A group of Country Fire Service volunteers who fought Kangaroo Island's bushfires in 2020 are among those driving a new music festival designed to raise money for people affected by the disaster.
The New Shoots Music Festival, which includes headline acts Something for Kate, Jebediah and South Australia's own Bad Dreems, will be held in April after two previous attempts were postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Farmer Andy Gilfillan, chairman for the not-for-profit East End Events Committee and a musician, said he and two other local CFS members had the idea while they were working on the fireground in January 2020.
"You just feel a bit helpless when your own property is intact and you've been out on the island's west end and seen the devastation," he said.
"We were all thinking along the same way, and Vince Contarino from the Zep Boys was also pivotal in that he rang me and said, 'Lets get a benefit concert together'.
"Within a couple of months we had the bands, staging, freight, an event manager, everyone was feeling on the same page, but sadly we didn't get to put our festival on because of COVID-19."
Bushfire, mental health charities to benefit
The festival was originally scheduled for April 2020 but was "pipped at the post" by the pandemic's spread into Australia.
A second attempt for November 2021 also had to be postponed due to subsequent waves of COVID-19 spreading across Australia.
A portion of the money raised by the festival will be donated to Blaze Aid, a volunteer organisation that provides materials, volunteer labour and financial assistance to those trying to rebuild their lives, structures and fences.
Money will also be donated to the Breakthrough Mental Health Research Foundation.
Mr Gilfillan hoped the festival would also make enough to be an annual event so the committee could continue to raise funds for the local community.
"Living on these remote islands you roll with the punches a bit more, but it's a pretty resilient population."
Community work to prevent fires
The Kangaroo Island bushfires of January 2020 killed two people and almost 60,000 livestock, destroyed 87 homes and razed 210,000 hectares — nearly half the island.
Mr Gilfillan said the installation of firebreaks and the undertaking of controlled burns had helped some people feel more comfortable.
"I guess it's human nature that some people are going to bear the scars for the rest of their life and may not feel comfortable about living in an area where they do," he said.
"For other people it's water off a duck's back.
Location key to attracting music-lovers
Mr Gilfillan said the festival committee had received critical funding from the federal government and would remain completely independent while enjoying the support of the local community, council and tourism industry.
"I think most festivals at the moment are trying to encourage people to jump back into the vibe, and historically, festivals here sell out very quickly," he said.
He said the festival, which also offered camping, was being held in Penneshaw — close to where the ferry landed — so people did not need to bring a car if they caught it from Cape Jervis.
"We could have taken this to the west end [of KI], which is where the fires were, but we wanted to make it really easy for the mainland people," Mr Gilfillan said.
"It's all very accessible."
New Shoots Music Festival will take place on April 2 at Penneshaw Oval.
