Lockdown after lockdown ends plans
Shannon Tharratt — One
Wild Apple
Many in the Rose City will have fond memories of One Wild Apple Cafe in the laneway off Bridge St.
Owned and operated by Benalla’s Shannon Tharratt, it was very successful, but not the career she was looking for at the time.
One element of the business she did enjoy was promoting live music events in the laneway.
So in 2019 she made the decision to close the cafe and move into event promotion full-time.
Sadly her timing could not have been worse.
“Essentially the idea was to change the focus of my business to bring live performances and arts to north-east Victoria,” Ms Tharratt said.
“I had run a few successful events in the laneway and over at the drill hall while running the cafe, and I began to look at a schedule of live events to put on throughout 2020.”
One of the first events Ms Tharratt planned to promote was a fundraiser for those affected by the 2019-20 bushfires.
“We were very sad to have to cancel that. We were calling it Hootenanny at the Hall and we planned to have that out at Moorngag,” she said. Ms Tharratt hoped that event would be a good way to introduce One Wild Apple promotions to the local community, while raising money for those who had just been through the devastating bushfires.
Sadly, after initially postponing it, the decision was made to cancel.
And while Ms Tharratt had plenty of other events in the pipeline, each time one was arranged another lockdown would shut them down before they could be held.
“As the pandemic progressed, going into multiple lockdowns in 2020, it coincided with the period of time the business was really ramping up with the season of music and arts events booked in,” she said.
“I found for most of it, it was a matter of hours where I’d be contacting performers to let them know we would have to postpone or cancel.
“And, of course, they would be trying to get in contact with me to say they could not make it at the same time.
“It was difficult, but both sides understood there was nothing we could do but have a positive mentality and hope these events could still take place at some stage.
“And both the performers, and myself, were missing out on income.
“I looked into things like JobKeeper but as a self-employed music and live event promoter there was not much support I could access.
“And the performers were in the same position.
“I spent a lot of time trying to reschedule things, but the uncertainty took a massive toll.
“It got to a point I had to look at pivoting in another direction and walking away from the industry.” Ms Tharratt has since had a complete career change, working at a local florist and helping out with another passion of hers, gardening and landscaping on a local farm.
She has no intention of returning to the arts — for now anyway.
“Since deciding on a full career change I don’t think I’ll be looking to go back any time soon,” she said.
“Live music is still something that interests me, but I feel like I would need a lot of proof that the effects of COVID-19 on the industry were no longer there.
“I am settled into a career change and enjoying what I am doing.
“I do hope live music and comedy and plays and everything that people enjoy going on a night out to see comes back soon — but I’m not sure if I will be a part of that when it does. “I think I might just enjoy being in the crowd with everyone else having a good time.”