By Molly Magennis
A charity concert will be held in Footscray later this month to honour the life of a young music lover.
Music for Max is a fundraising event organised by two friends of the late Max Lee-Ack. The concert will be held in partnership with Artists for Kids Culture (AKC), a charity which provides grants to give children the ability to participate in cultural, artistic, musical and educational activities.
All proceeds from ticket, merchandise and raffle sales will go directly to helping 13-17 year olds in the west, where Max grew up, access music lessons and purchase instruments, with AKC providing scholarships and grants.
One of the event organisers, Karla Livingstone-Pardy, said Max’s death was a huge shock to all those who knew him. When trying to decide how best to remember him, something music related seemed fitting.
“It didn’t necessarily feel fitting to raise money for mental health awareness because it didn’t really feel tied to him, and then I guess I just was thinking about him more and thinking about how he loved music and he was really connected to music,” she said.
“He was [in a band] in high school and he sort of always loved music and stayed connected to that, like I always sort of thought of Max and music.”
A variety of artists will be performing on the day, with many being friends and schoolmates of Max’s, such as bands Jarrow, Yaw Faso and Mid-Evening.
“All these people knew Max and loved Max.”
An amazing line-up of raffle prizes will also be up for grabs, such as $500 worth of Evo products and festival and concert tickets.
Livingstone-Pardy said giving children the opportunity to explore their creativity through music alongside others in the community can be beneficial for their overall mental wellbeing.
“I think it’s nice for us to be able to kind of give something to kids to say, we want you to pursue this and we want you to be creative and I think community support is an important type of suicide prevention.”
Music for Max will take place on March 19, from 4pm to 11pm at Hotel Westwood, Footscray.
Details: www.eventbrite.com/e/274506645767
