News from Annette & Kim

July/August 2019

Hi Folks

Following on from the very successful 30th Bay of islands Country Rock Festival we took a break for the month of June. As many of you are aware Annette headed off to the USA with the Kevin Greaves Tour Group. I am sure everyone was entertained by the regular Facebook up dates that allowed us all to follow her journey from Lake Tahoe to Gracelands, Bakersfield, the Grand Ole Opry and New Orleans to name just a few of the amazing locations that were visited.

Our first engagement for July was the Whangarei RSA. Always enjoy entertaining these folk and we hope to be back there before the end of the year. The following Sunday we had a great afternoon with the residents of the Hibiscus Coast Retirement Village in Orewa. Lovely to see some familiar faces from the country music scene in the audience and again we would love to come back in the near future. Thank you Elaine and the committee for inviting us to perform for you all.

The main event for July was our trip to Australia and the Barham Stampede held at Club Barham RSL in NSW on the banks of the Murray River. We always enjoy returning to this festival and catching up with old friends and making new ones and they love their dancing as well. It is a pretty full on three days but so rewarding. It was also great to see Dargavillian Janice Lugtighied there with her sister and brother in law enjoying the festival. After an early flight from NZ on the 25th we arrived in Melbourne to be met by our Aussie dad, Dale, who had travelled once again all the way from Adelaide to join us for a couple of weeks on the road. It was so nice to see Dale again only 12 months for me but 2 years for Annette. Hugs and tears all around. Once we had found our way out of Melbourne we headed to Barham with a small detour to Lockington to pick up a P.A. system to use for our Monday Madness gig at the club. Kindly supplied by our good friend Kerran Keats. And a short stop at one of my favourite shops on the way “HV McKay Rural Discovery Ctr” in Elmore. A must see for any traveller. We arrived in Barham late afternoon to be welcome by Motel owner Gary in his usual cherry way. A bit of a tidy up and a little grocery shopping and we were ready for the weekend and the Thursday night show “Kings and Queens of Country” starring Sandie Dodd and Callum Glesson. An entertaining and fun show by two very talented performers to kick off the festival in style. Performing the hits of such legends as Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Dwight Yoakem, Kenny Rogers and Glen Campbell to name just a few.

On Friday we were into the festival proper. We were joined by fellow Kiwi’s Aly Cook and Dennis Marsh along with a host of Aussie performers which included Allan Webster, Danny Stain, Justuss (Wendy and Kerri), Rene Diaz, Sharon Benjamin and the Cartwheels. It was also very nice to see familiar faces on the dance floor enjoying the music and great to catch up with Susanne and Bruce, Don and Muriel and we were pleasantly surprised with a visit from our very good friends Rod and Margaret McCarthy from Kyneton. We met Rod and Margaret on our very first visit to Barham back in 2012. They were caravanning with family at Barham Lakes and have been coming to the festival for many years. On a couple of occasions they were kind enough to pick us up from the airport and shuttle us up to the festival. It was awesome to see them again.

As usual the weekend goes by too quickly but we were privileged to be able to perform a couple of songs with NZ Country Legend, Dennis Marsh, and Australia’s Country Gentleman, Allan Webster. Hope you all get to see the video on Facebook. Thank you both for sharing the stage with us. We must thank the band “Southern Cross” for all their hard work during the weekend. Thanks Bob, Col and Anthony, great job. A pleasure to perform with you all. Thank you to Anthony Tenace on sound and to Linda and the club for having us. Also a big thank you to the fantastic audience that supported not only ourselves but all the artists that performed. We hope to see you all next year. However, the show wasn’t over completely as we still had the Finale to go. Before we left New Zealand Annette asked me what we were going to do for the finale and I said,” Well since you didn’t get to wear your chicken suit last year it will be something to do with chickens”. The finale was one of the best we have been involved in. I hope we can get the videos on to Facebook so everyone can see what we have done, as I don’t think words would do it justice. Will be a hard one to top that is for sure.

With all the farewells said it was on to the Monday Madness at the club. An entertaining afternoon of raffles and music expertly run by Marie and unfortunately a glitch with the P.A. system. However, with the support of Linda from Club Barham and Anthony we were able to set up a smaller system to finish off the afternoon proceedings. Thank you so much Linda and Anthony. No raffles won by our team this year. We also send our love and best wishes to our dear friend Audrey James who usually comes to see us on the Monday but is unwell at present. Take care Audrey we wish you a speedy recovery and hope to see you next year. Maureen and Allan had decided to stay for the Monday Madness and Allan offered the use of his P.A. for our Morning Melodies gig in Kyvalley the following day. Which was a lifesaver. So Monday arvo we all headed to Moama where we had booked accommodation at Moama Discovery Parks. Totally recommend their cabin accommodation, clean , warm and spacious for the weary travellers. We then headed over to Moama RSL with Maureen and Allan for a lovely dinner and a bit of banter.

Tuesday morning up early and on our way to Kyvalley Community Hall for our Morning Melodies gig and to meet up with locals, Bev and Beryl, to set up the P.A. ready for a 10:00am start. We had a great morning with sing a longs and stories and even a bit of a history lesson concerning what may be a connection for Annette and the Dickson family and the Kyvalley area. Ask her about it next time you see her. The morning wasn’t without it’s dramas either. For some spooky reason we had a bit of  a power surge go through the hall which affected the sound desk. Fortunately for us Allan had packed a spare and with little trouble changed over to the new one and we were up and running again. We think he thinks we are jinxed. Thank you so much for all your help Maureen and Allan much appreciated. Also thank you Bev and Beryl and the local community for supporting the morning and for having us entertain. We certainly hope to see you again soon.

At Kyvalley we said our goodbyes to Maureen and Allan and headed off to spend a couple of days on RnR. We decided to head to Tucomwal where there is a great little antique shop and then on to Yarrawonga and Mulwala to show Annette the lake and weir built on the Murray River. A night in Mulwala and dinner at the RSL then next morning a look around both Mulwala and Yarrawonga. One of the highlights being the Pioneer Museum at Mulwala. Those of us born in the 50”s and 60’s will remember our Grandparents using some of the items on display. Hand Mincers, mangles and concrete tubs, cream separators, all manner of horse drawn carts and harvesters, collars and hames, turn of the century aeroplanes and blacksmith display. A must see if you are visiting or just passing through. From there we headed to Shepparton via the painted silo’s at Tungamah, St James, Devenish and Goorambat. We had visited the silos at Rochester on our way up to Barham from the airport. These murals are amazing – see photos of them below. They are breathtaking.

