Our Nepal benefit concert

Eighty people. One community hall in Turner. Just over $1,670 raised on the night. Put together in a single week.

Against the scale of the Nepal floods, more than 84,000 people affected, at least 1,300 lives lost, those numbers might look small. But we don’t think so. That’s 80 Canberrans who gave up a Sunday evening, opened their wallets, and turned up to stand alongside a community many hadn’t met before, purely because it mattered.

Every performer, poet and speaker on the night donated their time and talent. ArtSound FM and NKSSP CBR brought together original music from The Devil and The Bunny and The Daisy Coolective, Nepalese poetry, prayer and a heartfelt short play from the local Nepalese community, broadcast live and streamed on YouTube to a wider audience tuning in from home.

“We decided it was the right thing to do, and put this together in a week with our friends in the Nepalese community,” said ArtSound President Steve Little. “We raised money for the appeal, but more importantly, I think, we demonstrated that we are one community.”

Two messages mattered as much as the money: that climate change hits hardest in the countries that contributed least to it, and that support shouldn’t fade once the headlines do. Several of our Nepalese friends even invited Canberrans to visit Nepal once conditions allow — more than one bucket list gained a new entry that night.

Special thanks to every business that donated a raffle prize, The Daisy Coolective for donating from their CD sales, and everyone who came along. Thanks also to the CBAA for coordinating the national appeal response, and the CBF for the ongoing support that lets ArtSound mobilise for our community.

The appeal is still open if you’d like to add to what our community started: emergencyaction.org.au/nepal-flood-appeal or call 1300 939 000.