Interview #3 - Carley

This week, we're talking with someone who is currently living with one of the conditions that Busk For A Cure (BFAC) is raising money to support - Crohn's disease. That's the condition, I mean, not her name. Her name is Carley, as you will have ascertained from the title, hopefully! Find out more by reading on. I should note that I actually went into this with no knowledge of either Crohn's or Colitis, bar a quick Wiki search and glance at the first few lines of each page.


Introduce yourself. Who are you, and what’s your connection to BFAC?
I’m Carley, I’m a friend of Helmut’s. My connection would be that I have Crohn’s disease, one of the charities that he does BFAC for.

I know nothing about Crohn’s. What is it, and how does it affect your daily life?
It’s an auto-immune disease that effects the gastro-intestinal system. It ranges in severity - I have it all the way through, from the mouth all the way down. It causes inflammation of all those areas. A lot of days I wake up and I’m just too sick to leave the house - when you’re running to the toilet fifty times a day, it makes things a bit difficult.

Why are Crohn’s and Colitis talked about in conjunction? What is Colitis?
Colitis is similar to Crohn’s, but it’s in smaller areas of the bowel, whereas Crohn’s can be anywhere in the gastrointestinal system. I think they just put them together cause they’re similar.

What is the most difficult thing about living with Crohn’s?
It’s an embarrassing disease, to be honest. I struggle with telling people about it, and talking about it, because nobody wants to hear that shit. I was fifteen when I was diagnosed, so it wasn’t a great time to be dealing with that.

What do you wish people understood about Crohn’s/Colitis?
Honestly, I just wish people knew it existed. When you say “I have Crohn’s,” people say, “what the fuck is that?” Because cancer is so well-known, but there are so many other things that just aren’t in the spotlight.

What has been helpful to you?
So, I had to have surgery - which was extremely helpful, but not fun. I now have an ileostomy - they brought part of my bowel out to the outside of my stomach, and I have a bag now. Because I was at a point where I was in hospital for months and months at a time, and there was nothing that they could do. There are people I know who are like, "I've got this, it's great!" but it was also a bit shit.

Why did you suggest that BFAC also support Crohn's and Colitis Australia (CCA)?
I didn’t, actually. I’ll tell you the story. One night, me and Helmut got really drunk. And you know when you get drunk you have D&Ms? So we had one of those, and Helmut was talking all about his mum, and then I was talking all about my stuff, and we had a great moment. And then later on, he told me that he was doing the BFAC thing for his mum, and he wanted to include me in it as well, so that was awesome.

What do you think is the importance/significance of BFAC?
Well, I think it’s very important for Helmut to tell his story and to - you know, when things get out of hand, and you need to able to tell your story and do something. And it’s just great for people to be part of that, and he’s just so fucking lovely, that guy. You can put that in quotes.

"He's just so fucking lovely, that guy." - Carley

What’s your dream for the future?
Seriously? Really, I just take it day by day.

Anything else you want to add?
I’m very happy that Helmut is doing this so that CCA gets some kind of recognition. Even when I’m just talking to you about it, that’s one more person. And I guarantee you that in your life, you’ll meet other people, and it’ll be like, “Oh my God, here’s another person who has it!” It’s great.


As always, I want to really thank Carley for giving her time for this interview. I really appreciated her honesty and openness about what she was dealing with. Not all of us have to deal with this in our own lives - but the vast majority of us know someone that does. Who struggles with Crohn's, or Colitis, or Cancer - and there are so many others as well. This Saturday, join us at Busk For A Cure in Newtown, as we raise funds to support Crohn's and Colitis Australia, and Cancer Council NSW. You can find out more details here, or if you prefer, donate directly online here.

Interview #2 - Helmut

This week, I got the opportunity to chat to the heart behind the orange shirts; Helmut Uhlmann, creator of Busk For A Cure (BFAC).