After a night in Shepparton we visited our 2nd favourite shop Shepparton Second Hand and Collectables on Goulburn Valley Hwy. Yes, we both found something here to buy. Such an amazing shop it’s like being on American Pickers. From Shepparton we headed to “Cactus Country” which Annette had spotted not far from Strathmerton a couple of days before when we were driving to Tucomwal. Cactus Country is a garden containing more than 4000 species of cacti and succulents from around the globe and has eight different garden trails. Again hopefully we will get some photos on this site. You can even wear Mexican sombrero’s around the gardens and try a little cactus cake at the café. Yummy. Allow yourself at least half a day to explore.

We then decided to head back to Moama via Barmah and a quick look at Barmah Lake, also on the Murray River, and the surrounding wildlife. A phone call to Moama Discovery Parks and we knew we had warm accommodation to look forward to. Once there we would be able to prepare in comfort for the Lockington Festival. Which we duly did. We must thank Dale for being our tour leader and for being so patient.
Friday 2nd August was the day to head over to Lockington, about a thirty minute drive away, but not before a look around the beautiful town of Echuca. Which included a little wine and fudge tasting along the way. Then lunch at the 3 Galahs café and hello another antique shop and a couple of Elvis records to add to my collection. Don’t worry, Annette did a little retail therapy as well.

Our next stop was to the home of our host for the weekend, Jennie Keele, who had kindly opened her home to us and with whom Dale and I had stayed with last year. Thank you so much for having us Jennie much appreciated it was great catching up again. Once our gear was unloaded and we were settled in we headed to the Lockington Community Hall to catch up with festival organisers Roz and Craig Giles and prepare for our first set. It has been a pleasure to perform at this festival over the last couple of years as we have made so many friendships and it is always so nice to renew them each year. We count among them Roz and Craig, Kerran Keats and Di Jones, Rupe Adams, Kinta Watts, James Moore, The Night Owls band Bob, Col and Fergie wonderful job guys and a big thank you to the talented Grant Luhrs on sound. So very nice to catch up with Allan Carroll again. We first met Allan on our first trip to Barham back in 2012 along with his lovely wife Nancy. So sorry to hear of Nancy’s passing Allan we send our love to you and your family, Nancy will be sadly missed by everyone that knew her. What can we say about the audience, amazing, they love their dancing. No more so then a wonderful couple from the small town of Simpson, Frank and Barbara. To see them dance is just such a joy, awesome. We were also blessed with a surprise visit from our dear friend Jenny Edwards. Didn’t think we were going to see you this year Jenny. Once again before you know it the weekend is coming to an end and we are saying our goodbyes. A special mention must go to the local volunteers from Lockington that kept us all fed and watered during the festival. Fantastic job everyone.

We then made the decision to head for Adelaide and home. So that was 670kms in 7 hours at night. Didn’t see any Roos but Annette reckons she spotted one fox along the way.

We spent a few days catching up with Dales’ family and overcoming a few fears as shown by Lilly the blind Alexandrie Parrot and Rusty the Bearded Lizard. Success. One of the highlights of our trip was being invited to have dinner with the Sherrah and Stewart families. Tracy Stewart and her brother Steve competed on the NZCMA Awards circuit with their mum, Chris, back in the 70’s and 80’s at the same time as Annette and her sisters were competing and are also good friends of the Kanara family. The well-known musical family from Whangarei. So lots of connections there to reminisce about. Tracy and her husband the very talented guitarist, Anthony Stewart, along with Steve and his wife Michelle perform as The Sherrahs and their harmonies are awesome. We enjoyed a lovely family dinner followed by a sing a long that included items from all family members. Thank you so much for your hospitality and for sharing your amazing talents with us. Hopefully we can do it again sometime in the near future.

An early morning flight from Adelaide to Melbourne saw some emotional goodbyes to Dale. So sad to be leaving but we will certainly see him again soon. Melbourne to Auckland and the drive to Whangarei and we were home.

Looking ahead to September and October. We will be in Te Awamutu to perform at the Spring Hoe-Down on Saturday September 14th  at the Sport and Recreation Club on Albert Park Dr. Really looking forward to performing at the festival. Thank you Keith for inviting us down. On Saturday October 12th we will be helping the Whangarei Special Olympics with a fundraising concert at the Kamo Club. We have been lucky enough to have two icons of New Zealand country music agree to support this event, Dennis Marsh and Brendan Dugan will be joining us for the afternoon. Tickets are available now from the Kamo club. See you all at one of these two great events.

On a sadder note. While we were away two of our dearest friends passed away, Viv Bennet and Horrie Ogle. We will miss them both very much as they have been two of our biggest supporters for many many years. We send our love and deepest sympathies to each of their family members and in their memory we will keep on keeping it country. Rest in peace Viv and Horrie.

Best wishes everyone. Annette and Kim

April/May 2019

Hi Folks

Our first gig in April was at the RSA. Another great night of dancing. It is always a pleasure to entertain here as we get such great support from the patrons. It looks as though we will be back at the RSA on the 5th  of July. So catch you all there.

The following Sunday saw us catching up with the guys from The Mountain Mist band for a practice before the Bay of Islands festival. It usually pays to have at least one.

Saturday the 13th April we were part of the Fall into Fall weekend at the Kamo club. Our spot was Saturday avo 1 – 3:30. Not a large audience but very appreciative and happy to sit and listen to the afternoon show. On Friday night we went along to support my cousin Craig Robertson and his band 43 Holes. Another awesome night of country and rock’n’roll tunes to get everyone on the dance floor. Saturday night was the turn of evergreen entertainer Shane and his band Shazam to get the crowd going. I hear it was a fantastic night. Overall an awesome weekend for everyone that attended the shows.

On the 27th April we were part of the Ruatangata Hall Variety Concert Fundraiser. We were joined by some very talented locals to raise funds for the up keep of the community hall. The artists were piped into the hall at the beginning of the show by bagpipe player Hugh Montgomery. An awesome way to start the evening. Other artists included vocalist Amanda Raynor accompanied on guitar by her husband Paul Van Den Berg performing a couple of The Steeldrivers songs one being a great rendition of “If it Hadn’t Been For Love”. We were then entertained by two wonderful instrumentalists Graeme Phyn on keyboards and Wallace Johnson on Saxophone playing a variety of well known tunes. Joe Pita a very talented man fairly new to the district then treated the audience to some of his original songs and awesome guitar playing. A good number of locals turned out to support the evening. A big thank you to Pam and Peter Morgan and the committee for helping to organize this event. Hopefully more talented locals will start practicing hard for the next fundraiser.

