World-renowned musician Lisa Gerrard supports Live4Life Baw Baw

Image Description:  Lisa Gerrard, photo courtesy of The Gazette.

Golden Globe-winning musician Lisa Gerrard will open the gates to her lavish garden, The Cork Tree, at her Drouin West property on 2nd November, raising money for the Life4Life Baw Baw youth mental health and suicide prevention program.

Only the second time Lisa has made the property available as part of the My Open Garden program, The Cork Tree features a range of extraordinary spaces, including a croquet lawn, wedding garden, Chinese gardens, lake and wetlands — all surrounding an 1893 homestead.

The palm tree-lined croquet lawn is part of the original garden. The centrepiece which gives the garden its name is an ancient cork tree. Lisa says the tree is one of the oldest of its kind in the country and provides shelter for birds, frogs, bees, wombats, possums and marsupials. The property is embraced by a horseshoe-shaped zone, dedicated to protecting local fauna and from which people are prohibited.

With a career that dates back to early solo gigs in the 80s at the Rising Sun Hotel in Richmond and performing with Brendan Perry in Dead Can Dance, Lisa is today one of Australia’s most highly regarded singers and composers. She has contributed to more than 40 movie scores including Balibo, Gladiator and Black Hawk Down, and was awarded an Order of Australia for "service to the performing arts through music." She has recently returned from the United States and Canada performing on the Hans Zimmer Live tour.

Lisa is a long time supporter of Baw Baw Live4Life. She said supporting Live4Life with the open garden is important to her because of her own mental health experiences. "I think I've suffered with it all my life, and the only thing that's really rescued me is my music," Lisa said.

Since launching in 2020, Live4Life Baw Baw has provided over 2,300 students and more than 300 adults with evidence-based mental health education. More than 160 young people have volunteered as Mental Health Ambassadors in the Live4Life Crew.

Live4Life Baw Baw includes Drouin, Warragul, Trafalgar and Neerim South in Gippsland and is delivered in partnership with all secondary schools and other education providers in the Shire, as well as six community agencies. The 2024 Crew theme is ‘Connect to Protect’.

The Cork Tree, at 120 Stock Rd, Drouin West will be open from 10am-4pm on 2nd November. Entry is $20 and all proceeds will be donated to Live4Life Baw Baw.

Visit the Open Garden Site.