Hi Folks
The month of May brings two major events on our gig calendar. The first was the Bay of Islands Country Rock festival. This year held from the 8th- 10th of May. The weather was a bit dodgy on
Friday but by Saturday morning it had cleared and the 26th festival was bathed in sunshine. A wide range of acts had been assembled by convenor Shirley May and there was something to please every ones musical tastes. The headliners were New Zealand’s country legends Suzanne Prentice, Eddie Low and Brendon Dugan with support from Aussie acts Rodney Vincent, Tom Gordon, Callum Gleeson and Stephen R Cheney and a host of kiwi acts to fill the bill.

Once again we were supported by Andrew, Tiny, Ian and Richard aka The Mountain Mist Band. We are so lucky to have these great muso’s playing with us. We had 4 gigs during the weekend
kicking off at the Paihia Pacific on Friday night where Alexander Gramse was the soundman. It is always a pleasure to work with Alexander. It was also Annette’s debut playing the mandolin and she did a great job. We also had a great gig at the Paihia Ex-servicemans Club on Saturday night with a fantastic crowd turning out. We managed to catch up with a few of the other acts including our very good friend Graeme McCardle ably back by our Pedal steel player Andrew Paterson. I also had a bit of a family reunion with my cousins Craig Robertson and John and Jackie Herkt. Craig was one of the acts for the weekend and John and Jackie had travelled up from Whangarei to take in the festival.

Before we knew it the weekend was over and another successful festival had come to an end. Congratulations to Shirley and her team we look forward to festival number 27 next year.

The following Sunday we headed out to Norfolk Island with a group of 28 country music lovers to take in the sights and sounds of the 22nd Norfolk Island Country Music Festival held on the beautiful South Pacific Island. It was nice to see a mixture of old and new faces on our tour again this year. Des and Sharon Fatt haven’t missed one since we started in 2008. We had a full week of activities planned for the group starting on Sunday evening with a welcome dinner at the Leagues club with awesome entertainment by local singer Lully. That kicked the week off nicely. Our good friend Leo Nola joined us for dinner as well. We usually stay with Leo on island but due to Alex being with us this year as part of our tour we required a disability shower so opted for a unit at Hibiscus Aloha. Everyone was thankful for a lie in on Monday morning and time to sort out cars and groceries. The afternoon saw us on our half day tour to familiarise everyone with the island and its amazing history.

Monday evening was the New Zealand Showcase with Headliner Suzanne Lynch supported by Glenn Moffat, James Ray Still and 2014 TTEOY winner Cheryl Anderson. The show was mced by Kylie Austin with backing from the Huckleberries and Echo’n’ Harmony providing bv’s. Tuesday morning was our regular mini golf competition including dress up and special team names,
Golden Orbs, Ferral Chickens, Old Brown Cows, Raucous Roosters, Turn Back Terns and Dopie Island Dogs. The individual winner was Des Fatt. The team names were used for a little photo competition that we had for everyone to participate in and the winners of that were Carol and Dave Digby with runners-up Bev and Lloyd Gravatt well done both couples for entering into the spirit of things.

Tuesday evening brought on the Trans-Tasman competition, 5 Kiwis against 5 Aussies. Tanya Cornish from Australia took out the 2015 title. All the kiwis sang exceptionally well and were unlucky not to be recognised for their performances.

Wednesday was a free day for most with some of us taking advantage of the Culla & Co Clydesdale horse and carriage excursion which was fantastic again this year with a beautifully fine morning and amazing cliff top views. Those with platinum and gold passes were treated to an afternoon acoustic concert with some of the headliners. That evening Annette and I performed at the RSL from 5-7pm for the locals and those on tour who wished to attend the show.

