KISS and Legacy Australia have teamed up to provide one lucky Newcastle woman with the opportunity to work alongside KISS when they hit Newcastle Entertainment Centre next Monday 12 October.
For more than a decade, legendary rock band KISS has worked passionately with several programs in the US assisting returned servicemen and women. KISS are keen to continue this very valuable work whilst on their Australian tour, courtesy of Legacy Australia.
In the US, KISS are active supporters of the Wounded Warrior Project, which is a non-profit organisation assisting men & women who have incurred service connected injuries, and the Hiring Our Heroes program, a US initiative to help veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses find meaningful employment.
In Australia, the band’s initiative will take on a slightly different feel! When made aware of the incredible work Legacy does in Australia for war widows and their families, the band felt very passionately about recognising their strength and courage. As Legacy’s main priority is the welfare of the widows and families of servicemen and women, it is widows around the country who will be given the unique opportunity to become a “KISS Roadie For A Day”.
Newcastle Legacy has chosen Mrs Kay Aburn to be the “KISS Roadie For A Day” at the Newcastle concert, as she has been such a great support with helping organise Legacy’s ‘Young Widows’ group and most definitely deserved this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Kay was in shock when Legacy gave her the exciting news, she was in tears: “I saw the ads on TV, I so wanted to go, but I just knew I couldn’t afford it at the moment”. Kay spoke of her struggle over the past months, and how she has been quite down. Then to have this phone call from Newcastle Legacy, she just can’t believe it. And to top it off, it is Kay’s birthday in October! She thanked Legacy & KISS for an early Birthday Present!
Kevin, Kay’s Husband, was in the RAAF – Royal Australian Air Force from the young age of 16 where is started out as a Cadet in Queensland. During his time in the RAAF, he was posted over to Western Australia, posted back to Queensland, and then finally posted to New South Wales where is he was a Flight Sergeant through to the age of 40.
“Kevin was such a great guy, husband and father, he was really fit and loved playing footy,” says Kay, “He was the love of my life”. It came as a huge shock when he was diagnosed with Colon Cancer – caused by chemicals whilst he was a serving member of the RAAF, which Kevin and his family battled with for 13 months.
Kevin and Kay’s daughter Blaze, now 26 yearrs old, was only 9 years old when her father passed away. Kay spoke of how much Legacy supported her and her family since Kevin’s passing, “I can’t thank Legacy enough for the support they have given; they helped so much with Blaze’s schooling, as well as the emotional support through the hard times.”
Kay will work with the KISS team in the VIP Packages area. They will prep and build the area at the venue, meet and host the VIP fans who attend a special afternoon acoustic session, and help manage the VIP band photo opportunities. And of course, after all that hard work, sit back and enjoy the show!
Legacy Australia Chairman, Mr David Gray said it is a fantastic opportunity to be supported by one of the most famous rock bands in the world, helping raise not only awareness but give some of our very special ladies a “money can’t buy experience”.
“It really is such a tremendous opportunity, and we can’t thank KISS enough for the support they are giving our organisation while touring in Australia and helping raise awareness around the world,” he said. “KISS have a very close affiliation with service men and women in the US and we are very happy they have decided to support our vital work here in Australia. These ladies have made such a huge sacrifice and it is fabulous we are offering them something very, very, special in return.”
WHAT: KISS
WHERE: Newcastle Entertainment Centre
WHEN: Monday 12 October
MORE INFO: Tickets
