Each year the highly anticipated event boasts an impressive, diverse lineup of musicians and comedians. This year, Deborah Conway features on a huge lineup among the likes of Paul Dempsey, Ella Hooper, and Claire Bowditch, and entertainers including Ross Wilson, Judith Lucy and Red Symons.
“This is our local area, so it’s nice to give something back at a grassroots community effort to lift people up and make them feel like we’re all working together. I’m really glad we live in a society that does that,” Conway says.
This year marks the ninth time that the Palais Theatre will host the Sacred Heart Mission’s Heart Of St Kilda concert. It’s the brainchild of MC Brian Nankervis, Larry Ponting, Wal Bishop and Palais Theatre CEO Neil Croker, with the intention of creating a concert that would support the work of the Sacred Heart Mission. The entertainers are donating their time and talent, and all proceeds of the concert go directly to continuing the work of Sacred Heart Mission.
The reach of the concert is encouraging, not just for the revenue it creates, but for the great number of people who come out to support the Mission.
“I think it indicates, first of all to people who are doing it tough, that there’s a community of people that do care, and I think that’s encouraging and momentarily sustaining,” Conway says.
“It’s always great to play with other great musicians. And the cause is shown to be something that has broad support across a wide range of people, and that’s the encouragement for the people who are directly affected and in peril.”
The origins of Sacred Heart Mission date back to 1982 when Parish Priest, Father Ernie Smith shared a meal with a man who was hungry and homeless. This simple act of kindness is what snowballed into the creation of the Mission, with members of the parish volunteering their time to serve meals from the Parish dining hall.
Today, Sacred Heart Mission serves hundreds of people per day, providing breakfast and lunch for people experiencing homelessness in the Port Phillip area and Melbourne. But the Mission is more than just a kitchen. People who visit the hall are given the opportunity to access services to help improve their circumstances.
“It’s important that people know that if they’re in a situation that they’d rather not be in that there’s people who can assist them, if they want to be assisted, to change those circumstances,” Conway says.
The superb range of entertainers on the night cater to a variety of tastes and age groups, ensuring there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
On the night, you can expect a taste of Conway’s new album, Everybody’s Begging, a release marking the 25th anniversary of her album String of Pearls. It’s a sound she thinks people at the concert will enjoy.
“It’s more urgent than our last album, more toe tapping, more compulsive, has a certain ferocity and immediacy which I think people will find compelling.”
Sacred Heart Mission receives no government funding, so these initiatives are imperative in keeping meals in stomachs, and providing help where it’s needed.
“There are material gains made from concerts like this, so that the experience will be made better for people who do come ask for help. You raise money, have a great night of music, and you make a material difference in the lives of people who need it.”
BY CLAIRE VARLEY