And so into May and the internationally renowned “ Bay of Islands Country Rock Festival” 2019. What a great milestone for Shirley May and her team, 30 years, of providing outstanding country music to New Zealand fans. The photo shows Shirley presenting me with a “Certificate of Recognition” for performing in the 1st and 30th festivals and a few in between. Only two others share this achievement, Dallas Grant and Tony Harrison. I am sure that both Dallas and Tony feel the same way I do which is; It has been a pleasure Shirley. The photo also shows one of the great country albums from the ‘70s which I sometimes mention at our gigs “20 Town and Country Greats Vol 1”. A classic. Thanks for the copy Shirley.

We had three gigs over the weekend. The first being at the Copthorne in Waitangi. This is a great venue and it was awesome to be back performing with Richard, Tiny and Ian as The Mountain Mist Band. Then it was off to Russell and the Duke Tavern where were able to catch up with Joni Harms and her daughter, Olivia, all the way from the US of A. We first met Joni a couple of years ago when she travelled over for the Marton Country Music Festival. It was so nice to see her again and get a photo together with herself and Olivia. We also caught up with the very talented Carylann Martin. Carylann has agreed to play piano accordion on an original song I am recording with Mike McCarthy at Manuka Studios in Orewa so I am really looking forward to that. We managed to grab some dinner at the Russell RSA and listen to a great band from the mainland “The Northern Outpost” multi-talented musicians for sure.

Sunday we were at the Paihia Sports Bar for our final show. A great audience turned out to support us which was magnificent. Thanks to James on sound great job. We also managed to touch base with our Aussie friend, Callum Gleeson, an awesome singer who we will be seeing in Barham NSW in July. There were so many friends we were unable to catch up with but we hope you all had a fantastic time at the 30th anniversary festival.

That is all we have booked until Friday the 28th June when we will be appearing at the Henderson RSA. Look forward to seeing all our Auckland fans at this one it’s going to be a great night.

As most of you will be aware Annette is currently in the USA on the Kevin Greaves Tour with our good friend Elva Morgan. By the photos and videos being posted on Facebook they are having an awesome time. I’m sure we wish we could all be there with them. Lucky buggers. Follow the tour with Annette on Facebook. She is doing a great job of keeping us up to date on their travels.

One last thing to mention. Congratulations to all the contestants at the Norfolk Island Country Music Festival. Well done Jaydin Shingleton 2019 Winner Trans-Tasman EOY Award and Best Original Song. Runner – up Cherie Sinclair and Tegan Reid Most Promising Artist. We hope everyone involved in the festival had a fantastic time on this beautiful South Pacific Island.

So, take care and remember to keep it country and to all our Aussie fans and friends we will see you all in Barham in July. Can’t wait.

Best wishes

Annette and Kim

February & March 2019

Hi Folks

We had four great gigs during February and March. On the 24th of February we were in Kawakawa for the Variety Charity Concert to raise funds for the Kawakawa Vintage Railway. Shirley May had once again organised a great lineup of artists to entertain a small but appreciative audience. These included BOI College Kapa Haka group with a rousing performance to kick things off, the multi talented Diane Brown, Roger McLean family string trio, vocalist Daniel Morrison, Jack and the Boys playing country rock and Jack Tane another well known entertainer around Whangarei and Northland. The show was held together once again by MC John Carter. A great day had by all for a very worthy cause. We wish Frank and his team the very best. They are doing a great job of keeping the history of Vintage Rail alive.

On the 6th of March we were at the Kamo club entertaining the Dance Section on their 19th birthday celebrations. Wow where did those years go. So next year will be the big “Two O”. Hope we get an invite to that one. Always great to play for these guys and watch some awesome dancing.

On Sunday 10th March we did something a little different and joined some of the Northland country music clubs for a day at the Towai Tavern. A selection of players and singers rolled up to enjoy the day and to be part of a fantastic day of country music. A big thank you to Dennis Pabirowski for supplying and operating the sound system for the day. A great day with great friends and great food supplied by Towai Tavern management and staff. This may become an annual event.

Finally in March we headed off to Thames to be a part of the 5th Thames Country Music Festival organised by my cousin Craig Robertson. We were appearing on the Saturday night Showcase but the festival kicked off on the Friday night with a welcome show and then the Friday night Showcase. Craig had a fantastic lineup of artists for the weekend and it was so nice to catch up with so many friends we had not seen for quite sometime. Great to see the Kamo contingent down to support the weekend as well. An awesome lineup of bands had been arranged for the weekend these included Craig and

43 Holes, Hired Gunz and Koltrain. Koltrain were our backing band for Saturday night and did an awesome job as did all the bands during the festival. It was such a pleasure to meet up again with the Te Paa boys Arbie, Richard and Chad and Robbie Katipa jnr amazing musicians and so talented. Festival goers were not disappointed. Some of the fantastic acts on display were; country legends Dennis Marsh and Brendan Dugan, NZCMA patron Dennis August, Coopers Run, Kylie Austin, Carleen Still, Grant Reha Timoti, Joy Adams, Te Whanau, Derek and Lynn Evans, Spellbound, Nelton and Faye, Debz Standen, Bruce Greaves, Peter Frew and of course the man himself Craig Robertson. Also a big thank you to Ted Viscovich and Peter Still on sound and Rolleston Motel for the accommodation. Very much appreciated.

And that was about it for February and March everyone. Hope to catch up with you all sometime somewhere along the road. To all those in the Auckland area we will be at the Henderson RSA on the 28th of June 7pm till 11pm. Before that we will be at the 30th Bay of Islands Country Rock Festival on Saturday and Sunday the 11th and 12th May with “The Mountain Mist Band”. Really looking forward to performing with Richard, Ian and Tiny again.

Until then remember to take care and to keep it country.

Best wishes

Annette and Kim

January 2019

Hi folk

Happy New Year to you all. Here is a quick round up of our January gigs. The year commenced with two shows with our very good friend Allan Webster “Australia’s Country Gentleman” all the way from Millicent S.A.. Two fantastic shows one at the Kamo Club on Wednesday 9th January and one at the Whangarei RSA on Friday 11th January were both very well supported. It was great to so many people coming out so early in the year. It just goes to show that if you have good quality entertainment people will definitely support it. Which we appreciate very much. Thank you all we had a ball as I’m sure Allan did as well. It was also a special treat to be entertained be Maureen and Allan’s granddaughter, Melody, at both shows. Melody will be a force to be reckoned with in the years ahead in the entertainment industry. Once again thank you to the Kamo Club and the Whangarei RSA for allowing us to perform and to all those that travelled to the shows. We know some of the Mobile Homers did Wai Worri Festival and were heading to Marton for the festival down there. It was nice to see Maureen and Allan again and to be able to return the favour of arranging gigs as they so generously do for us when we are traveling around South Australia and Victoria. We look forward to catching up with them in July at the Barham Stampede. Can’t wait for that