Why did you start Busk For A Cure?
I started BFAC because I wanted to find a way to use my music to honour my mum, who was going through cancer treatment at the time. I wanted to do something to express my care and love for her, while also developing my artistry, my music, and my connection to the community. It was a funny mixture of selfishness and selflessness.

How did you get it all started?
I went to watch Godzilla with some uni friends; I’d created a little document, and I shared it with them after the movie — and just started it from there. Put a little team together, and just did it! Found a few friends who were artists, emailed the council, sent out press releases, talked to friends who could potentially sponsor, got in touch with Cancer Council NSW and Crohn’s & Colitis Australia — and together, we made it happen.

What was the first BFAC like?
We had five artists, and we almost got kicked out of Hyde Park by the local rangers. It was so freezing cold that I could barely play guitar, and while it was incredibly stressful for me to put that together, I was still really grateful that we had done it. We had a modest turnout of mostly amazing friends and family, and made about $500. I also shaved my head, which was partly for the charity effort and partly because I was travelling to Germany with my mum a couple of weeks later and she loathed my luscious long locks.

What do you think makes BFAC different to other charity music events/fundraisers?
Most charity efforts either are transparent with their finances, but boring or even annoying e.g. telemarketers; or are lots of fun, but have very questionable financials, where a large portion of donations cover overheads and administration, and don’t actually go to the causes that they purport to be supporting. BFAC is about making genuine charity fun. We’re putting together real, high-quality, local talent, but also giving 100% of donations straight to our charity partners. We’re only able to do this thanks to our awesome network of sponsors, volunteers, and artists. We’re the definition of grassroots.

Tell us a bit about your history and experience with cancer.
I lost my mum to cancer in August 2015. She had battled two different types of cancer over ten years. I’m not sure what else to say — but it was just a heart-breaking experience watching my mum get sicker, and not being able to do anything about it. I’m very grateful for the support of our public health system, and of organisations like the Cancer Council, who help ensure that cancer patients don’t have to worry about other things like money on top of the cancer that they’re already dealing with.

Last year, you started up BFAC again after your mum had died. What drove you to keep it going?
Right after I lost her, I didn’t have the motivation to do anything else. I felt very depressed and disenfranchised with life, and BFAC was about the only thing I felt motivated to do at that point in time. It was a way of showing my respect, and my love.

What was the response like last year?
Incredible. We had all kinds of community members express support and appreciation for what we were doing; we jumped from 5 artists to fifty; we raised six times as much money (about $3000); got a bunch of new sponsors on board; and we created a really special day. I remember for months later, people were saying, “Oh, you were the guys in the orange shirts!” when I was chatting to them about BFAC, people that I’d just met.

What are you hoping for this year?
I’m hoping to be able to create an equivalent buzz to last year, but without it consuming my personal life in the same way that it did last year. I want to see Busk for a Cure grow bigger than me. I think that sums it up, really. And to show love to those who are going through the issues that we are supporting through our fundraising.

BFAC has obviously changed and grown over the years. What has your journey been like over that time? How has it effected you?
My life is completely different to how it was when I started it. In 2014 I had my mum — now I don’t. In 2014, I was in a relationship that I didn’t think would end — that’s now ended; definitely grateful for that now. In 2014 I was just starting my studio, Bunk Bed Beats — just recently, I’ve decided to stop taking on new business to focus on my own music. In 2014, I was studying at uni — now I have two degrees. In 2014, I would get angry at stupid things, and make others responsible for my happiness — now, I meditate regularly, and take responsibility for my own happiness. While many of my circumstances have taken a turn for the worse, others are finally glimpsing their potential, and I’m a happier person now than I was back then.

Looking forward — where do you see this going in the future? What do you want to see this become?
To quote Pitbull — worldwide! With a talented and committed community, I honestly believe that Busk For A Cure is a global concept. We’ve already had people last year, in Brisbane and Melbourne, ask about putting on their own BFAC events. This is history.

