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2010 Festival and Awards
On their annual trek, Country Music fans, grey nomads and ute and truck enthusiasts converged on Boyup Brook for the 25th Anniversary of the Boyup Brook Country Music Festival held from February 18th-21st. Arriving early in the week, many visitors secured their favourite camping spots and prepared themselves for a jam-packed program filled with variety to follow during the week.
A relaxed and casual ‘Campfire Yarns and Ballads’ on Wednesday night on the football oval was a taster of things to come; while in the Town Hall the inaugural Boyup Brook Art Awards was opened, displaying artworks from artists around the state. The award winners are listed on page 3.
Thursday morning kicked off early, with almost 200 people attending the Tennis Club for a Bush Poetry preview and breakfast. With music coming from all corners of the town, workshops in Poetry and Songwriting in progress, free concerts, busking and the rolling in of more 4WDs, caravans and RV’s, the excitement was building for another great Festival.
A balmy evening with floodlit gumtrees was the perfect setting for Thursday night’s concert at the Music
Park which was attended by a crowd of nearly 1000.
Friday morning’s ‘Hot Country Brekky Show’ at Harvey Dickson’s Country Music Centre was a highly sought after ticket, and provided those who attended with a laugh a minute from the very funny, Pixie Jenkins, Melanie Hall, Susie Carcary and Dave Proust.
The Friday evening concert saw the best of the State’s Country Music entertainers as finalists performed in the WA Country Music Awards. The Boyup Brook Country Music Festival is credited for giving many artists their start in their music careers. Performing at this Festival was Rose Carleo, winner of the inaugural young encouragement award in 1986; Terry Bennetts, Male vocal winner in 2001; Ronnie Rae Rivers winner 2004; Debbie Beckett, winner in 2005 and the Sunny Cowgirls, first noticed in Boyup Brook at a ‘Winter Star Search’ in 2001.
 On Saturday morning the streets of Boyup Brook were bursting with people as they participated in the dynamic Lotterywest sponsored Street Carnival with buskers, street theatre and a huge variety of market stalls. The revving of engines, custom horns, sparkling chrome and sub woofers announced the arrival of the spectacular 120 strong Ute and Truck Muster as it wove its way through the streets to the Music Park.
The warm day merged into a brisk evening as the music rolled on with performances from Brian Letton, Sunny Cowgirls, Country Horizon, Girls with Guitars, Graham Roger, Connie Kis Anderson, Fitzroy Express, Tony Wagner and MC Ernie Dingo who also sang for the crowd. Headline act, Tania Kernaghan delighted her audience, especially when she lassoed two cowboys. Her recent songs and old favourites were a hit and her fun personality generated a great vibe throughout the Music Park.
Australia’s biggest Bush Poets Breakfast featured ten poets who took the audience on an emotional rollercoaster ride – one minute rolling in laughter the next a tear in the eye. Two pocket-rockets National Bush Poets, Melanie Hall and Susie Carcary blasted the audience with poetry, yarns and songs while the domestic banter between Dave Proust and his wife had the huge Sunday morning crowd loving it all.
Attendance figures through the Music Park
gate for the weekend reached almost 7500.
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