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Grabine Rocks As The Crowd Rolls In

Roo Arcus Paul Costa

Nearly 1000 people witnessed the inaugural running of the Grabine Country Music
Festival held between the 24th and 26th November 2006 at Grabine Lakeside State
Park on the banks of Wyangala Dam.
Event co-ordinator and Park Manager Jason Kirk was extremely pleased with the way
the weekend went. “All the feedback I have received from the weekend has been very
positive, the patrons were astounded by the quality of the production, the artists were
thrilled with the venue location and crowd participation and there was virtually no
problems over the entire weekend” Mr Kirk said.
“Steve Forde, who has performed at festivals all over Australia and America, stated
on stage, that Grabine was one of the best venues he had ever played at (and) this was
during his encore performance that lasted for over an hour. This has really highlighted
the fact that we achieved our goals by producing a high quality event” Mr Kirk said.
The tone for the weekend was set on the Friday night when Lee Forster and his band
“Furrabred” backed the talent quest which was located just above the camp kitchen
and started at 8.00pm. Around 20 people competed during the night with Angie Day
from Cowra taking out the honours. Angie was awarded a trophy, $500 in cash and
the opportunity to perform two songs on main stage, by the Talent Quest sponsor
Peter Corbett. Angie wowed the judges and the crowd with her beautiful rendition of
the classic Dolly Parton song “I Will Always Love You”. The Encouragement Award
was given to 9 year old Kaitlin Finn from Parkes, who sang the Dixie Chicks’
“Travellin Soldier”
What happened after the talent quest could only be described as gold. Angie Day
sang two more songs as an encore after she was announced winner, which sparked an
adhoc jam session with Lee Forster and the boys who kept playing until 1.00am.
Aspiring singers came out of the crowd and made requests to Lee and the boys, who
were only too happy to oblige and everyone literally sang the night away.
Saturday Night’s “Bundaberg Rum Concert” kicked off at 4.00pm with rising star
Briana Lee. Briana, who travelled all the way from Shepparton in Victoria, sang
some of her originals and some covers that were enjoyed by a quickly growing crowd.
Briana stunned everyone with her wonderful voice and beautiful looks.
The show then continued with the well known and well loved local band “Brittle
Jack”. As always they got the crowd pumping with their impressive repertoire. Brittle
Jack have been performing for over 10 years and rate this as one of their favourite
gigs so far.
At this stage the sun began its slow decent below the horizon, and that is when the
crowd started to grow at a rapid rate.

Local man Roo Arcus then took to the stage and performed to the now swelling
crowd. Roo got the crowd going with his powerful voice and up beat songs about
outback life and fun living.
One of the outstanding acts of the night was Paul Costa. All the way from Robinvale
in Victoria, Paul absolutely wowed the crowd with his high energy, professional
performance. He sang songs from his latest album plus some well known covers. Paul
was recently named “Male Vocalist of the Year” at the Australian Independent
Country Music Awards held annually in Mildura and it was plain to see why. He
certainly left everyone in awe.
A brief intermission was then held and it was time for the winner of the talent quest to
take to the stage for the last instalment of her prize. Angie Day was a very deserved
winner and her performance proved that. It was about this stage in the night when the
crowd was just bursting with anticipation as the headline act was about to get the
party started.
When Steve Forde and The Flange jumped on the stage, the crowd just exploded.
Steve absolutely rocked the park with a two and a half hour show that had the crowd
in a fever. Grabine celebrated its first ever festival in style as the crowd danced and
sang along with Steve’s brilliant show. He put in a stellar performance that is not
going to be forgotten in this area for a long time. Steve said “I can’t wait to come back
next year, this is one of the best venues I have ever played at”.
The party didn’t finish with Steve though. After he left the stage, his spot was then
taken up by the fabulous Lee Forster and his band “Furrabred”. Lee and the boys can
not be faulted for the effort they put in over the weekend. Not only did they play all
Friday night for the talent quest, but they also backed up Briana Lee, Roo Arcus, and
Paul Costa, then finished up the party with an amazing set that had just as much, if not
more energy than when he started. Production Manager Dave Page said “A very
special mention must go to Lee and his guys for the massive job they did. They had a
lot of work to do and they completed the task professionally and without fuss”
Lee was named Male Rising Star at the Australian Independent Country Music
Awards and more recently nominated as Most Promising Future Star by the
Australian Peoples Choice Music Awards.
“A very big thank you must also go to FEG Entertainment for the stage and
production. The guys did a marvellous job and absolutely every one had a great time”
Dave said.
Sunday morning saw Country and Western crooner Peter Pratt sing his way through
the recovery session at the Camp Kitchen. An intimate crowd of about 40 got
themselves involved in the last gig of the weekend. Peter’s magical voice was just the
thing needed to round off a sensational weekend.

