Just days out from the much anticipated Taroom Show, the committee has played their trump card in announcing a musical goldmine.
Lead singer of popular 1980s band Redgum, John Schumann, will perform at and open this year’s show as part of a mental health awareness campaign.
In increasing their efforts to combat depression and other mental health illnesses within Taroom and the wider community, the Taroom Show Society, in partnership with Rural and Remote Mental Health, were thrilled to be able to bring such attention to the issue.
Not-for-profit organisation Rural and Remote Mental health deliver prevention programs and early interventions to improve the mental health of those living and working in rural Australia.
Taroom Show Society president Shane Williams said the organisation would be at the show to provide information to attendees.
“We are privileged to deliver this service to Taroom, and to have John Schumann open the show and perform will be extremely special,” Mr Williams said.
“John will be accompanied by his best mate and former band member Hugh McDonald and the talented Alex Black. This is a performance that you would normally only be able to attend in major metropolitan centres of Australia.”
The three will perform hit songs such as Awesome Day, Diamantina Drover and I Was Only 19.
John and Alex are both highly sought after for festivals, high profile concerts and other special events such as the Anzac Day march at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the Australia Day concert in Canberra. The pair has entertained Australian troops in East Timor, and more recently in Afghanistan.
Having experienced mental illness himself, Schumann knows how critical prevention is and if things are not going well, to seek help early. He is a passionate Australian who sees people in the bush not getting the same services as our urban cousins.
The concert will begin at three o’clock on Tuesday, May 3 at the Taroom Showgrounds. The Taroom Show Society and Rural and Remote Mental Health gratefully acknowledge the funding made available by the Australian Government’s National Suicide Prevention program to deliver this service.