Celebrities support kids who need to talk

ROBIN PASH

30/05/1999

Sun Herald

ONCE in a while, everyone gets a bit down, even famous people.

That's the message of Beating The Blues, the second annual celebrity photographic exhibition and auction to support the national Kids Help Line.

The free, 24-hour counselling service for children aged from five to 18 receives more than 30,000 calls a week but limited funding means only half those calls can be answered.

Last year's photographic auction raised $31,500 for the counselling service. This year's collection will be auctioned at Pyrmont on June 22.

Thirty-five Australian celebrities are supporting the 1999 campaign, revealing how they personally beat the blues. Lisa McCune: For the star of the Seven Network's Blue Heelers, a healthy dose of fresh air in the country is a good cure on a blue day.

David Wenham: The co-star of TV's SeaChange has, since childhood, enjoyed seeing the Cann family's amazing collection of snakes and other reptiles at La Perouse.

Kylie Minogue: Pop icon Minogue says a good gossip goes a long way towards making her smile when she's down: "Talk to a friend."

Alex Dimitriades: For the star of the film Head On and TV's Wildside: "I put my headphones on and feel that beautiful ocean breeze."

Cate Blanchett: The Oscar-nominated actor finds art galleries restore her spirits: "I lose myself in a painting."

Kids Help Line can deal with suicide-related calls or even children needing advice on how to cook dinner. And calls have increased more than 200 per cent in the past five years.