Golden fest best in Australia | Warwick Family Attractions | Things to do in Warwick

Mackay Daily Mercury

THE 2010 Ultra Golden Country Music Festival has been run and won, and acclaimed a resounding success by all who attended, with record entries and a capacity audience on all three days.

Head judge Reg Oliver declared this festival, which is the only one of its kind catering exclusively for the over 50s age group, to be the best festival in Queensland, in fact in Australia, in his opinion.

Overall champion was Harry Early, from Bunya Country Music Club. Harry has competed at this festival for several years.

Bill Ramsey, the winner of the open own composition has never competed before in this festival and travelled from Dalby to compete.

Bill almost missed out on a place in the competition as the festival committee was inundated with entries and was obliged to turn away some.

Bill is a nurse at the nursing home at Dalby and wrote his song about an digger he had met along life’s track. Judges were impressed with his song.

Another highlight was the live broadcast worldwide by Rainbow FM during Sunday’s program. A feature of the program was live interviews with: Mr Oliver; Travelling Country life member 93-year-old John Price who celebrated his 93rd birthday and who travelled with his daughter from the Sunshine Coast where he now lives; and Darren Gunn, a member of the official backing band for the weekend.

Rainbow FM radio is the major sponsor of the Ultra Golden Country Music Festival which has grown to the point where the festival committee considers it should be regarded as one of the major events on the social calendar in Warwick, as it attracts many people to the town thus generating income into Warwick during the three days.