MUSICIAN: Brodie Glen. Picture: PAUL CARRACHER
BIRCHIP musician Brodie Glen will play alongside renowned Australian performers at a flood recovery concert at Rupanyup.
Glen and girl-band Stonefield will celebrate Yarriambiack Shire's recovery from the January 2011 floods with Russell Morris and The Audreys, who were announced as performers last month.
Homes and businesses in the shire, including at Rupanyup and Warracknabeal, were among those inundated across the Wimmera.
Yarriambiack Shire councillor Ray Kingston said it was great to be able to feature a Wimmera musician at the concert, titled When the Flood Came, on March 2.
"Many Wimmera people will know Brodie Glen, who does the Brodie Glen Show, from playing around the area," he said.
"I think all the artists tick a lot of boxes for having a few musical styles that will be comfortable for all people.
"We also have ABC journalist Laura Poole as master of ceremonies and she will be great because people will recognise her from the Country Hour."
Cr Kingston said council was planning to produce a short documentary about the floods and recovery concert.
He said Wimmera residents could record their memories of the flood.
"We were really hoping to have something to show for this event and for people to be able to look back and say 'that was a big moment in the history of the region'," he said.
"It will be lovely to put on this free concert for people but any event such as this, no matter how fantastic, is fleeting so it would be great to have some lasting memento of the flood and the flood concert as well.
"This is a Yarriambiack Shire event but everyone is welcome to come from the neighbouring shires because we all experienced the flood together."
Cr Kingston said people could search for When the Flood Came on Facebook or Twitter for more information about the concert.
The Audreys' Tristan Goodall said the band would play When the Flood Came before heading to America to perform at a South by Southwest festival in Austin.
He said the songwriting duo jumped at the chance to be part of Yarriambiack Shire's flood recovery concert.
"We have known Ray Kingston since before The Audreys formed so when he explained what the concert was about, we thought we would love to be involved," he said.
"As musicians it is hard for us to give back in a financial way because we are struggling 'musos', but getting the chance to play is one way of giving something back.
"The fact that disasters are ongoing in this country and we are dealing with them in Queensland at the moment shows just how important this is."