Beaches local Greg Donovan spent his nights following Aussie rock bands up and down the Peninsula. Now they follow him to the Simpson Desert
Greg Donovan’s life was stable in the early 2000s. He was married with three children and holding down a secure job in the corporate world. And he lived in a beautiful part of the world. His life path was pretty much set in stone.
Then in 2008, at aged 14, his son Stephen was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. This changed everything.
“It was a hard thing to come to terms with, and he got diagnosed with coeliac disease soon after,” Greg says. ”It was a big change for our family because it’s not something you can recover from. He’s got it for life.”
Greg set himself an enormous challenge to raise awareness and funds for type 2 diabetes. He decided to complete the Four Deserts Runs in four different countries – China, Chile, Egypt and the Antarctic, covering 250 km over 24 days.
That wasn’t enough for Greg and he went on to organise the Big Red Run across the Simpson Desert here in Australia in 2013 to raise more funds. He put on some entertainment for the runners and got John Williamson to perform near the Big Red Sand Dune, in Birdsville.
“Word got out,” says Greg. “Other people wanted to come, so we sold a few tickets and people rolled up. Everybody loved it.”
Shortly after, Greg was made redundant and said goodbye to the corporate world he’d known for over 20 years.
“I threw in the dice,” says Greg. “It’s all politics and red tape so I said that’s enough for me. I said, ‘let’s see if I can put more money into a music festival and get it going’.”
It paid off and The Big Red Bash was born.
It hasn’t all been plain sailing for Greg though. He was rained out in 2016 and had to move the whole festival to Birdsville town itself. He had to cancel the festival in 2020 due to COVID-19 lockdowns, losing a lot of money.
“It nearly sent us broke,” says Greg. “The Insurance wouldn’t pay out and it was $3 million. We took them to court but lost.”
“It’s like, wow, look at all these people here having a great time. It’s a special feeling to be able to say that I’ve actually seen my crazy idea through.”
During the Delta Wave in 2021, while everyone was locked away in Sydney, Greg was lucky to keep the festival going. Not a soul on the streets of Sydney, but 10,000 people partying in the desert.
To keep going after all that Greg has been hit with has been a sense of achievement, he says. “It’s like, wow, look at all these people here having a great time. So many families and kids. It’s a special feeling to be able to say that I’ve actually seen my crazy idea through.”
The next Big Red Bash takes place in July, and Greg’s other event, the Mundi Mundi Bash in August (in Broken Hill NSW), have already sold out – that’s over 20,000 tickets between them.
The festival has now made a permanent stamp on the music industry and is synonymous with the royalty of Aussie rock. This year will see the likes of Icehouse, The Angels, The Waifs and Chocolate Starfish.
Ten years since his first gig in the desert, John Williamson will be back in 2023 to perform his song True Blue, to a crowd dressed head to toe in blue and arranged into the shape of Australia. Blue wigs will be sold to raise money for juvenile diabetes.
You can’t get more Aussie than that.
By Aoife Moynihan