Theo Pettaras, owner of Sydney based Digitalpress, is rallying locals for Band Together, a concert aiming to help drought affected farmers, with all proceeds going to charity Aussie Helpers.
Other printers are stepping up for the initiative which is set to take place next week, including Sean Bosco from UPM Paper and David Leach, CEO of Look Print.
Pettaras is one of four organisers behind the event, with his band Benefactor being one of around 20 acts in the line up. The concert is also being supported by Randwick Council.
He says, “We wanted to do something for the farmers. We used our contacts in the music industry and have reached out to people, there will be around 20 inner city musicians and they are all playing for free.
“Our aim is to raise money for around three truckloads of hay. It can cost between $180 to $200 for a bale at the moment, hay is incredibly expensive.
“I reached out to David Leach of Look Print and asked if he could help us out. He designed and printed a banner for us for free.
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“I went on a road trip a few weeks and unless you go and see what is going on out there, you will not realise what goes on and what is behind your bottle of milk at the supermarket. It is dead dry inland, people are struggling and you hear about suicide. It is cheaper to put a bullet in livestock than to keep going on.
“I feel a sense of responsibility and duty to help. This concert is not just about money, it is also about raising awareness.
Pettaras says his band Sound Benefit, which involved Bosco from UPM Paper and former workmate Harley Economou, is playing under a new and different format as Benefactor.
He adds, “Our former band, Sound Benefit, raised around $30,000 for charities over the course of two years. We found it greatly rewarding.”
The Band Together concert will take place on Tuesday September 25, at Selina’s Coogee Bay Hotel in Coogee. For more information or to buy tickets, head here.
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