Support Act’s ‘Music in the House’ fundraiser – More crew than ever needed support this year

Pic L – R: Ainslie Wills, Electric Fields, Tina Arena, Kate Miller-Heidke, and Gary Pinto 

by Julius Grafton

Last Wednesday 350 music industry legends, plus Julius, dug deep for Support Act at the annual Music in the House fundraiser at the Ivy Ballroom in Sydney.

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Gary Pinto joined Kate Miller-Heidke, Electric Fields and Ainslie Wills to perform as part of a tribute to Tina Arena for her incredible contribution to music and the community. Tina spoke at length about ’the shit I’ve had to put up with’ as a woman in the industry. She was very moving, and indeed moved herself.

Tina Arena

“I might need this one day”, she told Julius, referencing the slew of testimonials from people recently helped, including roadie Bob Welch: “The call to Support Act was probably the smartest thing I ever did after I left rock ’n roll.”

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Pam Kleeman said: “Support Act were amazing in the degree of warmth I received in talking about the situation we were in, and their willingness to help.”

Musician Ed Clayton-Jones said: “I can’t stress how much of a difference it has made in my life, my family’s life. Basically Support Act was the one thing that really kind of changed the course of my recovery.”

AV guru Malcolm Savage has just had his sight restored after Support Act started a fund for him to pay for the operations.

There are literally dozens more anonymous recipients of help. Support Act have come to the aid of crew who reported back to CX that they were called very promptly, and had in some cases, their very lives saved. One rigger was evicted from his home, with his belongings thrown on the street. Support Act found crisis accommodation for him, and supported his recovery.

The end of the financial year is almost here and it’s a great time to make a tax deductible donation to Support Act to help them meet the ever-growing need for services. In the past year, they have increased their funding for crisis relief by 20%, responding to hundreds of calls from artists, roadies, and music workers who are sick or injured, and unable to work.

They also provided more than 350 hours of counselling support through the Support Act Wellbeing Helpline, as part of a strong commitment to support people with concerns about any aspect of their mental health.

Please make your tax deductible donation today, at https://supportact.org.au/give-help/

If you or anyone you know needs help, please contact:

Support Act Crisis Relief: By email or by calling: 1300 731 303

Support Act 24/7 Wellbeing Helpline: 1800 959 500