Support Swells For WA Muso & Family After Devastating House Fire

Acclaimed West Australian musician Joni Hogan — best known as one-half of the creative core of Joni In The Moon — and her partner Toby Mack are the subject of a grassroots campaign of support after losing their home in a house fire this week.

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up by the couple's friend Dimity Magnus, an interdisciplinary artist and the director and producer of Dr Sketchy's Anti Art School in Perth. According to her summary, the pair's family home, in Boya, "burned down early morning on Wednesday" (18 January), though "thankfully, all of the kids were away and Joni and Toby managed to get out of the housefire safely".

Firefighters attended the site about 5.45am (WST) on Wednesday, but were unable to save the building.

"The fire was located on the bottom storey and was extending into the top storey," District Officer Nigel Elliot told Nine News. "Unfortunately, the fire couldn't be stopped; we have lost the whole property, and we're looking around about $400,000 damage."

As Magnus explains in the crowdfunding campaign, without insurance, the impact on Hogan and Mack is devastating.

"Unfortunately, it's rare to think these things can happen to us and they had no insurance to cover such a freakish accident," Magnus wrote.

"We are hoping to help them replace necessary items and aid them with food and shelter. Though the loss of valuables is immeasurable we can show our support to help get them back on their feet again."

The community has been swift to rally around Hogan and Mack, with almost 70 donations coming in over the past half-day or so to accrue $5888 (at the time of writing) of the campaign's $15,000 goal. 

There is also a Facebook group dedicated to the relief effort, where friends and friendly strangers can consolidate their plans in terms of further fundraising events and other ideas, as well as needed items.

Along with being a hugely likeable sort, Hogan is renowned in the music community for her work with Joni In The Moon; the band, which consists of Hogan and her brother, Josh — with Tara John, Steven Richter and Ofa Fotu providing live accompaniment — won last year's Pop category in the WAM Song Of The Year awards for their track War & Porn, having also been nominated in the 2013-14 awards for the Folk category (for L'il Star), among other accomplishments.

The cause of the fire has not been established; according to local paper the Hills Gazette, a Fire Investigation Officer was due to attend the site yesterday.