A special thanks must go to the Production Manager Dave Page who tirelessly
volunteered his time in assisting to achieve a sensational weekend, and to start the
annual tradition of the Grabine Country Music Festival.

Grabine Lakeside State Park set to explode in November.
GRAB YOUR CHAIRS, GRAB YOUR MATES,
GRAB YOUR GUITAR AND HEAD TO
GRABINE!!
Grabine Lakeside State Park, 120km North West of Goulburn on the banks of Wyangala Dam, will be the place to be on
Friday 24th November, when the Inaugural Grabine Country Music Festival Talent Quest will take place! The talent quest is
the first event in what is expected to be one of the best country music weekends this area has ever seen.

The talent quest will begin at around 8 pm, with entertainment continuing till midnight. Highly acclaimed singer Lee Forster
will be performing during the night. Lee recently won the coverted “Male Rising Star” at the Independent Country Music
Awards in Mildura. He will also be one of the major acts on Saturday night. The talent quest is already attracting lots of
interest from budding country music stars.

The talent quest will take place on the grass below the kiosk. Food and bar facilities will be available at the kiosk all night. There will be plenty of room to sit and enjoy the music.

The winner of the talent quest will receive $500 prize money, which was proudly donated by Crookwell man Peter Corbett,
and the opportunity to perform two songs on main stage on the Saturday night. If the winner chooses to forfeit this
opportunity it will go to the first runner up. The Grabine Country Music Festival would like to take this opportunity to
thank Peter very much for his contribution, it is greatly appreciated.

Entries for the talent quest are limited and it will be first in best dressed. Entries have already been received, so make
sure you don’t miss out by contacting DAVE PAGE on 0419 137761 or email jackemmy@aapt.net.au

Also don’t forget about the BIG event on the Saturday night. Eight hours of great Australian country music headlined by
Steve Forde and the Flange. Lee Forster, Paul Costa, Brianna Lee and local favourites
Brittle Jack and Roo Arcus will also be putting in big performances in front of an estimated crowd of well over 1000 people.

More great news has been received this week with Bundaberg Rum coming on board as a major sponsor for the weekend. To
have a major company like Bundaberg Rum come on board is a great achievement for the festival. This is just an indication to
how much support this event is gathering. Ticket sales are already above expected numbers and momentum is growing
rapidly. This weekend is gearing up to be an extravaganza of Australian country music, which should not be missed by
anyone.

The Grabine Country Music Festival will be holding a raffle in order to raise funds for to purchase a heart start defibrillator
machine for the Park, which will be a vital piece of equipment, with the nearest ambulance station being 80 km away at
Crookwell.

Entry to this fantastic event is only $30 for Adults, and only $10 for kids (12 – 16 years old), which includes camping and
entry to all events over the entire weekend. Tickets can be purchased at a number of locations, Nicholson's Farm
Machinery at Crookwell, the Imperial Hotel in Cowra, Wyangala Waters State Park and the Grabine State Park Office. This is
a great value event which will cater for all ages young and old, so grab your chair, grab your mates, grab your guitar and get
to Grabine!

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
JASON KIRK,
Event Coordinator and Park Manager on the Festival Hotline
(02) 48352345, email grabinestatepark@bigpond.com ,
Or
DAVE PAGE,
Production Manager, on 0419 137761, email
jackemmy@aapt.net.au

The 24th, 25th & 26th of November, 2006 will see the inaugural running of the annual Grabine Country Music Festival. This three day event will include a Friday Night Talent Quest, a major concert on the Saturday Evening and a Sunday Morning Recovery.

The weekend will kick off on Friday Night with a live band and a Talent Quest. The Talent Quest has been sponsored by Crookwell local Peter Corbett, who has kindly donated the $500 worth of prize money.
The winner of the Talent Quest will also be given the opportunity to perform two songs during the main concert on Saturday Night.

Saturday’s entertainment will begin at around 4pm and is set to explode with six hours of incredible country music provided by some of Australia’s most exciting new talent.
Head lining Saturday’s concert will be Steve Forde And The Flange.

Steve will be performing hits from his latest album “ROWDY”. Steve Forde who is originally from Cowra has had big hits not only in Australia, but has also taken US’s country music capital, Nashville, by storm. His reputation for spectacular high energy performances have made him a highly sort after act in both Australia and the US. Steve will be bringing his impressive stage set-up with his full production, which is sure to impress the crowd.

Also performing on Saturday Evening will be Lee Forster and Paul Costa.

