WHEN A radio personality and a country music novice crossed paths half a century ago, little did they know they were creating a festival that would become a cornerstone of Tamworth's culture.
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The first Tamworth Country Music Festival was launched in 1972 by a small group, including former 2TM general manager Max Ellis, the late John Minson and his wife Anne.
At the time, Mr Ellis was just getting in the groove of country music.
Mr Minson had started a program called 'Hoedown' which was broadcast across eastern Australia. The show was the foundation of the idea to make Tamworth the country music capital.
Ms Minson said the couple were "here long before everybody else was".
"We were only paddling along with the amateur side of things and all of a sudden all this professional stuff started coming, so it was really quite exciting in those days," she said.
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The Golden Guitar Awards turned unknown artists into stars, like Keith Urban, who Ms Minson met when he was an amateur in the talent quest.
Ms Minson said her late husband had a wonderful ability to encourage young people in country music.
"He always used to say to me - you're given an ability, you're born with an ability, use it, go ahead, and do something with it," she said.
Mr Ellis is proud of the festival they've nurtured.
"From a personal point of view, it's fantastic every year. I look forward to the festival, and I then look forward to it being over," he said.
Commemorative statute
A commemorative Golden Guitar Award statue in the courtyard of the 2TM studios, was also unveiled to celebrate the 50th year of the Festival.
The statue stands just over two metres tall, and was hand constructed from Australian steel by Troy Kenwrick. The guitar sits on a timber base, hand finished by Joe Marshall.
The creators wished to thank Metalcorp Tamworth for supply of steel, and Pilliga Timbers for the timber base.
Along with the unveiling of the Guitar, the 2TM courtyard now also has a history board, which details the history of both 2TM and 92.9 Radio stations, along with historic photos.
The public can view both the statute and the history board, weekdays between 9am and 5pm.
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Eva Baxter
Eva is a Northern Daily Leader journalist based in Tamworth. She covers health, politics, energy, arts & entertainment, business, community, and a bit of everything else.
Eva is a Northern Daily Leader journalist based in Tamworth. She covers health, politics, energy, arts & entertainment, business, community, and a bit of everything else.
