February 24th, 2020Spreading the word about juvenile bullying
ENTERTAINER Tom Curtain spends most of his time in the Northern Territory where his Katherine Outback Experience is based. But from November to March he takes the whole show on the road down south, escaping the wet of the top end summer.
The We’re Still Here tour takes in towns throughout rural Australia. But while his main occupation is performing, he has also seen his travels as an opportunity to give talks to school kids in regional towns about the difficult subject of bullying and its effects.
And earlier this month, on Friday, February 14, it was the turn of children from The Daylesford Dharma School and St Michaels, Trentham, Bullarto and Hepburn primary schools to join him for a sing and dance at the Daylesford Town Hall.
Tom does these talks as part of his role as ambassador for the Dolly’s Dream Foundation. Amy ‘Dolly’ Everett was a victim of bullying and ended her young life at just 14 years of age.
The Dolly’s Dream Charity was established by her family and friends in her memory and aims to create positive change, help prevent the lives of other children being lost, and act as a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves.
For an hour or so Tom and mandolin player Chris Matthews performed for the kids including his song Speak Up which he recorded specially to talk about the issue to school kids. Proceeds from the sale of Speak Up go to the foundation to raise money so they can continue their important work alleviating the effects of juvenile bullying.
“I met the Everett family years ago as I was training horses in the NT and we knew them really well, and little Dolly before she passed away. That really inspired me to try to help out with a song project that could raise awareness about bullying and the devastating impact it can have,” Tom said.
There is no doubt that Tom is able to forge a real connection with his young audience with them dancing and singing along to his songs. And while such a get- together was clearly an opportunity to goof off from the drudgery of school classes, it was also an effective means to initiate a conversation about a subject that is often hard to broach.
After an hour or so, the singer was making for the door all the while answering questions from adoring kids and getting his picture taken. Next stop was the Trentham Football ground and the multitude of tasks that needed to be completed before the evening’s gig.
But it obviously wasn’t a problem for Tom Curtain. He was happy to include the work of Dolly’s Dream as part of his national touring schedule.
“Sure, it’s all very hectic,” Tom says with a laugh, “but I just think it is a bit of a priority to try to help out and spread the word wherever I can as we go around the country.”
“I met the Everett family years ago as I was training horses in the NT and we knew them really well, and little Dolly before she passed away.”
– Tom Curtain
Words & image: Tony Sawrey
Pictured above, Tom Curtain, left, and Chris Matthews, with primary school students at Daylesford Town Hall