Marton Festival 2019 with Nikki Anglesey

On Friday the 18th January we headed to Marton to appear at the Marton Country Music Festival. We missed the 2018 festival due to life. But we were glad to be back in sunny Marton to entertain the huge crowd that had turned out for the weekend. They weren’t disappointed as John and his team had gathered together an amazing group of artists to perform over the weekend.  These included Headliners New Zealand’s own Marian Burns and Noel Flynn all the way from the emerald isles Ireland. Noel  has a traditional country style which went down well with the appreciative crowd. Noel brought his wife Becky with him to experience the sights and sounds of New Zealand and its country music. Marian needs no introductions she is New Zealand’s fiddle player extraordinaire. And Annette and I were blessed to have Marian join us on stage to accompany us on two songs. Thank you soooo much Marian

Marton Festival 2019 with Noel Flynn

We had a great weekend. Thank you to everyone that supported us by buying cds and coming over to chat. We heard some great stories over the weekend. Some we can’t repeat. It was great to catch up with so many friends especially Lloyd and Nancy from Hawera, Lorraine from Whangarei and Gail and Ngatoko Kupe from Fielding. It was so nice to see you all again. Also a big thank you to Beth and Andy Watson for providing us with accommodation over the weekend. What a beautiful home you have. Beth and Andy are very busy people. Andy of course is the Mayor of Marton and together they own “Spookers” in Auckland which is where Beth had to go for the weekend to work. Don’t worry Beth, Andy took care of us wonderfully. Hope to see you both next year.

Nikki Anglesey

Also taking to the stage were; Coopers Run, Kylie Austin, Joy Adams, Carylann, Jenni Smith, Gail Russell, Allan Dennis, Derek and Lynn Evans, Sharon Miller, Kevin and Kay Tappin, Twin Set, and Legal Tender to name just a few. Thanks to the backing bands for their hard during the weekend Los Bandas and Hired Gunz a great job. And let’s not forget Keith Murch for providing the sound. Thanks Keith

The weekend was finished off with the Sunday Gospel walk-ups and then general walk-ups  before finishing off with a rousing finale song lead by Marian and Noel

Thanks John for a great weekend. It looked as though it was a record turnout. Congratulations to all your support team as well. Fantastic job. Great music, great food and great friends what more could you want. We also send our well wishes to Ron Austin. Hope you are on the road to recovery Ron. Couldn’t imagine a country show without yourself and Pam there.

That’s about it folks. Our next festival will be in Thames on the 23rd of March with my cousin Craig Robertson. Also hope to be at the Bay of Islands Country Rock Festival in May with “The Mountain Mist Band” and on Sunday the 24th of February we will be at the annual Kawakawa Vintage Railway concert. Then on the 6th of March we will be at the Kamo Club to celebrate the Dance Sections 19th birthday. So look forward to seeing you at one of these gigs. Until then take care and remember to keep it country.

Best wishes
Annette & Kim

September to December 2018

Hi folks

Wow. The year has just flown by once again. Here we are again getting ready to finish 2018 and looking forward to all that is in store in 2019. We would like to thank everyone that has sent their kind wishes to Annette while she has been unable to sing. It is most appreciated.  Since my return from Australia in early August we have slowly been getting back to performing as a duo. This has included a fundraiser for the Whangarei Special Olympics held at the Kamo Club and a guest artist spot at the Northern Wairoa Country Music Club’s fundraising concert for the Northland Rescue Helicopter held at the Dargaville Club. Both events have raised well over $1000 each.

There was a great turn out for both of these shows with the crowd at each one enjoying the afternoon and really getting into the spirit of the day. Alex Dickson getting a great round of applause for his rendition of “The Gambler” from the audience at the Special Olympics show and also receiving a “near life size” Elvis poster from his good friend Bill Pomare. I would like to mention at this stage how sad we all were to farewell Bill and Fay Pomare who left Whangarei in early November to join their family on the Gold Coast. We will really miss these guys at our gigs. Thank you so much for your support over the years.  

The Dargaville show was ably M.C.ed by Leeanne Dunn, who travelled up from Matamata, with singers from the club adding to the entertainment backed by Bruce Stenhouse and his band, Jim Wallace Snr (a very popular performer), Peter, Jack and Kerry with Ken working the sound. The crowd really getting in to the medley which we now regularly perform at shows.
On the 23rd of November we did our first evening gig together for quite a few months with a performance at the Whangarei RSA. Once again the crowd was awesome and it was great to see so many familiar faces either happy to sit and listen or out on the dance floor. The following Tuesday we were entertaining for the residents of the Kamo Retirement Village. This was another enjoyable afternoon with everyone singing along to all the old familiar songs.Tuesday evening we were booked to entertain for members of the Whangarei Friendship Club, formerly known as Probus, at their end of year dinner held at the Kamo Club. We would like to thank Gloria and Lyn respectively for inviting us to perform at these two events.

Heading into January we are very excited to have our good friend Allan Webster here in Whangarei performing at the Kamo Club on Wednesday  the  9thand at the RSA on Friday the 11th. Allan and his wife Maureen have been wonderful to us when we visit Aussie. Taking care of us and our Aussie dad Dale whenever  we are travelling through.Allan is a seasoned singer/songwriter beginning his career in the music industry back in the sixties as a teenager forming a Rock ‘n’ Roll band with his brother and a couple of mates. They performed alongside the likes of the Beatles and Gerry and the Pacemakers at the Cavern Club. Allan will have his grand daughter, Melody, with him to perform as well. Melody is a very talented singer and has an amazing voice. Don’t miss these shows. There will be dance music so bring your dancing shoes.

On Wednesday the 5th December we performed our final gig for the year at the Kamo Club Dance Sections Christmas break up. What a great night this was with a good sized crowd enjoying the evening’s music. It was so nice to see everyone out on the dance floor enjoying themselves. Some had even donned a little Christmas bling to celebrate the occasion. You may see a few photos doing the rounds on Facebook. Thank you to Denise and John and the Kamo Club for inviting us to perform. We look forward to being at the club in 2019. And a little shout out to our family members who had ventured out to support us. It was so nice to see you all there.

On the 18th 19th and 20th January we will be at the Marton Country Music Festival. John has a great line up of country artists performing with Headliners, Noel Flynn from Ireland, and our very own fiddle player extraordinaire Marion Burns. It looks as though camping spots are filling fast with no powered sites left at the venue.

Sunday 24th February we will be in Kawakawa for the Railway concert and on March 23rd and 24th we will be joining my cousin Craig Robertson for the 5th Thames Country Music Festival. Craig is getting together a fantastic weekend of country music. So we look forward to catching up with you all at one of these events.

