New Zealand's favourite lesbian singing duo Jools and Lynda Topp are doing their bit for some other national icons. They will be fundraising at their Blenheim concert set to benefit the BNZ Save the Kiwi Trust. The Topp Twins' Summer Hoe-Down Tour is celebrating Kiwi country and bluegrass music. During the concert in Blenheim tonight, the Topp Twins will be highlighting the plight of rowi kiwi. They will also be encouraging concertgoers to make a donation to the BNZ Save the Kiwi Trust, which has been a key player in the species' recovery. "We're thrilled to have the support of the twins to help bring rowi to the attention of such a broad audience," says Jim Livingstone, DOC's Rowi Project Manager. "Rowi have been on the brink of extinction, with only one natural population remaining – in Okarito on the West Coast – so they need all the help we can give them." The Topp Twins have also recently signed on to be patrons of phone-support organisation OUTLine, something General Manager Vaughan Meneses is ecstatic about, "It was really important to us that we chose people who were well-respected, well-loved and meant something to our community," he says. "As an organisation we felt that we've got our own heroes. And they're the people that we want to support and have support us in turn, so it's just great that they're coming onboard. " Menses says OUTLine is planning to have an official party/investiture when the twins have finished their tour, in March. "We want that to be not only a celebration of what it means for OUTLine to have them as patrons, but also it's a way for the community to say thanks."
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Monday, 10th January 2011 - 3:35pm