Lee Forster has been described as one of Australia’s greatest emerging country talents. Hailing from Victoria, Lee has toured all over Australia and has many awards and accolades to his name including his most recent award, the coveted Tamworth Songwriters Associations “Best New Songwriter of the Year 2006” award, for the title track off his new album ‘The Way He Roles His Swag’. His current single ‘A Fire In The Bar’ is now sitting at No 5 on the Country Tracks Top Thirty and is still climbing. His live shows cover everyone from Slim Dusty to Brad Paisley.

Robinvale, Victoria’s hottest new comer is Paul Costa. When Paul released his debut album ‘Walkin’ In These Shoes’ he did not expect it to get the response it did. With masses of radio airplay, a string of chart hits and a load of awards, including a nomination for ‘Best New Talent’ at the 2006 CMAA Golden Guitar Awards, Paul has just released a brand new album called “RESTORATION” and already sales figures have far exceeded expectations. His rich and powerful voice absolutely shines, creating a fresh and exciting sound that country music lovers all over Australia will love. Paul’s energetic and professional act is a must see.
Supporting these great acts will be well known and loved local band ‘Brittle Jack’. Two young ladies by the name of Shea Fisher and Brianna Lee will also be taking the stage in a massive concert that should not be missed.

Full bar facilities along with other food and beverage stalls will be available on the night. Strictly No BYOG rules will apply. A jumping castle will be available for the kids during the evening.

During the Saturday night a series of raffles will be going around with a great variety of wonderful prizes to be won. All proceeds from these raffles will be going towards a much needed defibrilator heart start machine for the Park. With Grabine being so far away from the nearest ambulance station, this machine could mean the difference between life and death. We are hoping to finish off raising the much needed money for the defibrilator on this special night.

For the golf lovers, Saturday will also be the Annual Legacy Charity Shield hosted by the Bigga Golf Club about 22kms from Grabine Park. This is a very social outing and a great day for golfers and hackers alike. This is an excellent opportunity to play in the annual charity event which raises much needed money for the widows of Soldiers and Diggers. This is normally a 12 hole Ambrose Event, so there will be plenty of time to get back to the park for the 4pm start.

On Sunday Morning a Recovery breakfast will be held just below the Park kiosk. Entertainment will be provided by Country Western crooner Peter Pratt. Peter comes from Illabo in NSW’s Central West. His songs tell stories about outback skies, droving camps, rural history and love ballads which come to life through his deep, rich, soulful voice. Peter’s soothing voice will be just what the doctor ordered to help wind down from what will be an extremely busy weekend.

A bus will be running from the foreshore to the Park Kiosk and the concert arena at selected times over the three days for the people who wish to make the journey by boat from Wyangala Waters State Park.

Cost for this exciting event, which includes camping and entry for the entire weekend is only $25 per adult and $7.50 per child (12 – 16 years) if purchased before the 1st of November 2006. Tickets purchased after this date are still only $30 per adult and $10 per child (12 – 16 years). Children under 12 years of age are absolutely free. Buy early and save!!!

Tickets will be available from Grabine Lakeside State Park, Wyangala Waters State Park, Nicholson’s Farm Machinery at Crookwell and the Imperial Hotel at Cowra. Tickets may also be purchased over the phone from the Grabine Lakeside State Park Office on (02) 48 352 345. Full EFTPOS facilities are available.

Grabine Lakeside State Park is nestled on the banks of Wyangala Dam at the junctions of the Lachlan and Abercrombie Rivers, 80 klms from Crookwell and 100 klms from Cowra. The visitor facilities include both formal and informal camping areas, caravan areas which provide 42 powered sites, 198 unpowered sites, 3 powered casual van sites, 10 self contained, fully air conditioned cabins, 2 onsite vans and 4 amenities blocks. The Park also has a six-hole golf course, two tennis courts and a basketball ring. These activities can all be enjoyed free of charge, and don’t forget there is all the water skiing and fishing you can handle.

Spots for Friday nights Talent Quest are quite limited, so pre booking is essential. Any aspiring country music singers who would like to have a go, should contact DAVE PAGE on 0419 137761 or email jackemmy@aapt.net.au. The Talent Quest is set to kick off at 8pm and will be held on the lawns below the Park Kiosk.

For any information regarding this fantastic new event or anyone interested in becoming involved, either with sponsorship or just by lending a hand before or on the day, please don’t hesitate to contact either JASON KIRK, Event Coordinator and Park Manager on (02) 48 352 345 or email grabinestatepark@bigpond.com . Alternatively, you can call DAVE PAGE, Production Manager on 0419 137761 or email jackemmy@aapt.net.au .