Finally we would like to thank everyone for your support in 2018. We wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a safe and happy and country music filled New Year.

Take care and remember to keep it country.

Best wishes

Annette and Kim

July/August 2018 – Aussie Tour

Hi folks

During July and August we were to travel to Australia to perform at several festivals and shows. As you all are aware now due to health reasons Annette was forced to remain in New Zealand and rather than disappoint our fans in Australia it was decided that I should continue the trip by myself once we had contacted all the convenors and organisers to make sure they would still be happy to have just Kim. Which, thankfully they were. Before I continue I must thank a few people for their assistance during the trip in providing gear, setting up gear, organising gigs, providing accommodation and transportation and a whole lot more. Firstly our Aussie dad, Dale, when we count our blessings in life we count Dale twice. Dale was my driver, roadie and marketing manager to name just a few. Don’t know what we would do without him really. Di Jones and Kerran Keats for the sound system and home style accommodation, Nancy and Reg Walker for all the help in arranging the Geelong gig. Much appreciated. Bidge and Barbara Boyd for the Colac and Camperdown gigs. Very inspiring to see the work you both do. Our thoughts are with the drought stricken farmers around Australia. Maureen and Allan Webster for their friendship and help in making our trip successful. Also very much appreciated. And to Allan and his great band “The Country Gentlemen” Nev, Henry and Drew for their support at Adelaide. That was a blast. Rosina at Club Barham for her understanding and support at the Barham Country Music Stampede. We all wish you the very best in your new endeavour. We will miss you. Gary and Sally at Colonial Motel for the accommodation at Barham. Roz and Craig Giles once again another great festival at Lockington. Jenny Keele for the accommodation at Lockington. Thank you Jenny for supporting Roz and Craig and making us feel welcome in your home. The heated wheat packs were lovely. Sandy and Graeme Smallacombe at Southern Country Music club Adelaide so nice to meet you both. Bev and Beryl at Kyvalley Morning Melodies lovely to catch up again. Thank you to you all for your help and support. We look forward to doing it again soon.

On Thursday the 26th July I landed in Melbourne ready for my three week stay in Australia performing at several festivals and shows. I was met by Dale and we headed up to Barham for the three day festival. Beginning my first set on Friday in the newly renamed Loddon room with a sit down audience was a bit nerve wracking not having my sidekick there to help run the show and tell me what to do. It took a little time to get used to the fact Annette wasn’t there and I had to take it one set at a time. But we made it through and it was great to catch up with old friends and to make some new ones as well. The crowd was wonderful and all asked how Annette was doing and sent her their best wishes for a speedy recovery. Other acts performing at the festival were New Zealand’s Craig Adams and Dennis Marsh both very popular acts at the festival. Well known Australian country singer Alby Pool along with popular Aussie artists Allan Webster, Sandie Dodd, Sharon Benjamin, Marie Hodson and new comers Shelley Jones Band and Danny Stain. Ably supported by “The Southern Cross Band” Anthony, Colin and Bob. Nothing was ever a problem for these awesome guys. It was great to work with you all again. A great weekend was had by all topped off with a hilarious finale that saw some great impersonations, improvisations and costumes take to the stage.

On the Monday I had the Monday Madness to do at the club before heading off. This is a fun afternoon of raffles and music run by the club and is great entertainment especially if you were lucky enough to win a prize. Not this year either for me. From Barham we headed to Echuca and a couple of nights with Di and Kerran who kindly supplied the sound system for the Monday Madness and would also help me out at Kyvalley for the Morning Melodies on Tuesday. A great morning was had by all that attended in support of their local community.

On Wednesday morning we decided to head down to Shepparton as we had a couple of days free before having to head to Lockington. There is a great antique and second hand shop that I wanted to visit again which we duly did. Di had also suggested we visit Yarrawonga and take a look at Lake Mulwala. So once shopping was completed at Shepparton we headed for Yarrawonga. Lake Mulwala is a manmade lake used for irrigation and is part of the Murray River. It is pretty spectacular and well worth a visit. We booked into the motel on the hill and had a chance to regather and take stock ready for the coming week. We made our way back to Echuca the following day stopping and
shopping at Cobram, Tocumwal, where we diverted to take a look at the Blow Hole. This is a hole in the ground said to be around 30mtrs deep and linked to the Murray River. Water flows from it generally when the river is low. Then on to Nathalia and finally ending up back at Di and Kerran’s.

On Friday the 4th August Dale and I headed to Lockington, along with Di and Kerran, as Kerran was also part of Roz and Craig Giles’ festival to be held for the second year at the local community centre. This is a great venue, set out well with plenty of room for sitting and dancing. The local community provided lunches and dinners at a small cost a good fundraiser for the community. My first set was on Friday night and I also had two sets to perform on Saturday. All went well and it was great to catch up with Roz and Craig again. They do an awesome job of organising this festival. Once again it was great to catch up with good friends Rupe Adams, Kinta, Callum Gleeson, Mick Hocking,
James Moore and Larry and Wendy Woods from Country Horizon who were on their music tour and heading up to Tamworth for the festival. Thanks to the “Good Time Band”, Colin, Fergy and Bob and Grant Luhr on sound. We couldn’t stay for Sunday as I needed to be in Geelong for a guest appearance at the Pleasant Sunday Country Music club held at the Sphinx Hotel function room in North Geelong. We had a great afternoon of music and it was awesome to have my cousins Kevin and Jeffrey Stopher there to see me with their wives Faye and Allison and also Dale’s brother Grant and his wife Cheryl came along to support me as well. Once again thanks to Eric Cook for the
invitation and to Reg and Nancy for arranging it all plus the accommodation. Fantastic. Thank you so much. We also had a lovely meal together after the club day. Monday was a free day and we decided to stay around Geelong before heading to Colac. So it was off to Portarlington for a quick look at where Dale’s father used to take the family on holiday. A nice hot chocolate was just the thing to warm up after a brisk walk along the jetty. It wasn’t exactly sizzling. We then headed down to Queenscliffe at the mouth of Port Phillip Bay and the entrance to Melbourne harbour. After a night spent with Grant and Cheryl in Geelong we headed down the Great Ocean Road where we would eventually head in land at Lorne and the next gig at Colac. On the journey down we saw some awesome scenery and got some great photos.

