Toowoomba’s Kevin Howarth wins National Town Crier Championships in Maryborough

Toowoomba’s Kevin Howarth has one of the loudest voices in Australia, and now he’s conquered a town crier award that has eluded him for years.

In the fierce competition of town-crying, Kevin Howarth was already the loudest — and now he’s the best.

The Toowoomba region’s town crier has taken out the national Town Crier Championships at Maryborough in Queensland, a prize that had eluded him to this point in his career.

Mr Howarth, who has been in the role for five years, also retained his award for “loudest cry”, shouting at an incredible 96 decibels that was actually quieter than his 2022 result.

Toowoomba's Kevin Howarth has been named Australia's best town crier in 2023.

Participants each performed two cries, starting with a ‘home cry’ promoting their home area, followed by a ‘host cry’ detailing aspects of Maryborough and the Fraser Coast region.

Mr Howarth said while the competition was friendly in nature, there was a lot of town pride on the line.

“It was just amazing, they had the awards dinners and I had been second a couple of times in the past, and then they said my name,” he said.

“It is a friendly competition, but the criers take great pride in representing their home regions and performing across the weekend.

“Thank you to everyone in the Toowoomba region for supporting me – the compliments I get while on the street are wonderful.”

Toowoomba Town Crier 'Krazy Kevin Howarth (Larrikin) belting out his signature cry in front of the Toowoomba City Hall. Pic David Martinelli

Mr Howarth is not a stranger to winning big prizes, having been named the United Kingdom’s best DJ back in the late 1980s.

Mayor Paul Antonio congratulated Mr Howarth for his performances at the national championships, which were held in conjunction with the Mary Poppins Festival.

“Kevin is passionate about representing our Region and has performed with distinction at many competitions,” he said.