This November, Dicey Riley's in Wollongong hosts a very special event in aid of a local women's charity.
The Metal For Life show has been organised by local musician and first-time promoter Darren Chamberlain. For the event, Darren brings together some great metal bands to support Raise The Gong, a not-for-profit organisation that assists women who are undergoing chemotherapy.
“Metal For Life is supporting a local charity called Raise The Gong, which is a bunch of women who have all had someone pass away, due to cancer, in their life,” Darren explains.
“They're a completely non-profit organisation, no one gets paid. They're a fantastic charity and one I definitely want to support. My mother and daughter have both been through similar things and I thought it was the perfect charity to help out.”
Darren has enlisted the help of Wollongong metal act and local drawcard Carbon Black as headliners, with Sydney bands Snow Leopard, Pyrefly and By The Horns playing as support acts.
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The primary fundraising activity on the night takes the form of a massive raffle, with prizes donated by bands and labels from around the country. “In every state I've got bands helping me out,” he says.
“Victoria's been really good, they seem to have a huge metal community down there and every band I've asked about it has chipped in.
"A local record company down there has offered to give a subscription to the raffle where the winner gets whatever they release for the next 12 months delivered to them.”
With bands all over Australia donating merchandise and offering to play the event, Darren says the response to Metal For Life and its goal has been overwhelming. “Not one of the bands knew me when I contacted them, but so far I've got about 60-odd CDs, about 20 t-shirts and lots of different merchandise.
"So I'm hoping that raffle on the night is going to be the big draw and bring in quite a bit of money for the charity,” he says.
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The fundraising potential of Metal For Life means Raise The Gong can maintain their current roster of programmes and services as well as develop new ones.
One particular service is the distribution of chemo-care kits to women in the region who are undergoing chemotherapy for the first time.
“With the chemo kits, any local women who is going through chemo for the first just needs to contact them and they'll send out a kit with a few health items to help them through the effects of the chemotherapy,” Darren says.
“It's also stuff like make-up and other beauty items to give them a confidence boost when the obvious effects of the chemo take place. I know it's not a cheap thing to do, but if I can help get a few more kits to a few more women out there it'll be great.”
For Darren, it means the world to support an organisation that does such important work especially one with personal significance. “It means a lot because cancer is not something I can help stop,” he says, “but if I can help people get through that time it means a lot to me.
“With family members going through breast cancer it's not an easy time for anyone, so if I can help make that journey a little bit easier on them that's what means a lot to me.”
