IF you were to think of any aspect of the Tamworth Country Music Festival, there's a good chance Bob Kirchner has had something to do with it.

Whether it be the Golden Guitar Awards, the Cavalcade parade or broadcasting new, up and coming talent on his radio program, 'Capital Country Radio', Mr Kirchner's country music resume is golden.

Mr Kirchner's first involvement was back in 1973, when he attended the Golden Guitar Awards as reporter for the Weekly News, but it wasn't until 1975 that he became heavily involved, working in copywriting and marketing at 2TM.

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Modestly, Mr Kirchner said he had a "few involvements" over the years.

"Up until 1984 I was involved with the Chamber of Commerce while still working at 2TM, I was involved with things like getting the Tamworth Songwriters' Association going and the formation of the Bush Laureate Awards," Mr Kirchner said.

"Almost everything in the early days of festival."

Mr Kirchner was also involved in organising the first cavalcade parade, an event he said he was disappointed to see go after it was cancelled indefinitely in January.

"The great thing about it was that it was an opportunity for the artists to get closer to the public," he said.

"I think everyone will miss it. You just can't beat a parade."

In 1984 Mr Kirchner moved to Gunnedah to work as a manager of a radio station before he returned to Tamworth in 1994 and became heavily involved again.

When he returned, he spent time with the Country Music Association of Australia (CMAA), but said a stand out memory was putting the foundations in place for the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Now Williamsburg, Mr Kirchner worked voluntarily at the Mechanics Institute for many years, creating archives of country music history.

"The initial enthusiasm had worn off and [Tamworth Regional] council wasn't that involved or interested in those days, so it was pretty hard to make this work, but we developed it into the Hall of Fame fairly quickly," he said.

"It was to give it a public face. There's not much point having an archive or stuff unless people can access it, so we were creating that access."

Mr Kirchner helped organise exhibitions for the Hall of Fame right up until it moved to its current location on Peel Street.

Since the late 90's, when Mr Kirchner purchased the 'Independent Country Music Bulletin', his focus has been on playing strictly Australian country music on air.

"It's the focus on Australiana and Australian heritage that gives us our unique place, if we were to lose that, Tamworth would be just like an other music festival," he said.

While he's been involved since the very beginning, Mr Kirchner said he was pleased to see things change and evolve from what they were 50 years ago.

"You can't not move forward because if you stand still, you go backwards."

Today Mr Kirchner runs the online Capital Country Radio broadcast and the 'People's Choice Awards'.

"I'm extremely happy with the way things have happened over the years and naturally proud of everything I've done and everyone else has done," he said.

"I'm certainly only one small part of a very big wheel that makes it work."

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