“I’m extremely excited,” Purcell says. “I’ve always tried to find a way that I can incorporate my day job and my night job, and this seems like the perfect way to be able to do that. I’m just rapt a place like Pawn & Co. – which I’ve been a resident DJ at for almost two years now – that they get behind an event like this, and I’m just really looking forward to bringing a little bit of culture and spirituality to the dance floor.”
With all money from ticket sales and door entry donated to the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA), the Reconciliation Week Charity Party offers a fantastic initiative to help connect children and young people to contemporary culture, while maintaining the rich history and spirituality of Indigenous people.
“For me, I see the club scene here in Melbourne full of people that are very open and supportive of different ideas and different ideologies,” Purcell says. “What I try to do with my radio show, I try and bring a social issue context to the whole nightlife scene. I think with Aboriginal culture, there’s a lot of people out there – particularly in the nightlife scene – that do want to get behind and advocate for something that hits a little closer to home for us. To be able to have that platform and kind of be in that unique position, to be able to execute that – I think it’s wonderful.
“I just know that the people who come along to the night – they’ll be university students, they’ll be people working in hospitality, they might have day jobs – but they’ll take something individual away from that night, and that’s the way that other people will become educated. That’s the way that other people will become more aware of some of the more contemporary Aboriginal issues concerning Australia. It’s not just about past government policies and practices that have been tough on Aboriginal people and non-Aboriginal people as well, but it’s about the contemporary issues. It’s about creating a safe space for everybody in Australia to be able to have these discussions. What a perfect and more safe space to have a discussion like that than on a dance floor?”
As host of radio program The Weekend Chug, Fosters combines his love of the dance scene with his passion for addressing social issues and complexities. Music is his life; an outlet where he can channel his energy and transform it into positive force. Both radio and events like the Reconciliation Week Charity Party proves to be an effective platform for organisations like VACCA. They can create a discourse with the public and raise awareness to bring the multitude of incredible programs and initiatives they offer to the forefront.
“At the end of the day, we’re all DJs, and we all have that one shared common interest, but I want to get to know people on a deeper level. I want to get to know people on an emotional level. There’s no point in being friends with a DJ because you’re both DJs – I want to know why they DJ. I want to know what got them into it and I want to know what they bring from whatever they do as a day job, or what they do outside of DJing, and how that inspires them once they get behind the decks or on a musical instrument.”
“Sometimes we concentrate a little bit too much on what’s happening overseas, and then we ignore what’s happening on our back porch. Having an event like this is a reminder for people that there is still work to do in Australia, to unify us as a whole community. Seeing people support that and really get behind it, I think is a beautiful thing. The communal aspect and seeing everybody celebrate positively together is something that I’m really looking forward to.”
