Rocking out – safely

ON ANY given Friday, in one of 23 Victorian Shires, hundreds of children don their dancing shoes and join the KidzRock craze, and it’s all thanks to Cranbourne musician Geoff Woods. Music was a large part of Mr Woods’ childhood. His parents used music as a tool to socialise and unwind. They sang along to hits of the ’60s, and listened to their friend and Code One member, Brian Carberry, strum the guitar at small gatherings on weekends.
“I used to see the way my parents enjoyed music. It had a big influence on me,” he said.
Mr Woods’ passion for music led him to learn guitar, and by the age of 18, he played his first gig at Phillip Island.
But it wasn’t until he was in his thirties that he would realise his true calling.
“I came home one night, and turned on the TV to find a confronting music video. The song was about killing a cop,” he said.
“I just thought that I needed to do something musically. My wife Michelle and I discussed it and decided to start a dance for kids, and the rest is history.”
Their focus was on providing children with an opportunity to sing and dance to obscenity-free music.
With safety being the Mr Woods’ ‘golden rule’, the dance is supervised by an off duty-officer and up to nine volunteers, and parents are welcome to attend for free.
About 80 kids attended the first KidzRock event in Hastings. Twenty-one years later, the event continues across Victoria, with hundreds of prep to Grade 6 students rocking up to each Friday night event with their parents in tow.
Mr Woods and his wife work an average of 80 hours each week, preparing for the KidzRock dances, which also feature a prize wheel with a chance to win $500 and talent competitions. The duo also recruited a professional dancer named Tahlia and professional actor, James Ness to assist in entertaining large crowds of young children.
“There is a lot of preparation involved,” Mr Woods said. “It gets tiring, and I have flat spots along the way, but I forget about it all after I stand on stage and watch the kids for two minutes. There is always so much love in the room.”
The event has also proved popular among adults, attracting the attention of business executives and event co-ordinators all over the state.
“Yakkerboo President Graham Treloar asked us to open for the Yakkerboo festival when we first moved to Pakenham,” Mr Woods said.
“We did, and it was very successful. There was so much support.”
For the past 13 years, KidzRock has also made a stop at Camp Quality, a retreat boasting a variety of activities for ill children.
“I received an anonymous phone call asking us to play at Camp Quality. To this date, I don’t know who called,” he said.
Mr Woods agreed and was determined to boost the children’s spirits with a night of fun-loving music and activities.
“The whole camp was amazing. There was so much love there,” he said. “The camp allows kids and parents to take a break from the serious situations they may be facing. I walked away knowing that I should never complain about a cold again.”
This year, Mr Woods will be taking KidzRock to Camp Quality in Warburton on 12 September.
Besides spending countless hours preparing and hosting KidzRock events, Mr Woods manages to find time to play lead guitarist with a band which performs oldies but goodies for crowds at charity events and functions across Victoria.
“Groups book us in advance so I can make time to play with the band while still running KidzRock,” Mr Woods said.
The band has played for school fetes, the Warragul Hot Rod Club fund-raising event, the Warragul hospital, Smiths Family Red Cross, and for the past five years, has played at the EMS Rescue Ball in Sorrento.
Mr Woods said he would continue to play with the band and provide KidzRock for children for another decade.
“I think it’s important to set good musical standards for children. I think if we sing of love, there will be love. If we sing of hate, there will be hate,” he said.
“I want to continue doing KidzRock for the next nine years and hopefully someone will step up and take over. I believe that this was my purpose in life.”
The next Pakenham KidzRock dance is on 19 June.