ON SATURDAY at Riverside Park, generations of musicians will converge to celebrate 30 years of the storied Swan Hill sound shell and raise money for a cause which strikes a deep chord with many.
Rock in the Park will be replete with eight different live bands, a kid’s corner, food and coffee vans, a licenced bar and racing crustaceans.
All proceeds from the day will go to Spark, a local charity started by Bec Martin and Sue Turner in 2023 to raise funds and awareness for suicide and mental health.
In 2022, Ms Martin lost a younger brother, and Ms Turner lost her beloved son Dan to suicide.
Since its inception, Spark has raised over $9000 which has provided a number of free mental health courses for the community.
Rock in the Park is set to be one of Spark’s largest fundraising efforts yet, and among the festivities eventgoers are encouraged to have a meaningful conversation and remember those they may have lost.
Swan Hill musical mainstay and one of the event organisers Guy Romeo said supporting Spark was the obvious choice.
“When we thought we’d want to tie the 30th anniversary of the sound shell to a charity and raise money, it was a no-brainer really,” he said.
“Last time Bec (Martin) organised a Spark event a lot of local musos came down and played for a bit.
“The great thing is the money raised went towards training up locals in mental health programs.
“That’s what we want to do, get more and more people trained up to have the skills to identify signs of mental health struggles.
“Just have people in the community who can ask are you okay?
“Struggles like depression are very prevalent in the community, and that’s why we really want to get more funds happening so more people can be trained up and aware.”
Initially, a 25th anniversary was planned for the sound shell before being called off due to COVID-19.
For many musicians in the community, the event has been a long five years in the making.
Mr Romeo was president of the Swan Hill Musicians Club when the sound shell was constructed.
“Everyone’s busting to get down there and get all their bands back together,” he said.
“The Swan Hill music scene is a full-on community; music pulls everyone together.
“What event doesn’t benefit from music playing and people dancing? And just having a great day outdoors.
“Saturday will also bring back a lot of memories, because a lot of the music that will play will also be from that era, 20 or 30 odd years ago.”
While not revealing too much, Mr Romeo said crowds could expect raucous renditions of the likes of the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton and classic Aussie rock thrown in among original songs.
Celebrations will kick off on Friday, May 2 at 7.30pm at the Swan Hill Club, with Gibbo, Serious Fun and an open muso jam.
Saturday will be headlined by the David Jones Band, with a further seven musicians taking the stage.
General admission tickets are $20, kids under 16 $5, and family tickets $50.
Attendees are encouraged to buy tickets online via the link on the Rock in the Park Facebook event page, however tickets will be available via cash or card on the day.
No pets are allowed, and children under 16 will have to be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
Anyone requiring urgent help can call Lifeline’s 24-hour number at: 131 114.