Thursday was the Island Fish Fry at Puppies Point. It was a bit chilly but fine with some amazing colours at sunset. The group was entertained by Trent Christian, a descendant of the Pitcairn
Islanders, and there was fish for Africa. Following the Fish Fry we headed back to Rawson Hall for the Aussie showcase with Headliner James Blundell supported by Anne Kirkpatrick, the daughter of Slim Dusty, Roo Arcus and Tori Darke. The show was mced by Cameron Syrett with backing by Five Play. A great concert.

On Friday Annette and I had our second gig at the RSL this time from 12-2pm. Our group had a great lunch and an awesome sing- along with special appearances by Mary Mac, Ken Foster and Shaun Ryland to top the afternoon off and not forgetting our lovely local Vonny. Check out the photos. They must be somewhere on facebook or this website. Friday night most ventured to the Hoedown but Annette, Alex, Jo and Wayne made it to the Night as a Convict and had a great time by all accounts.

Saturday was a full free day for everyone. A time to do last minute shopping, catch the ship unloading, which is always an interesting sight or check out those hidden spots that the island has
and you hadn’t been able to get to during the busy week and just soak up the peace. To cap the week off we had our Traditional Norfolk Dinner hosted by Baunti Escapes. This was a final chance to
get together and thank everyone for joining us on Norfolk, hand out the prizes for the photo comp. and enjoy one another’s company before heading home on Sunday. We had a great week and hope that everyone on the tour did as well. We look forward to next year now and already have some people rebooked which is just awesome. If you would like to join us as well please contact us
through our web site, email or Facebook and we will send out the Registration of Interest forms so that you won’t miss out on this great week of country music on this beautiful South Pacific island. Come join us we would love to meet you.

Until next time take care and keep it country.
Best wishes
Annette and Kim

Hi Folks

On the 27th of March we flew to Dunedin to entertain at the South Otago Town and Country Club in Balclutha. This was our first trip to this part of the country. We had been invited down by Ngarita Carter and the Balclutha Country Music Club. We were met at the airport by Ngarita and her partner Kevin Carson and headed down to Balclutha which is about 45 minutes south of the city. We settled in at Ngarita and Kevin’s home and prepared for the weekend.

On Saturday morning Ngarita and Kevin took us to Kaka Point south of Balclutha to see the Lighthouse and to do some Seal spotting. This is an awesome part of the country, very rugged and wind swept with fantastic views. It is just a short walk to the Lighthouse and the Nuggets which are a cluster of rocky out crops located below the Lighthouse. There were plenty of Seals doing their thing on the rocks and in the ocean. We then headed home for lunch and to prepare for the show.

At about 4:30 James Durham, the sound man, arrived and we set off to help set up the gear and following a lovely buffet dinner we were on. We had an awesome night and it was great to finally meet the people that have been buying our cd’s for a number of years and to put faces to the names. It was especially nice to catch up with Colin Clarke and his wife. Colin has been writing to us and buying cd’s ever since he heard us on Radio Dunedin a few years ago. It was great to see Graeme Partridge again also. Graeme is Melissa’s dad and is also a member of Dunedin Country Music Club. Graeme and Melissa are also inductees of “America’s Old Time Country Music Hall of Fame”. Great to meet Cowboy and his friends as well, also Chris Collins who’s dad Neil works for Radio Dunedin and to our good friend Graeme Fyffe who first started playing our music on Radio Dunedin. We would like to thank everyone that supported us on the night and for showing your appreciation for our music we hope to see you all again in the near future. Thank you Ngarita for inviting us down and to you and Kevin for your hospitality we had a wonderful time.

Thank you also Balclutha Country Music Club and especially James for helping out on sound. Thank you to Jen and the staff at the South Otago Town and Country Club for your support and for a great meal. We finally got to bed at around 1:30am after meeting every one, having a chat and taking a few photos. We were up at 6:30 and at the airport at 9:15 for our flight home at 10:00. We were back in Whangarei at around 4:30pm ready for the cricket final, but we won’t say too much about that. We have a bit of a break now to get ready for the B.O.I. Festival and our Norfolk trip. We still have a couple of places left on our tour group but you will have to be quick if you want to join us for this fun filled week of country music.

