John Paul Young releases Kangaroo Island bushfire-inspired song 'The Island', raising funds for fire and flood support

JPY's version of the song "The Island" written by KI resident Christine Rourke will debut at the SeaLink Kangaroo Island Racing Carnival cocktail party at the Ozone Hotel on Thursday, Feb. 16.

A music video of JPY singing "The Island" will be played at the party, while Christine will also perform a live rendition.

Stay tuned for Islander coverage of the Thursday night launch and also Christine attending the KI Cup event on Saturday.

Proceeds from the sale of JPY's version of the bushfire-inspired song will go toward the the Fire and Flood Fund and the provision of support for mental health services for towns impacted on by both fires and floods.

Christine performed the song at the 2021 Australia Day ceremony in Kingscote, generating an emotional response from the crowd.

She is also scheduled to perform the song at The Enchanted Fig Tree, which is opening one of its special Starlit night evenings on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023.

Guests will be treated to a live performance of The Island that will be sung by Christine herself.

The Kangaroo Island Tourism Alliance on its website lays out the genesis of how Christine's song came to be and how it came to be recorded by John Paul Young for charity.

During the 2019/20 Kangaroo Island bushfires, on the first night when families and holidaymakers were being evacuated from the western end of the Island to the township of Kingscote, Christine Rourke's street and home were teaming with people.

As the night progressed, while listening to the stories of the evacuees, the words of The Island started to form in Christine's head.

"In the afternoon of the following day, I sat down in a quiet corner and the words poured out of my head onto paper, and the melody started to form in my head," Christine said.

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A few weeks after the worst of the fires had hit, Christine was back jamming with her local Ukulele group, The Rogues, and she shared her song with them.

A few months passed, and while working a shift at Amadio's wine bar, Christine spied Aussie music legend John Paul Young unobtrusively enjoying a meal at the Kingscote venue.

Slightly starstruck, she approached him to invite him to jam with The Rogues, with the goal of boosting morale, particularly as one of the members had lost their farm in the fires.

JPY agreed to spend 15 minutes with them, which turned into a 2.5-hour session that naturally included a rendition of his hit song, Love Is In The Air.

As he was about to leave, members of The Rogues encouraged Christine to perform The Island for him.

With thanks to JPY's unswerving dedication to this project, there is now a recording available to share with the world.

JPY has generously donated his time to this project on the proviso that proceeds from the sale would go to the Kangaroo Island community and that no artist - Christine included - would personally make money from the sale of this song.

Christine's passion for her beloved Island community made the decision to agree to these conditions very easy.

The original intention was for the funds to go towards the Kangaroo Island community alone, however, with the Island's neighbours currently experiencing the impact of devastating floods along the Murray River, Christine decided that 50 per cent of funds raised would be donated to the Riverland.

JPY happily agreed to this proposal.

The funds raised will be donated to Our Town, a mental health initiative funded by the Fay Fuller Foundation, implemented in partnership with The Australian Centre for Social Innovation and Clear Horizon.

This initiative supports places like Kangaroo Island and the Riverland to define what's right for their respective communities, to provide a local voice, and reclaim the mental well-being of their own.

Christine acknowledges The Hospital Research Foundation (THRF) for their ongoing support of this project.

Members of the THRF team visited Kangaroo Island with Magda Szubanski, and after hearing Christine perform the song, they did not hesitate to offer their support when approached.

Kangaroo Island Tourism Alliance is proud to support the Fire and Flood Fund, the proceeds of which will go towards the provision of support for mental health services for communities, through Kangaroo Island Our Town, and also to Our Town Berri and Our Town Mid Murray, in support of those communities recovering from the recent floods.

You can listen and purchase John Paul Young's song here on the bandcamp website.