya Ixchell, Matt Cal, Mitch Ballardin, Blackwood Rising, Tracey Barnett and Sonetay.

Dallas Royal lead singer Mitch Baker said the fire crisis had been tragic and he was excited to play at the foreshore amphitheatre for the first time.

“We have a bit of variety in who will be performing so there is entertainment for everyone and it’s an awesome location,” he said.

“This event is all about positivity in our community.”

All donations from Bushfire Aid will go to the Salvation Army Bushfire Appeal via Bendigo Bank.

Entry to the Bushfire Aid concerts will be via a gold coin donation.