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Part of the diplomat and folk singer’s current tour, Sparrows of Kabul, this weekend’s event at Jezzine Barracks, will recognise the battalion’s contribution to the evacuation of visa and passport holders from Kabul and their history of service in the Uruzgan province.
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One year after his deployment to support the evacuation of Afghanistan, diplomat and folk singer Fred Smith is touring Australia to commemorate the nation’s 20 years of service in Afghanistan and the recent humanitarian mission to evacuate passport and visa holders.
Dubbed Sparrows of Kabul, Smith and his band are travelling across Australia offering his personal account of the nation’s two decade-long commitment with performances of his new single Gates of KIA and his acclaimed album Dust of Uruzgan.
Profits from the concerts in major cities will be contributed to Afghan charities.
Reflecting on the first anniversary of the fall of Kabul, the tour is a sobering reminder of the chaotic scenes at Kabul International Airport in 2021.
“Despite the many challenges during evacuation mission, the Australian team managed to get 4,100 people out, most of whom are now living in Australia. Their girls and boys are going to school and having swimming lessons. We’ve changed people’s lives,” said Smith.
“This is a story worth telling.”
On the 13th of August, Smith will be teaming up with the 1RAR band at Jezzine Barracks for a free public concert to acknowledge the commitment and dedication of the battalion to the mission in Uruzgan and the 2021 humanitarian task.
Supported by veteran-owned cold-pressed coffee company TWENTYFIVEFOUR and the Townsville City Council, the free community event will reflect on the perseverance of all Australian personnel during the conflict.
“At TWENTYFIVEFOUR, we’re proud to have played a role in supporting this event and to help recognise the tireless efforts of the battalion during Australia’s longest war,” Kyle Arnold, founder of TWENTYFIVEFOUR, said.
“As a veteran-owned and operated organisation, our heart is always with the veteran community. Having first heard his moving story during at Anzac Day function earlier in the year, it is an honour to partner with Fred to tell the story of all those who served in Uruzgan and in the humanitarian mission last year.”
Already, Smith’s music has received critical acclaim up and down the country, with Lee Kernaghan covering the title track of Smith’s Dust of Uruzgan in his Spirit of the Anzacs. Smith’s accompanying book of the same title has also received raving reviews.
“As convincing a picture as we will ever have of the tragedy, hope, oddness and courage of Australia’s Uruzgan enterprise … an astonishingly vibrant piece of reportage from the heart of our longest war,” Channel 10 political editor Hugh Riminton said of the book.
To find out more details about Fred Smith’s upcoming shows, read the schedule below:
Tour Dates- Sparrows of Kabul – August to September 2022
Friday, 19 August – Canberra
National Press Club
7:30pm
16 National Circuit, Barton, ACT 2600
https://events.humanitix.com/sparrows-of-kabul-afghan-independence-day-concert-canberra
Friday, 26 August - Sydney
7pm
The Sybil Centre
The Women’s College, The University Of Sydney, Camperdown NSW 2050, Australia
https://events.humanitix.com/fred-smith-sparrows-of-kabul-concert-sydney
Sunday, 7 August - Orange
Sunday afternoon (1:30 – 4:00pm)
CWA Hall in Robinson Park
Tickets: CWA Hall Sunday Series – Fred Smith and Nerida Cuddy | Jam Orange
Saturday, 13 August – Townsville
5:30pm – free community concert
Crossed Boomerang Amphitheatre, Jezzine Barracks, with the 1RAR Band
Supported by Townsville City Council
Details: Dust of Uruzgan - free community concert at Crossed Boomerang Amphitheatre | What’s on
Townsville
Saturday, 20 August - Sydney Folk Festival
Sydney Folk Festival – The Sydney Folk Festival in the heart of Sydney’s CBD
Saturday, 27 August – Newcastle
Fred Smith - Sparrows of Kabul (Newcastle Afghan Community Welcome Concert), Hamilton, 27 August | Humanitix
Gallipoli Legion Club
3/5 Beaumont St, Hamilton NSW 2303
Friday, 2 September- Wollongong
City Diggers
82 Church St, Wollongong NSW 2500
Sparrows of Kabul - Fred Smith and band, Wollongong, 2 September | Humanitix
Friday, 9 September – Point Lonsdale, VIC
Sparrows of Kabul
New Hall, 11 Kirk Rd, Point Lonsdale
Concert starts at 7:30pm
Tickets: $35 – through https://www.trybooking.com/BZXXK
Details: lighthouseartscollective.com
Tickets will open from 1 August
