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Popular, professionally-run events could soon be “gone for good”, an industry expert has warned. Devonport’s Jimmy Foster hasn’t worked a day since COVID hit. He can’t. At least, not in the career he has spent the last 20 years building. Up until March this year, Mr Foster was busy running events management company Circa 41, bringing musical acts like Pete Murray and Thirsty Merc to the Forth Pub, among other things. “We were the first industry to be shut down, and rightly so,” Mr Foster said on Wednesday evening. “At the start it didn’t hit me that hard because you’re at home with your family … I’m usually in Tasmania for probably three months of the year.” But – for Mr Foster and thousands of other Tasmanians who produce, cater, clean, provide sound equipment and more for the entertainment industry – the recent cut to the government’s JobKeeper payments has been a harsh reminder of their shaky position. “JobKeeper has been keeping us going,” he said. “The reason its been scaled back is because people are getting back to work essentially … but we’re not. “It’s unlikely that we’ll be back to work even next year … that’s the problem, there is no time frame, there’s no plan.” To that end, Mr Foster has joined thousands of others in a nationwide campaign, lighting Devonport’s paranaple Centre and the Forth Pub red on Wednesday night as a reminder to the government of a “dying” industry. “Tonight is about cutting us some slack,” he said before the campaign. “These businesses that put on Festivale, Ghost Rock … The people behind that, they may not be here to put it all back on again in the future. It’s nearly at that point where we’re looking at other things.” He said it would be a sad thing for the entertainment and event industry to lose the expertise it had built up over years. “I’ve been doing this since 2000,” he said. “Many of us … it’s what we’ve been doing our whole lives, some of us through uni, most of us learning in the trenches.” Head to www.wemakeeventsaus.com/ for more information.

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Popular, professionally-run events could soon be “gone for good”, an industry expert has warned.

Devonport’s Jimmy Foster hasn’t worked a day since COVID hit.

He can’t. At least, not in the career he has spent the last 20 years building.

Up until March this year, Mr Foster was busy running events management company Circa 41, bringing musical acts like Pete Murray and Thirsty Merc to the Forth Pub, among other things.

“We were the first industry to be shut down, and rightly so,” Mr Foster said on Wednesday evening.

“At the start it didn’t hit me that hard because you’re at home with your family … I’m usually in Tasmania for probably three months of the year.”

But – for Mr Foster and thousands of other Tasmanians who produce, cater, clean, provide sound equipment and more for the entertainment industry – the recent cut to the government’s JobKeeper payments has been a harsh reminder of their shaky position.

The paranaple Centre was one of many iconic venues across the country to be lit in red on Wednesday night. Picture: Eve Woodhouse

“JobKeeper has been keeping us going,” he said.

“The reason its been scaled back is because people are getting back to work essentially … but we’re not.

“It’s unlikely that we’ll be back to work even next year … that’s the problem, there is no time frame, there’s no plan.”

To that end, Mr Foster has joined thousands of others in a nationwide campaign, lighting Devonport’s paranaple Centre and the Forth Pub red on Wednesday night as a reminder to the government of a “dying” industry.

“Tonight is about cutting us some slack,” he said before the campaign.

“These businesses that put on Festivale, Ghost Rock … The people behind that, they may not be here to put it all back on again in the future. It’s nearly at that point where we’re looking at other things.”

He said it would be a sad thing for the entertainment and event industry to lose the expertise it had built up over years.

“I’ve been doing this since 2000,” he said.

“Many of us … it’s what we’ve been doing our whole lives, some of us through uni, most of us learning in the trenches.”