A well-intentioned community concert planned for the South Australian town of Goolwa, designed to aid local businesses devastated by a prolonged algal bloom crisis, is now threatening to become a financial disaster for its volunteer organisers.
Fundraiser in Jeopardy as Ticket Target Missed
The event, headlined by Australian music icon Daryl Braithwaite and scheduled for next Saturday, was conceived as a unifying force and a crucial fundraising drive. However, with the event date fast approaching, alarmingly slow ticket sales have left the organising committee facing the prospect of a substantial financial shortfall.
Tamara McRobbie from the Goolwa Community Association revealed the stark numbers to 7NEWS. "We’ve sold at this moment in time 865. That is well under the 2300 that we need just to break even for the event," she said. This means the event has sold only a fraction of the required tickets, putting the entire venture in the red.
Background: An Algal Bloom Crisis
The concert was born from a dire need within the coastal community. A massive algal bloom, first detected in March last year and estimated to have spanned about 4500 square kilometres, wreaked havoc on the local environment and economy. The bloom caused the death of thousands of fish and other marine life, with regular reports of rotting carcasses washing onto beaches for months.
While authorities gave the all-clear last month for multiple beach sites—registering zero levels of the harmful algal species karenia—the economic damage was already deep and lasting. Local businesses, from hospitality to tourism operators, suffered through months of cancellations and severe uncertainty.
"I know that some relatives of mine that have a bed and breakfast, they’ve just had everything cancelled," said Goolwa resident Jason Fischer. Local surf school owner Mal Biscoe added, "I’ve probably lost probably 50 per cent so things have picked up now but the weather sort of hasn’t been great."
A Volunteer Effot Faces Uphill Battle
In response, a dedicated team of local volunteers stepped up to organise the Daryl Braithwaite concert entirely on their own, aiming to inject funds and morale back into the community. However, the small group has faced significant challenges in promoting the event.
"We’ve lost some members along the way, and we are just a volunteer organisation so we haven’t necessarily got a lot of experience but we’ve got a big heart and we want to do what’s right by the community," explained McRobbie.
With the break-even point of 2300 tickets still far off, the organisers are now making a heartfelt plea to the wider South Australian public. They are urging people to buy tickets not only to support the region's struggling businesses but also to prevent the dedicated volunteers from being left personally out of pocket for an event meant to aid others.
Locals note that while beaches and cafes have seen busier periods over summer, a lingering anxiety remains about the potential return of the algal bloom. For now, the immediate hope is that the community will rally behind the cause—and behind Daryl Braithwaite—to ensure the concert becomes the success story the town desperately needs.
