Charleville Halfway There Shindig welcomes Slim Dusty’s son David Kirkpatrick and his band the Two Tone Pony
Charleville is set to host the son of late performer Slim Dusty as part of their annual Halfway There Shindig to commemorate 30 years since the town’s tribute song was released.
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Charleville is set to host their annual Halfway There Shindig, a one-night music festival at Charleville Showgrounds, commemorating the 30-year anniversary of Slim Dusty’s iconic song about the town.
Originally a stopover for travellers heading to the Big Red Bash in Birdsville, the Shindig, to be held on July 1, has become a standalone celebration of Charleville’s music scene and community spirit.
Murweh Shire Mayor Shaun ‘Zoro’ Radnegde said the Charleville Shindig, which is now in its seventh year, is all about tapping into that market (Big Red Bash travellers) and making their trip as memorable as possible.
“The town is absolutely buzzing with people on their way to the Big Red Bash,” he said.
“It’s exciting times, who would’ve thought we would have Slim Dusty’s son David here to commemorate thirty years since the release of the iconic song ‘Charleville’ about our town.
“It’s a privilege to have these people here, and we’re going to have that party Slim sang about 30 years ago. To have one of Slim’s family here is awesome.
“Just being able to mix with people travelling through and listen to their stories and also showcase what we do and our lifestyle.
“We love a party out here and to commemorate these sort of things and Slim obviously felt that and why he said we’re going to have a party (in his song).”
The Murweh Shire Council made an incredibly timely discovery 12 months ago when they replaced the electrical box on the side of a building Slim Dusty performed in decades ago and uncovered a piece of history tributing the singer.
“What a great find, but not only that it reinstates what Slim did for these country towns and obviously changed people’s lives and that was back in ‘68,” Mr Radnedge said.
“At the time it probably didn’t have too much significance, but now it really demonstrates what Slim Dusty did for these country towns for someone to write that.”
Singing ‘Charleville’ alongside David Kirkpatrick is Robbie Mortimer, a finalist of the Tamworth Toyota Star Maker competition.
“He’s got a great following right here in the west,” Mr Radnedge said.
“We’ve got people travelling from the Gold Coast to listen to Robbie.”
Two Tone Pony singer and son of the late Slim Dusty David Kirkpatrick said he was looking forward to his band playing their first Queensland gig in Charleville.
Based on the NSW Central Coast, Mr Kirkpatrick said he’s excited to make his first ever singing debut in the town.
“It’s very nice they picked us,” he said.
“We’ve been getting our songs honed up and getting ourselves sorted out, and this is our first one (performance) for what we hope continues into next year onto the festival circuits.
“(Playing father’s songs) is something I’ve always continued right through until now, even in various bands I’ve played with I would be doing favourites of his.
“I love doing it, it’s a real touch stone.”
Mr Kirkpatrick said there was definitely a difference between playing for urban areas and rural and regional towns.
“Taking it from my own prior experience, I know just how involved the crowds are when you go and play in rural and regional areas,” he said.
“I find the crowds just know the music, they really get involved in the actual show. It seems to mean a lot to them when someone does put on performances in the region because there’s not always ready access to a big show that you may get in an urban area.
“They really show their appreciation for good music and performers who are coming out and bringing their music to the people.
“We’ve been working up our set to include songs of Slim’s as well as our own and it’s going to be a big thrill for us and I hope it’s a big thrill to everyone coming to the Shindig and those people moving through to Birdsville.”
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