Brendan Simpkins

GAWLER’S Yellow Door Street Band and St Vincent de Paul are teaming up once again for their second annual fundraising concert at the Prince Albert Hotel.

Last year was the first collaboration between the pair with a total of $732.80 raised.

All of those proceeds went to the St Vinnies Christmas Appeal.

The band went into last year’s gig with no expectations as to how the community would respond, but were completely blown away by the support received.

Band member Martin Johnson approached St Vinnies with the idea.

The organisation is close to his heart, having helped Martin after the loss of his mother a few years back.

“They are a wonderful organisation, they have been very helpful,” Martin said.

“We are hoping that what we can do can help families who might be struggling a little bit at Christmas and the kids get a present at Christmas.

“It’s for Gawler and that’s what we like to do, we are Gawler people.”

St Vinnies’ Jayd Burns said that it was “brilliant” to have a group like the Yellow Door Street Band help out with the initiative.

“The fact that they have come to us for starters (is brilliant) and it is letting everyone within Gawler know what is happening, so they don’t just see it as a shop that is selling products,” he said.

“A lot of people think an op shop is ‘we sell cheap stuff for people who can’t afford it’ but what they don’t realise is what we make within the shop.

“So, having a band come to us to help fundraise it just helps us along the way.”

Jayd said that through Gawler Conference, more than 100 Christmas hampers were put together and distributed to families in need throughout the area as part of the Christmas Appeal.

The band comprises of Martin, Alby Grech, John Duffy, Sonya Post, Sally Brock and Dave Hall and Klaus Retelsdorf.

The fundraising concert is taking place on Saturday, November 21 this year at around 11am.

St Vinnies will also hold a garage sale at its Howard Street shop, beginning at 7am.