Big attraction: Ollie McGill and Felix Riebl from The Cat Empire, which will headline this weekend's EMERGE festival.
Popular Melbourne-based band The Cat Empire will headline the EMERGE flood recovery event to be held in Shepparton this Sunday.
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The band has performed together for more than 20 years and is know for its many hits, including Hello and Steal the Light.
Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE, with the support of Melbourne University and La Trobe University, will present EMERGE, an afternoon of live music, food, drinks and family activities.
The Cat Empire will be supported by Goulburn Valley artists JB and Me, BricKy B, Tenielle McKenzie and Drmngnow.
Neil Morris is a Yorta Yorta rapper, dancer, artist and actor and performs under the name Drmngnow.
“Performing at home has always got a different energy about it, and especially for events that are important to community,” he said.
“I have a high level of care for my own people and everyone living in the whole community of Shepparton in Yorta Yorta country.”
Mr Morris’s music studio in Mooroopna was inundated with floodwater and is currently undergoing works to repair the damage.
“I think there is a real fragility to human nature in times of natural disasters like a flood,” he said.
“Seeing that fragility shows us how connected we are as people and how we can all move together, to live together in the best possible way in the community.”
Lending their support: Tenielle McKenzie and Neil Morris, who performs under the name Drmngnow, are part of the EMERGE festival line-up.
Local singer, music teacher and choirmaster Tenielle McKenzie will also perform at the event.
“While I wasn’t personally affected by the flood, there was a call in my heart to be helpful and useful and to be there for the community, because if one community member hurts, we all do,” she said.
“I’m really excited to be able to participate in the EMERGE event. This is a small way that I can positively contribute to the community as we recover.”
GOTAFE chief executive Travis Heeney said the event was a chance for the community to reconnect and enjoy a relaxing afternoon together.
“The Goulburn Valley has experienced unprecedented challenges over the last few years, from COVID to the recent flooding. We want to do something to lift spirits and give back to our community,” Mr Heeney said.
The free EMERGE flood recovery event will be held on Sunday, December 11 from 1pm to 6pm at Fryers St, Shepparton, in front of the GOTAFE and La Trobe campuses.
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