Kallista songwriter Cath Russell has been short-listed for the Australian Songwriter Association’s national competition. 21350 Picture: Tania Martin.
By Tania Martin
A LITTLE song about plastic shopping bags could launch Kallista writer, Cath Russell into the big-time.
The songstress was blown away last week when she was short-listed for the Australian Songwriter Association’s national competition.
The competition is the largest and most prestigious in the country.
Her song titled Carry Better Bags has been short-listed in the children’s category.
The song is about all the damage that plastic bags can do to the environment if they are caught up in the waterways.
The song was first written five years ago and workshopped with primary school aged children with the help of Environment Victoria.
“I wrote it well before the plastic bag issue had taken off,” Ms Russell said.
“It was pretty cool to be short-listed especially when there are thousands that apply.”
Ms Russell has been writing songs for as long as she can remember.
But this is the first time she has entered the renowned songwriting competition.
This comes just eight years after Ms Russell first started writing songs for children.
When she’s not strumming her guitar and looking for new melodies, Ms Russell is also a music therapist.
Ms Russell said writing for children was one of her many passions.
“It’s a lot of fun but it’s tricky because you don’t want to preach…it has to be joyful and fun,” she said.
Ms Russell was chosen as one of 29 to be short-listed for the children’s song category.
“It would be great to get the song out there and into schools,” she said.
