Busting Out stars Emma Powell and Bev Killick (centre) met with the group after the show. 32715
By Kath Gannaway
KEEPING abreast of how people are travelling after the bushfires, Healesville resident Robyn Johnson had a brainwave.
On Wednesday 58 people affected by the fires hopped on a McKenzie’s bus at Healesville and were dropped off at the door of Melbourne’s Athenaeum Theatre for a night of intensive laughter therapy.
Ms Johnson organised the trip to see ‘Busting Out’ after getting such a buzz from the “side-splitting’ live show herself.
“I thought it would be great to get some tickets donated for people who had lost their homes and the response from the show’s production company … ‘Is 60 tickets enough?’, was astounding,” she said.
Ms Johnson said Healesville businesses were, as always, amazingly generous enabling her to put together a totally free package from the bus trip to show tickets and prizes and gifts for everyone.
Ms Johnson dubbed the event “Cheering Up @ Busting Out” and Laney Russell who lost the family home in Christmas Hills on Black Saturday, said it lived up to the tag.
“For a whole lot of people I think it was probably the first time they had had a really good laugh in a long time. There is still a lot to do and think about and this was a great night to switch off for a couple of hours,” she said.
Ms Russell said while it was natural there was some talk of bushfires, the common thread among the group who came from Flowerdale, Marysville, Healesville, Yarra Glen, Steels Creek and Dixons Creek, it was more about how people were going than their bushfire experience.
“For Robyn to organise this the way she did was absolutely fantastic – she even organised a permit for the bus to park right at the front door of the theatre,” she added.
“It’s really nice to know the community has not forgotten you, and that you can switch off. The generosity of people still coming in is overwhelming.”
Mr Johnson said the night exceeded all her expectations thanks to the unstinting generosity of everyone involved, including the stars of the show Emma Powell and Bev Killick who met with the group after the show.
“To see these people laugh who have gone through the most tragic things, I was really humbled,” she said.