Until next time take care and keep it country.

Best wishes

Annette and Kim

Hi Folks

As I said in February’s newsletter after returning from our Australia trip we were straight back into it. We flew in to Auckland on the 2nd of March at approximately 6:30pm and once we had collected the car from Heartlands Hotel we headed for Whangarei. On Wednesday the 4th of March we were celebrating Kamo Clubs Dance Sections 15th Birthday. A good crowd had turned out to enjoy the evening and dance the night away. We look forward to entertaining these guys for another 15 years. The following Sunday we caught up with The Mountain Mist Band for the day to go over some new material and refresh our existing songs ready for the Bay of Islands festival in May. We had an awesome practice and are looking forward to bringing you all some new songs with this great band.

From the 12th until the 15th of April we were guests of Mike Butterworth and the Opotiki Charity Trust at the 20th Annual Charity Country Music Concert raising funds for local charity’s such as St John and the Volunteer Coastguard. Mike had assembled a great line up of singers which included some young up and coming entertainers along with some legends of New Zealand country music such as the ever popular John Grenell and the consummate showman Dennis August supported by Annette and Kim. All were backed by the Opotikicountry Show Band with B.V.’s by Sharon MacIntyre and Ali Blue. The three shows were ably M.Ced  by New Zealand country music’s very own Kylie Austin and local radio personality L J Dobbin. The audiences were treated to three exceptional concerts and it was nice to see some familiar faces from the country music scene also there. We had an awesome weekend and managed to find some great bargains in the local shops as well. It was great to catch up with old country music friends Bob and Rangi Katipa, Dennis August and Gaylene Brennan, Kevin and Kay Tappin, Graeme and Sharon MacIntyre, Merv and Ali Blue and Shaun and Donna to name just a few. Thanks to everyone involved for a fantastic weekend. We hope to catch up with you all somewhere sometime soon.

The other great thing about traveling to Opotiki are the antique shops along the way where we did find one or two gems that were either purchased on the journey or remembered for the future.

Take care and remember to keep it country.

Best wishes
Annette and Kim

Hi Folks

February has been a very busy and exciting month for us. We attended the inaugural Country Stampede Festival in Pukekohe and Tuakau with The Mountain Mist Band from the 6th – 8th of February. This was a big commitment from Dianne and her supporters and with a little fine tuning we are sure next year’s festival will be even better. It was great to catch up with people we have not seen in a while and listen to some great country music.

On Thursday the 12th we headed up to Paihia to entertain John Howie’s Australian tour group at the Sword Fish Club. This was also a great night with everyone getting into the spirit of things. Thanks John for inviting us to perform it was a real pleasure and we hope your group had as much fun as we did.

The following Saturday we made our way to Auckland where on Sunday morning we flew out to Australia for two weeks of gigging. We arrived in Melbourne and were met at Tullamarine Airport by our very good friends, Margaret and Robyn, the Toy Boys better halves, who took us to the Williamstown markets where Rod and Pete had their stall set up. It was a scorching hot day for us but apparently pretty normal for the locals. We met up with Sandie Dodd who was performing at the market with Col Perkins. They put on a great show and were kind enough to let us perform a couple of songs for the crowd after which we headed to Kyneton to Rod and Margarets place. The next morning we loaded up the caravan and made our way up to Barham to settle in and prepare for the festival.

