Community & Business
10 May, 2024
Country fans converge on Nobby
Country music fans came from as far north as Childers and Maryborough, from Kyogle in the south and all points in between as Nobby School of Arts Hall became the venue for another Country Music Walk Up festival held over three days from Friday, 3 May.
The van park at Nobby was full of caravans of all shapes and sizes as country music devotees settled in for three days of music and social interaction.
Thirty six artists were programmed to perform on Friday in front of a near capacity hall as big hats, coloured hair and cowboy boots became normal attire.
Typical of those visiting and performing was Lyn Anderson and partner Colin McCann who came from Carina in Brisbane.
Lyn said this was their third time at the festival and they looked forward to it each year.
As members of the Redlands Country Music Club they are regular performers at festivals around the state and love camping at Nobby.
Another visiting artist was Lin Chandler from Proston a small town 70 kilometres north of Kingaroy.
Lin had worked as a professional artist recording numerous CDs.
She was performing at Nobby for the second time and had just returned from the Anzac Day Spirit of the Bush Festival at Boondooma where she performed two Anzac Day songs, A Soldier That Never Returned and Red Velvet Poppy.
When not performing Lin also organises a successful Country Music festival in Proston which she said attracts a crowd of 80 to 100 people each year.
Closer to home was Rodney May from Leyburn who was performing at Nobby for the third time.
Rodney, now an active 85-year-old only took up singing at 70 and now performs on a regular basis at the Warwick Country Music festival.
Organisers of the Nobby event, Nobby Heritage and Development Association, were pleased with the attendance and said the money raised helped to pay for regular maintenance of the hall.
A recently received government grant has been used to install solar panels on the roof and air conditioning units were installed thanks to money raised from last year’s festival.
President Warren Venz said some people came just for the beautiful lunches and dinners prepared by the ladies committee.
The Nobby Country Music Walk Ups not only provide a venue for performers to display their talents but also a great opportunity for social interaction for people from locations right across regional Queensland and northern NSW.