Tuesday evening 7th August saw me at the Colac RSL. Reg and Nancy had traveled down from Lara to support me and Bidge Boyd and his wife Barbara supplied and set up the sound system for me. This was another good night enjoyed by all and a little dancing was had as well with a conga line thrown in for good measure. From Colac we headed to Camperdown for a Morning Melodies on Wednesday organised by Bidge and Barbara Boyd held at the Camperdown footy club. This is another great venue with seating for around 250 people plus. The morning was a sell out as you may have seen by the video Bidge put on Facebook with the audience sending Annette a big HELLO. This
is a regular event run by Bidge and Barbara to raise funds for various charities. The money raised from our show was donated to the farmers drought fund. A very worthy cause at the moment with so many farmers facing difficult times. Well done Bidge and Barbara. Having said our goodbyes and thank you’s for an awesome morning we managed to hit the highway at around 3pm. We had decided to head down the coast again as Thursday was free and my next show was in Millicent on Friday night. We managed to make it to Port Fairy where we found lodgings and once again managed to take stock and get ready for the final burst as it were. Thursday morning we headed to
Millicent to meet up with Maureen and Allan Webster and to prepare for the gig with Allan at the Millicent and Districts Community Club on the Friday night. A small but appreciative crowd turned out to enjoy an evening of country music from “Allanette and Kim” the new duo taking country music by storm. From Millicent we were on the last leg home to Adelaide and a guest appearance at the Southern Country Music Club on Sunday the 12th. The support band for this show was Allan Webster and The Country Gentlemen band, Nev, Drew and Henry. It was a fantastic afternoon with this awesome band. This is also a great venue with a bbq lunch available or sandwiches and cake if you prefer and licensed as well. The dance floor was seldom empty. It was also nice to catch up with David and Marilyn and Joe again. Also some of Dales family attended the afternoon to hear me sing live for the first time so that was pretty cool. Thank you guys. And that brought to an end my Aussie tour. Made it. It was sad goodbyes to Maureen and Allan and the band as they had to head back to Millicent. The next couple of days were spent chilling out and trying to pack. We decided that it may be best to freight some of the stuff home rather than pay for extra baggage. Can’t wait for it to arrive. Early Wednesday morning I flew out of Adelaide heading for home. And that folks was about it. We will catch you all somewhere sometime in the future. Remember to take care and keep it country.

Best wishes
Annette and Kim

May 2018

Hi Folks

Well it had been about 3 years since we last performed at the Bay of Islands Country Rock Festival and we were certainly looking forward to being back for the 2018 festival and performing with “The Mountain Mist Band” once again. We had decided to busk as well and although the weather was a little inclement we managed to get a few hours in on Friday but Saturday was a washout. However we were looking forward to our weekend gigs and catching up with acts that we have not seen for a while. The Headliners for the festival from New Zealand were The Toner Sisters and the amazing Warratahs. And from Australia Michelle Plozza.

We enjoyed successful gigs at the Ex-Servicemen’s Club, Paihia Sports Bar, Duke of Marlborough and the Kingsgate Hotel over the weekend. With only a couple of practices under our belts we were more than happy with the end result. The guys did an awesome job as usual. Thank you Richard, Tiny and Andrew for supporting us. Andrew stepping up to handle all the lead breaks as Ian was unable to make it up to the festival. But he had given us full warning that he may not be able to make it. We missed you Ian.

It was great to catch up with friends Raymond and Esther Solomon, Gray Bartlett and Brendan Dugan, Marian Burns and Matt Zarb, Carylann, Craig and Katrina Adams, Robert Antonio and his wife and my cousins Craig and Donna Robertson. Before we knew it the weekend was over and we were getting ready for our next engagement.

We had not intended to take a tour group to Norfolk Island in 2018 as we had made the decision in 2017 to make that our final trip to the festival. However the call came from The Travel Ctr on Norfolk Island about 3 weeks out from the festival to help fill a second charter on a 47 seater Chatham Air convair 580 turbo prop aircraft to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Norfolk Island Country Music Festival. This would be the first time this type of aircraft has been used to bring people to the festival. It was too good an opportunity to pass up. On short notice we managed to get a group of 13 adventurous people to join us for this inaugural flight. What an adventure it was as well. It was like stepping back in time. We had a great flight up and back and were well looked after by the Chatham Air staff. It is hoped Chatham Air will start regular weekly flights to Norfolk Island if it is feasible. We certainly hope so for the sake of all our friends on Norfolk who desperately need the regular service from Kiwi.

With little time to organise activities for the group on Island we decided to play it by ear and arrange things as we went along. We had organised 3 gigs at the RSL during the week and a half day tour was included as part of the tour. A BBQ was organised at short notice before one of the evening shows and Ken made an emotional speech during the proceedings which was very touching thanking Alex for phoning and asking if he and Elaine would come on the tour with him. We also had an hilarious afternoon of mini golf with the men’s winner being Allan Lappin and the ladies winner after a playoff hole was required being Jo Dickson. We also had a wonderful picnic lunch at Cooks memorial. This is an amazing spot and the weather was magical. Our good friend Dids Evans allowed our group to visit their property at Flagstaff which overlooks Kingston and the group was blown away by the views and the generosity of Dids and his wife Gaye. It was so nice to catch up with all our friends on Norfolk Island and we hope to see you all again soon.

It was such a great week of country music with Aussie Headliners Troy Cassar Daley and Travis Collins with guest artists Fanny Lumsden, Johanna Hemara and 2017 Trans Tasman Entertainer of the Year Mason Hope and Kiwi Headliners Dennis Marsh and The Topp Twins with guest artists Farmer and Doublet, En-Tranzet and NZCMA Intermediate Entertainer of the Year Jaydin Shingleton. Backed once again by 4PLAY and The Huckleberries respectively with BVs by Echo ‘n Harmony, Sharon and Rosemarie. And not forgetting the local Norfolk Island band which helped begin the first festival 25 years ago reunited for the celebrations “ The Nightriders”. The weeks celebrations were topped off with a performance by Aussie singer Shannon Noll as a special treat for all the volunteers that have made it possible over the years for the festival to reach the 25 year mark. Well done everyone.

As mentioned in our previous Newsletter we are getting ready for our trip to Australia at the end of July beginning of August for the Barham and Lockington country music festivals and are very excited to be doing a couple of guest spots at country music clubs in Geelong and Adelaide. Follow this link for dates and times plus read about the Morning Melodies and Evening Shows we will be doing with Bidge Boyd and Alan Webster along the way.

Before then we will be on our first visit to the Henderson RSA on the 29th June. Hope to see you at one of these venues. Until then remember to take care and to keep it country.

Best wishes

Annette and Kim

February/March 2018

Hi Folks

We have had some great gigs during February and March. On consecutive months we have performed at the Whangarei RSA where we have had awesome support.

Usually we do 3 1/2 hours starting at 6:45 and playing until 10:15 but on both occasions we could have kept playing until 11:00 as the crowd was having so much fun. There are some awesome dancers popping up at these gigs and it is fantastic to see.

