Woodford Folk Festival founders reveal ‘breaking point’ after chain of tragedies

The founders of the famous Woodford Folk Festival are “at breaking point”, their eldest son says, after being hit by a series of tragic events.

Bill and Ingrid Hauritz, creators of the Woodford Folk Festival. Photo: Supplied/Tom Hauritz

The community has rallied to support the creators of the famous Woodford Folk Festival following a series of tragedies including a fire that destroyed their beloved family home of 40 years.

Festival founders Bill Hauritz and Ingrid Hauritz, both in their 70s, are still facing the prospect of having to rebuild their home from the ground up, years after the devastating fire – all while Bill is facing an uncertain medical future and possibility of requiring full-time care.

Their eldest son Tom Hauritz said his dad started the festival back in 1987 out of an “absolute passion for coming together with people and enjoying music” – a passion that has stayed with him ever since.

“I don’t think retirement was ever going to be an option unless it was forced on him – like something like this,” Mr Hauritz said.

The Hauritz’s struggles started back when the Covid-19 pandemic forced the festival to close two years in a row.

“The events industry in Australia collapsed overnight,” Mr Hauritz said.

He said just as they were “coming out of that haze” with Woodford Folk Festival returning in 2022, their family home in Nambour burned down to the ground.

“It was an unexpected shock to the system which I still haven’t recovered from,” Mr Hauritz said.

Bill and Ingrid with their sons Tom (right) and Jack. Photo: Supplied/Tom Hauritz

A years-long insurance battle ensued, which Mr Hauritz said wore his parents down to the point of settling for “less than they needed”.

“ … That ultimately came as the result of just exhaustion and desperation and just being broken down by it,” he said.

Ingrid stepped down from her work with the festival in those years and, while Bill officially stepped down as director, Mr Hauritz said his dad was still “working harder than he’d ever had” to ensure the festival’s survival.

When the couple “hit breaking point,” however, they decided to “down tools” and set off overseas – but there, their troubles only worsened.

Bill was staying with a friend in Bali when he suffered a stroke – during which he fell and caused a significant cut to his foot.

“It’s been an absolute train wreck since then,” Mr Hauritz said.

“It was an emotional roller coaster but you know the real threat came where his foot went from having a cut to pretty well gangrenous and life threatening.”

Bill and Ingrid suffered further financial losses paying for Bill’s emergency flight home – for which the family is still grappling with an outstanding insurance battle – and multiple surgeries when he arrived back in Australia.

“It was a surgery every other day there for a good couple of weeks just to try and save the leg,” Mr Hauritz said.

Ingrid is still living in temporary housing today, while Bill remains in hospital after suffering a second stroke just after Christmas – during the most recent festival.

“Interestingly enough, that was sort of the first family Christmas we’d sort of done properly for as long as I can remember … It was as if he knew something was going to happen,” Mr Hauritz said.

Bill enjoying time with one of his grandchildren. Photo: Supplied/Tom Hauritz

Mr Hauritz said his dad had since suffered multiple falls while in hospital, during which he had broken his knee and re-injured his foot.

“That’s sort of triggered a whole new layer of PTSD for them both just in terms of dad having gone backwards in some ways – as a result of not just the fall but going back to the hospital where he was so depressed with the foot in the first place.”

Now Mr Hauritz said the family was facing the tough reality that Bill may not be able to come home even if they do manage to rebuild the house.

“There’s no doubt he will require care of some sort – whether that is living in a care facility full time which I think would just break his heart and I think all our hearts as well … Or you know some sort of in-house care,” he said.

“All these questions and costs just start coming up.”

Mr Hauritz and his brother Jack started up a GoFundMe around the start of March to raise funds for their dad’s medical care, their mum’s current housing, and also to rebuild their beloved childhood home.

The fundraiser is now just shy of their $50,000 goal – which Mr Hauritz said they had initially struggled with the idea of asking for.

“On the other hand, knowing what they’ve been through and knowing what they’ve given back (to the community) you sort of like think should we make it a million?” he said.

Bill and Ingrid Hauritz both dedicated their working lives to the Woodford Folk Festival – with Bill taking on the role as director until 2023, and Ingrid assisting with finance and admin. Photo: Supplied/Tom Hauritz

Mr Hauritz said a lot of the donations were coming in from family friends, but also from fans and supporters of the festival.

“It’s been incredibly humbling and touching … I’m sort of brought to tears a bit right now thinking about it,” Mr Hauritz said.

Mr Hauritz said his dad would “never not be able to contribute” to the festival as it was “just so ingrained in how he sees the world” – even now when he was “still struggling to open his eyes”.

“Even conversations he and I have in those more lucid moments, he’s still talking about Woodford and talking about when he wants be to get back involved,” Mr Hauritz said.

Mr Hauritz said he had helped with the festival in varying capacities over the years, after it had formed a key influence on his upbringing.

“I often refer to it as my middle sibling,” Mr Hauritz joked.

“It’s intrinsically linked, it’s part of my fibre as a human – all those ideals and values and wishful thinkings and conversations, I was under the kitchen table for a lot of them.

“ … There’s a big part of me that I guess can’t help but see it as a legacy of my dad – wanting to contribute to that.”

Mr Hauritz said he and his brother would be posting updates to their Facebook about the fundraiser, and would be continually grateful for any further donations to put towards his parents care.

Originally published as Woodford Folk Festival founders reveal ‘breaking point’ after chain of tragedies