We were first up in the Auditorium on Wednesday morning following the Tuesday Dance Night with Peter and Gale Bell of “GEDUPNDANS”. We did 14 gigs in 4 days and had a great time catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. It was also great to spend some time with Craig and Katrina Adams who were staying in the same accommodation and were attending the festival for the first time. It was also nice to catch up again with Royden Donohue, George and Lilly Farnham, Kerran and Karen and the Denva Band. The Denva band put in a lot of work and we would like to thank them for doing such a great job. Annette also had a surprise visit from Les Dwyer all the way from Queensland. Annette and Les have been corresponding for about 8 years ever since we met Les in New Zealand on a John Howie tour. So it was awesome for them to catch up again. Les’ son Shaun was kind enough to bring Les up to the festival from his home in Bendigo. The Sunday finale was another awesome show no doubt you will be able to catch something on Facebook or Utube. Thank you, Joyce and Ruth, for allowing us to perform at the festival. We look forward to seeing you all again next August. Sadly it was Joyce’s last festival at Barham but we hope to catch up with her in
Corowa next year also.

On the Monday we finished off the week by doing the Monday Madness for the RSL. This is a great afternoon of raffles and music for members and the local community. We must thank Rosina for giving us the opportunity to perform and also to our very good friend Anthony Tenace for providing us with a P.A. system for the afternoon. Luckily during the week our roadies, Dale and Barb, had arrived from Adelaide to ferry us to our next gigs and to show us some of the sights of Victoria (but don’t let Barb into any Information Centres). During the week we took a tiki tour up to Swan Hill to the Pioneer Settlement. This is a step back in time and is a must see for anyone going to the area. From Barham we made our way down to Kyvalley where Anthony had arranged a Morning Melodies for us. This was a fund raiser for the Kyvalley community swimming pool. There was a good turn out and we had an awesome morning performing for the locals. Thanks to Bev and Beryl for organising the morning and once again to Anthony for the P.A. system. It was also a pleasure to meet Anthony’s dad Mick and his sons Jack and Mitchell during our stay in Moorupna. From Kyvalley we headed to Horsham for our Thursday night and Friday Morning Melodies shows. We made it to Bendigo on Wednesday evening and stayed the night before completing our journey on Thursday morning booking into Wimmera Lakes caravan resort. We had time for lunch in town and a swim back at the resort before the show at the Horsham RSL. We had a great night entertaining a full house. It was nice to see some familiar faces from the Barham festival as well. Tony Lawrence helped out with the P.A. system and he and his lovely wife Cynthia also did a set which was appreciated by the audience. Friday saw us back at the RSL for the Morning Melodies starting at 9:30. This was another good crowd some traveling more than an hour or so from Edenhope to attend the show. Both shows were a great success and we must thank Lyall Wheaton for organising them, Tony for the P.A., Noel the manager of the RSL for allowing us to play and Aunty Dot for the lovely gifts. Thank you to everyone that came along to support us at all the shows it is very much appreciated. We hope to see you all again in the near future. Check out the photos especially the ones of us with Tony’s ’68 Chevy Impala.

With the gigs all completed we headed for our final destination, Adelaide, arriving around 7:00 o’clock Friday evening at Barb and Dales house. However, the trip wasn’t over yet. On Saturday we were up early to prepare for a day at the Clipsal 500 V8 motor racing, a first for both Annette and myself. Adelaide certainly knows how to put on a show and we could not believe how loud those V8’s are, even with ear plugs in. It took a little while to settle in but once we had checked out the race track and surroundings we had an awesome day. Thank you to Dale, Barb and Lyndon for an outstanding new experience. Sunday we just chilled out, had a swim and went for a drive around Adelaide, oh did you see us in the corvette, cool eh. We have very cool friends and it was sad to say goodbye on Monday morning as we headed for home and a full month ahead in March. So we will catch you then.

Take care and remember to keep it country.

Best wishes
Annette and Kim

Hi Folks

Firstly we would like to wish you all a Happy New Year and hope that you had a safe and enjoyable festive season. And now it’s back to reality. Welcome to 2015. It’s going to be another busy and exciting year and we hope you all can join us.