We also celebrated the Kamo Club Dance Sections 18th birthday on Wednesday the 7th March. Once again they put on a fantastic night which included some yummy birthday cakes. We hope to catch up with you all sometime during the year. We would also like to wish the Kamo Club all the best for their 75th Jubilee celebrations this coming Easter.

We have just completed our Good Friday gig for the NZ Motorhome National Rally being held at Barge Park here in Whangarei. More than 500 Motorhomes are on site which should equate to over a thousand people attending the Rally for the Easter weekend. We had a fantastic night entertaining everyone. They all got into the spirit of the night by dressing country, singing along and dancing the night away. There were quite a few familiar faces in the crowd and it was nice to catch up with old friends. These Motorhomers certainly get around as we have met many of them on our travels around the country from the Bay of Islands in the north to Marton in the south. We must thank Tony Harrison for supplying the sound system for the weekend. There are certainly some challenges with mixing sound in a massive marquee and Tony did an amazing job. It was also nice not having to set up and pack down gear. We will see Tony again at the BOI festival in May.

And speaking of the Bay of Islands festival we have had our first practice with “The Mountain Mist Band” for quite a while. We are looking forward to bringing some new songs and a different sound to the festival in May. We haven’t performed at the festival for about three years due to our tour hosting commitments to the Norfolk Island Country Music Festival which we do not have this year. We are certainly looking forward to performing once again with the band.

We are also gearing up for our trip to Australia at the end of July beginning of August. So looking forward to performing again at the Barham Stampede and the Lockington Country Music Festival. We will also be doing gigs at Kyvalley, Geelong, Colac, Weerite, Edenhope, Millicent and Adelaide before we head home. If you are in Victoria or S.A. checking out our web site come along and join us at one of these gigs. We would love to see you there. More details to follow soon.

That’s about it for now everyone. Take care and remember to keep it country.

Best wishes

Annette and Kim

January 2018

Hi Folks

Welcome to 2018. We would just like to mention the last few gigs we did in 2017 before we move on to the new year. During Labour weekend we ventured down to Rotorua to entertain at the National Street Rod Association Nationals. The event was held at the Ngongataha Bowling Club and adjoining Domain. Over One Hundred and Fifty Hot Rods and Vintage vehicles turned up for the weekend. We were performing on Sunday afternoon and although many of those that had been participating during the weekend were a little leg weary it didn’t stop them from cutting a few moves on the dance floor. The them was country and along with the usual Cowboys and Indians there were an assortment of farm yard animal costumes out in force. Everyone had a great evening and we certainly enjoyed entertaining them and being entertained by them. We look forward to the next one maybe.

In December we once again celebrated with the Kamo Club Dance Section at their Christmas break up. We had on our Christmas garb and even a red nose to brighten up the evening. Another great night with everyone joining in the festive spirit. Then just before Christmas we played our last gig of the year at the Whangarei RSA. A good crowd turned out for this night with a lot of new faces in for the evening’s entertainment as well. They danced the night away in good spirits. We will be back at both these venues in the New Year.

Which now brings us to 2018. Happy New Year everyone we hope you all have had a safe and enjoyable festive season. We have already performed at two events this year. The first was a return to the Wai Worri Country Music Festival held at Phil Godfrey’s property at Aranga. This was our first time back for a few years. The weather was a bit dicey during the week with the area being hit hard on the Friday before the festival. The decision was made to move the event in doors to Phil’s wool shed to get everyone out of the weather. A large number of Mobile Homes arrived for the weekend and with the drive up’s included there was a good sized crowd for the weekends entertainment. Which apart from ourselves featured festival organizer Carlene Still, NZ Country Music stalwart Reg McTaggert and well known Northland country music identity Jim Wallace snr backed by the festival band Ray, Bruce, Ted and John. John also joining his regular band “The Tradesmen” to entertain for the Saturday night Hoedown. Both bands also supported the walk up artists for the weekend and did a fantastic job.

The following weekend we were invited to be on Ray and Val Thurgoods Charity Concert in Te Awamutu. It was our first performance in Te Awamutu since 2014. Around 350 – 400 people came out to listen to a variety of acts put together by Ray to raise funds for the Bible Chapel. We were joined by Kay Tappin, Nancy Muller, Trevor Stevens, Merv McInteer, Grae Addison, Ron Samson and young Jade a very talented young lady that will be a great addition to New Zealand country music should she choose to continue. We wish her all the best. Thank you to everyone for your continued support. It was great to see so many familiar faces and to catch up with old friends again. It was also nice to catch up with my relations Peter and Rae Mutch and Sheryl Adams again.

Unfortunately we have already had one disappointment in 2018 and that is not being able to join Allan and Maureen Webster on Norfolk Island for the “Count Us In” musical tour but as you are all aware circumstances were out of our control. We know Allan and Maureen and their tour group are going to have a fantastic week. We have so many great friends on the island that we have met over the years of touring who are more than willing to assist them during the week. Thank you Tara and Chrissy at The Travel Centre, Terence ( we miss you as well) and the team at the RSL, Louci for helping out with the gospel concert details, Desleigh for just being you thank you and all the artists that will be entertaining Allan and Maureen’s group during the week and giving their time freely. We appreciate your help very much and really do wish we were there.

We are also looking forward to working with our band again this year “The Mountain Mist Band”. It has been a while since we have played together and we hope to be with them at the Bay of Islands Country Rock Festival in May with some new songs and a new sound.

We will be one of the acts performing for the Mobile Home Convention to be held at Barge Park at Easter. So if you are a Mobile Homer make sure you have registered.

We will also be returning to the Barham Country Stampede in July, the Lockington Country Music Festival at the beginning of August and will be doing a guest spot at Pleasant Sunday Country Music club at The Sphinx Hotel in North Geelong on the 5th of August all of these in Victoria Australia. We will also be doing a small tour of the Victoria area performing Morning Melodies with our good friends Allan and Maureen Webster and Bidge Boyd as we make our way up to Adelaide, South Australia, to do another guest spot at the Southern Country Music Club on the 12th of August. It is going to be a busy and exciting year.

Keep a look out on our web site “Show” page for upcoming gigs and also on our facebook page which Annette does a sterling job of keeping up to date on where we will be performing next.

Once again have a great 2018 everyone and we will catch up with you all somewhere sometime during the year and remember to keep it country.

