Earlier this year we were contacted by Hamish from Bats4life.
Bats4life began when Hamish (co-founder) was approached by a family friend, Roger, who knew Hamish had a strong passion and love for the game of cricket. He had seen Hamish reviewing bats on Youtube and suggested the idea of refurbishing older cricket bats and then passing them on. Hamish then decided to expand on the idea and approached Patrick and together they co-founded the organisation Bats4Life. They then incorporated some other individuals, all with unique skill sets, to help drive the organisation forward. These foundation members are Harry, Lachie, Sam and Ned.
Hamish read about Willo and connected with us by sending 15 bats for Will to refurbish.
Its why this works so well. Its all about the connection and the coming together of people wanting to make a difference. It may be a small difference in the scheme of things but it suggests a lot about the human spirit. Hamish and his mates are proving that from little things big things grow.
Since that initial connection a lot has happened and we are now preparing for an exhibition in Melbourne on the 21 October organised by Hamish and his family. We will drive all of our bats to the Bright Space Gallery in St Kilda and set up a 1 day event to showcase the work of our incredible artists and the plan for Willo Industries. We hope to sell many of the bats and move a little closer to getting the business moving.
From a small idea and a need to act on a fear that Will would not find his place … we now have had 2 exhibitions, numerous stories on national TV shows, radio interviews and print media, a launch of a small business, audiences with amazing and talented artists and inspirational people from all over Australia … and 12 months under our belt. For a boy who cannot read or write or simply express his feelings I wonder what he makes of all of this and the attention he is receiving. I wonder will he ever realise the movement he has created around the bats and the love that flows his way.
So the Exhibition .. Bats4life Art Exhibition 20th October 2017 6.30-8.30
Brightspace Gallery, 8 Martin Street, St Kilda
Bats4Life is proud to announce an exciting exhibition of some of Australia’s leading artists, musicians and celebrities. Purchasers of these exclusive painted cricket bats will be supporting a worthwhile cause which aims to ‘find ability in disability’. In Australia cricket is part of our national identity: it is the tribal encounter which pits us against other nations. As a nation cricket is in our psyche. Another major attribute of Australian culture is our willingness to lend a hand to those in need and our readiness to help the less fortunate. Bats4Life is a group of fourteen-year-old cricketers from Melbourne. They have embarked upon a unique philanthropic venture, which has helped various groups over the past year. They began by renovating and recycling used cricket bats and providing them to refugees and other groups who would otherwise have no access to the sport.
In this new venture they have decided to help a boy with autism spectrum disorder whose name is Will Clarke. Will’s organisation, Willo Industries, provides refurbished cricket bats to artists, musicians and celebrities for them to paint on: these bats are then sold. The proceeds go towards the organisation whose aim is to find ability in disability. Artists from around Australia have participated including Archibald Prize winner Ben Quilty and rock musician Jimmy Barnes.
Inspired by his example, Bats4life have decided to stage a fund-raising exhibition of these bats and all proceeds will go to this autism charity. The boys are leading by example and they hope that their enthusiasm for the project will inspire others to take advantage of this unique opportunity to own an artwork by a leading Australian practitioner.
Bats will be available to view and purchase on Friday 20th October. Prices will be most generous to reflect the special nature of the exhibition.
More information can be found at: bats4life.org
Event invitation
BATS4LIFE CHARITY ART SHOW