Our first gig of the year was our very first concert at the Wanganui War Memorial Centre on the 14th of January on our way to the Marton Country Music Festival. We made our way down to Wanganui via SH4 and the National Forest which was an interesting and scenic drive in itself. We had a great night entertaining a small but appreciative audience that didn’t want to leave once we had finished our last song, which was a very nice feeling. Thank you to everyone that supported us on the night. We would also like to thank Ken and Sue Carrick and their support staff who made us feel so welcome. We definitely look forward to a return visit sometime in the future.

The following day we had lunch with Lloyd and Nancy Muller and then had time to look around Wanganui. We made our way up to the War Memorial Tower via the 66 metre elevator ride up through the hill it stood on and on to the viewing platform above the elevator shaft to view the sights of Wanganui. We totally recommend it to anyone staying in or passing through Wanganui. From there we headed for Marton but were side tracked by an awesome antique shop at a little place called Turakina. This is a must stop for those interested in good old stuff. Annette picked up a
couple of items and I was almost tempted, maybe next time.

We arrived in Marton Thursday afternoon and settled into our accommodation before heading over to the park to catch with Len and Anne. An impromptu walk up was held in the evening before the main festival started on Friday afternoon with a good number of motor homes already arriving for the weekend. The Friday night concert headlined Dennis Marsh with support from ourselves, Reg McTaggart and the Yodelling Ladies all ably backed by the band Pheonix.

Walk ups started a 9:30am on Saturday and continued until 1:30pm when invited artists took to the stage to perform until approximately 5:30pm. The weather was awesome and a good crowd of over a thousand people was building up during the day enjoying the entertainment and hospitality provided by Anne and her team and the many singers that got up to sing. Main acts on the afternoon show included Allan Webster from Australia,thank you Allan and Maureen for the entertainment off stage as well, Roger Tibbs making a comeback following his success in the US, great to catch up with Roger and Denise again, we have not seen them since our trip to the States in 2013, Jason Bradley the festivals main draw card from South Africa who has a similar style to Brad Paisley and on talking to him said that Brad has been the biggest influence on his style of guitar playing, he was also saying that there are very few country artists in his country, nice to meet Brad and his wife Tina, and local entertainers Dennis Marsh, Joy Adams, Kylie and Trevor, Abby and Nancy Muller to name just a few. The entertainment was near continuous on Saturday with just a short break to allow people to grab a bite to eat and freshen up before the evening show started which
featured selected artists supporting the overseas acts. These included some of the acts previously mentioned along with Tori Tuau, a promising young singer from the Rangitikei area, Keith Herbert and Peter Jackson guitar and banjo players respectively and ourselves. It was a fantastic weekend and great the catch up with old friends and to meet new ones as well. Thank you for supporting us and the festival. Thank you also to the two bands, Shotgun and Pheonix, who played during the weekend and put in a lot of hours backing everyone that wanted to sing. Our thoughts go out to friends that could not be with us for the weekend Graeme and Linda McCardle and the Moratti and Pascoe families for their recent losses.

The weekend wound down with the Gospel walk ups on Sunday which included a touching tribute to those who could not be with us.

On Monday morning we said our farewells and headed home stopping along the way to view the Tangiwai memorial between Waiouru and Ohakune. It was the first time for me on SH 49 and the first time at the site of this devastating train crash. We also stopped at Horopito Motors just off SH4 not far out of Ohakune. This was one of the places used in the filming of the Bruno Lawrence movie Smash Palace, you know where he is in the car sitting across the railway tracks. I have never seen so many car wrecks. From there it was about eight hours of driving to get home and the end of an exhausting but exciting week.

Now we look forward to February and it doesn’t slow down we will be in Pukekohe on the 6th,7th and 8th for the inaugural festival there and the following weekend we are off to Australia for two weeks for the Barham festival and a couple of organised gigs we have arranged as we make our way to Dale and Barbs place in Adelaide where we will be going to the Clipsol 500 motor racing before flying home on the 2nd of March. But we will tell you all about that later.

Until then take care and keep it country.

Best Wishes
Annette and KIm