Best wishes
Annette and Kim

Barham / Lockington Festivals – July/August 2017

Hi Folks

On Wednesday the 26th July we departed Auckland Airport at 7:00am heading to Melbourne and on to Barham and Lockington for two country music festivals. We were met at Melbourne by our Aussie dad, Dale, who had driven over from Adelaide to spend some time with us. Once we had located the car and found our way out of the carpark we headed due N.E. to Barham and the Murray River. Our first stop being a little town called Lancefield for lunch and a breather. Then on to Elmore where I wanted to stop at the Visitors Centre and wouldn’t you know it they had closed for lunch. Well we waited for over an hour but no one returned so we counted our losses and headed on to Barham. We were booked into the Colonial Motel with hosts Sally and Gary Harmon it was great to see them again. Once we unpacked we headed to the Club for the meet and greet and a chance to catch up with the other artists and punters that had come in for the festival. Entertainment was provided by our good friends Dwayne Elix and Anthony Tenace. Anthony would also be doing the sound for all the artists in the Auditorium during the weekend. It was a great way to kick off the festival which would run from Thursday till Sunday and the Grand Finale, but more about that later.

It was going to be a great week with the two main venues being the Auditorium where people could dance or sit and listen and the Myst room which was solely a sit down venue where artists could perform a more intimate show for the audience. For example Annette and I did a Patsy Cline & Jim Reeves set, a Western set and an acoustic set of well known country tunes which the audience could sing along to for some of our Myst room performances. It was so nice to catch up with old friends, Dwayne Elix, JR Williams, Wendy and Kerrie aka Justuss, Tom and Patsy Routledge, we first met Tom on our first trip to Barham and to meet some new friends also, Keith, Alisha and Caitlyn aka Golden Country, Rino Morea and Steve Eales. Kiwi’s joining us again for the July festival were, Dennis Marsh and Craig Adams two well known New Zealand country artists making a big impression at this festival.

The event was run smoothly by Rosie Cimino and her team at Club Barham. Backing band for the festival was The Southern Cross Band with our good friends Anthony Stewart on lead guitar and Bartilo (Bob) Casella on bass. So nice to see these two talented guys again.

The Sunday night Finale was its usual high standard with songs, skits and dress ups turning the audience to hysterics. Tom and Patsy Routledge did “ You’re The Reason Our Kids Are Ugly”, Steve Eales was an hilarious Mexican Bogan, Craig Adams did “Delta Dawn” in his now familiar alter ego Aunty Joy Adams. Check out facebook somewhere to get an idea of the standard required to perform on the show. Annette and I did a Dave and Mable skit that had the audience waiting in anticipation for Annette to say the punch line. The finale was finished off with “Country Roads” and the Kiwi contingent performing a stirring rendition of Pokarekare Ana. It was then time for goodbyes and see you next time for artists and audience alike. However, not for Annette and I as, we had been booked to do the Monday Madness at the club the following day. This is an afternoon of raffle draws and entertainment. A great afternoon for all and a chance to catch up with our good friend Audrey, a Barham local who has supported us ever since we began performing at Barham. During the week it was also great to catch up with Rod and Margaret McCarthy, who may be joining us on Norfolk Island in January, Reg and Nancy, Vin and Moreen, Gerry and May and all our friends from Ballarat, hope to visit your club very soon and all the lovely people that not only danced to our music but to all the performing artists. Sally and Gary were kind enough to let us stay until the Tuesday morning whereupon we packed our gear and headed off on a three or four day adventure with Dale.

From Barham we made our way to Deniliquin on the beautiful Edward River. Some of the major events held in Deniliquin are the Deni Fishing Classic, Cruising Nationals Hot Rod Festival and the world famous Deni Ute Muster. Check out the ute on a pole. Deniliquin is also part of The Long Paddock an old stock route running 610kms from Echuca-Moama on the Victoria border to Wilcannia NSW. We then went bush through the Barmah National Park visiting the Reed Beds Bird Hide and spotting a couple of Blue Wren’s and a Willy Wag Tail. It was an awesome drive taking about an hour or so as we made our way to Mathoura and on to Moama where we would spend the night.

Wednesday morning found us heading to Shepparton via Kyabram and a stop at the Kyabram fauna park. The park opened in 1976 with 2 Kangaroos and 1 Emu and has now established itself as one of the most successful community operated non-profit Zoological Institutes in Australia. And it still has one very friendly Emu as Dale found out. From Kyabram we headed to Mooroopna and one of the best Antique/Second Hand stores we have come across on our journey’s which also happens to be next door to a home made chocolate shop. Once we had checked out both stores we headed to Wangaratta to find some accommodation for the night.

Thursday morning we headed for the hills and Barbs favourite town. An old gold mining town called Beechworth. This is a beautiful little town with an amazing history and I’m sure that on a nice sunny day it would have been even more beautiful but it was absolutely freezing. Its only saving grace, apart from being Barbs favourite town, is that it is where Ned Kelly came from who Barb also liked. So we braved the cold and did the tour of the old buildings with our guide Ian. Also did some shopping here as well. Luckily we had brought our own thermals so we didn’t have to buy those. We also had time to visit Myrtleford where Annette caught up with Alex’s mum for a chat. Then it was back in the nice warm car and heading to Shepparton for the night. Another day was done.

Friday we would be making our way to Lockington for Roz and Craig Giles’ country music festival Saturday and Sunday 5th and 6th August. We made our way up to Echuca via Elmore stopping at the visitors centre which was now open and a bit more shopping was done then on to Echuca to meet up with our very good friend Desleigh who had driven all the way down from sunny Queensland to see us. We met up for lunch at the 3 Gallahs Café then had a stroll around the Heritage Port area and did a bit more shopping. So much for trying to get the Visa down to zero. In the afternoon we headed over to Lockington, about 30mins from Echuca, to catch up with Roz and Craig and to meet our hosts Chrissy and Paul Weller who had kindly offered to put us up for the weekend on their dairy farm which was only a couple of minutes away from the venue. The venue was the Lockington and Districts Community Centre it had plenty of dance floor and seating area for everybody attending the festival, a great venue indeed. Again it was great catching up with artists we had met on our travels around Aussie. These included expat kiwi Kim Ritchie and her partner John, Allan Carroll who used to be the regular MC at Barham, Cameron Mason, Kerran and Di Keats, Rupe Adams, Olive Bice, Kinta, Ray Macartney, Jamie Nielson, Garry Hunt, Justuss nice to see you again girls and the Good Time Band Bob, Colin and John. Sound was once again provided by Anthony Tenace. The place was packed all weekend by people having a good time listening and dancing to country music with food and drinks provided by the Lockington Footy Club right till the very end. Everyone is looking forward to doing it all again next year. Our flight was at 7:00am Monday morning so as soon as we had said our sad goodbyes we headed to Melbourne to repack all our shopping, get a few hours’ sleep and be at the airport by 4:00am due to the extra security being put on because of the recent bomb scare.  We said goodbye to dad and made our way to the A380 for our journey back home. And that was that.

Keep it country

Annette and Kim