What is the message that Busk For A Cure tries to bring to people?
That sharing and helping others go hand in hand with having an awesome time.

Anything you want to add?
Being grassroots at it’s core, Busk For A Cure is a people’s movement. It couldn’t exist without people like you. So if you’re reading this, and getting inspired, get in touch, and get involved in how we’re contributing to our world.

I couldn't put it better than that! If you want to donate to help the charities that we're supporting, then click here. Otherwise, click here for more information about the Busk For A Cure event - less than two weeks away!

Interview #1 - Jacqui

This is the first post of a weekly blog, looking at the stories of various people involved with Busk For A Cure in different ways. I hope that it will help you to see the bigger picture of what happens with Busk For A Cure, the greater context it works within, and the impact that it has. These posts will come in the form of interviews, which I'll re-format a little to create what you read below.

To kick us off, we have Jacqui, who works at the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre; one of the partners of our event, who also worked with us last year. One of our stages is also outside the Centre, as part of the Newtown Markets that runs every Saturday. But I'll let Jacqui talk more about that.

What is the purpose of the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre (NNC)?
NNC provides services to the community to help with issues such as homelessness, ageing, mental health, boarding projects; at the moment, we're especially raising awareness about affordable housing in the area, that's a big issue. I think it’s quite sad that property has become what it is — and all of us here who work are finding it really hard to live and work in the Inner West. And I think we should all be looked after; it’s sad that we might have to leave this area just because of affordability. We also rely purely on donations, and our business development strategy, to implement projects.
We also have the front counter information and referral service. We work with drug and alcohol issues, domestic violence, etc. We have a really good knowledge of services in the area, that we can then refer people on to. There are also different activities we run at the centre — there's the one-stop shop on Thursday afternoon, where we work with Centrelink, there are homeless services, food, places people can do their washing, computers available. There are also knitting groups, art classes. It's about serving the disadvantaged.

What do you do here?
I work in business development, and raise funds through various projects — particularly the markets and the festival. The markets are a fundraiser for the NNC.

What is the importance of the Newtown Markets in the community?
It's about keeping it real, keeping it diverse, accepting everybody. Community engagement is also really important; including stakeholders, businesses, and again, working with the disadvantaged.

Why do you do what you do?
Community. I really like cottage industries — at the market, you’re helping artists, or makers, who survive off what they do on a non-corporate level, you help them achieve. And it's not just financial security through the market, but also a healthy livelihood. It’s also a gathering element — a sense of belonging and of gathering.

How does Busk For A Cure fit in with this community and your work here?
Breast cancer is out there — it happens, it’s real, and it’s great to support Helmut in getting the word out there; working together, and supporting each other.

What effect does it have on the community?
The energy from last year's event was brilliant; particularly the musical side, and how it was presented. The fact that Helmut has pulled in so many different people, from so many different areas is really what made the event. And by using NNC as a partner, because the values and ethics are quite similar.

What are you hoping may result from this year’s event?
Awareness, compassion. Also supporting local musicians. But it also works in well with what we do — and keeping the Newtown vibe.

Do you have a cancer story?
I had a friend with breast cancer not long ago — it’s a dark place to be in, the unknown. Help and support from friends and family are really important.

Do you have a story about what you do here?
I grew up here. This place is very community-based, particularly with the migrant population. I’m a migrant as well; and we still have the former Yugoslav group, and the Greek too. It’s very special to me, cause I can sense and feel that community, even though that’s dying out — and that’s really good to see. I'm glad to see that it’s had the longevity that it has, that we can still provide valuable service to the disadvantaged — the building hasn’t been turned into a casino, or something like that.

Thanks so much to both Jacqui and the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre for giving me the opportunity for this interview. You can learn more about their work over here.
As Jacqui said, we pull in a lot of different people to make this event happen; it's not a one-man show! As such, if you'd like to get involved, with anything from music, to helping out on the day, to helping organise bits and pieces — please visit our website here, or get in touch with us here.