EARLY BEGINNINGS

The festival this year will be in its 31st consecutive year!

The Hughenden Country Music Inc as they are called consists of many fine people that have kept this festival alive for the last thirty years!

To think when they first started out they were called the Hughenden Hoedown Country Music Club at the now incinerated Grand Hotel, then moved to Johnny Goughs house and set up a trailer stage for performances there! About 1992 they moved again to a galvanised shed at the Hughenden Showgrounds is just extraordinary

Now with the council building The Diggers Entertainment Venue, we can all sit in airconditioned comfort and enjoy the three great days of entertainment in comfort.

Perform at HCMF

Robyn James & Cathy Acree

Robyn James is our President who has overseen the the festival for many years and Cathy organises the stalls at the market at the festival and has a market in Hughenden which helps support the festival every year.

Mayor Jane Mc Namara

We must thank Jane Mc Namara who is our Mayor who always turns up to present the prizes to our winners.

Lesley Cocker Our fabulous MC

Lesley has been an integral part of the Festival. Always on hand to help support both on and after the Festival, with setting up the schedules and stage. Her Master of Ceremonies is first class. Lesley runs her own business and contributes to the prizes of the festival Amenas Sea Minerals

Lyndsey and Barbara Organisers of our 30th Year Monster Raffle

Barbara and Lyndsey

Without these two beauties we have no raffles and no prizes. Thanks for all the hard work you do scouring the streets around Hughenden, Charters Towers and Townsville to provide such a wonderful competition.

LIGHTING AND | PERSONNEL

Greg and Sandy Harvey are sound guys extraordinaire…AKA The Two Halves!

They don’t miss a beat for the whole festival and check this out for the Finals as the winners come up to collect their prizes and trophy’s they have snippets of the finalists performances playing in the background! A wonderful and personable touch for the finalist!

Mr Steve our lighting guy passed away this year we have set up a ‘Shining Star’ Steve Riley Memorial Award. Bless you Steve RIP

Perform at HCMF

MUSIC TEACHERS

Cecily Paul was there from the Beginnings of the Hughenden Hoedown Country Music Club!

You may know Cecily from calling on you for funds to help the festival run for another year!

Cecily has had many achievements including an Outstanding Achievement Award in Sport for her horses, Community Achievement Awards and an Australian Sports Medal! Cecily also teaches dancing, plays the piano accordion and still does Gigs!

But Cecily is very shy about all this! As you can see Cecily and Peter Riordan are focusing their special talents on helping the kids learn music…Every Saturday at Peters Shop in town ‘Monique’s Fashion Boutique’.

Peter Riordan is the Treasurer for the festival but apart from that Peter provides all the beautiful trophy’s for the Finalists to take home and teaches piano and guitar..infact he’s been doing that for the people in Hughenden for over 15 years

Perform at HCMF

Winner of the ‘Hughenden Muttas’ painting

Darryl Lucas was the winning bid from the auction held by auctioneer Gary Fogarty. It was a thrilling win and Darryl Lucas was very pleased to then return the painting back to Hughenden Country Music Association to raise funds for this years festival. Thank you Darryl the painting done by Mr. S Murphy raised $1000.00 for the festival. A big thank you to Sue Tilley from The Drill Hall Studio Gallery Townsville for selling the painting.

Darryl Lucas has been a veteran of the HCMF bringing his son Tyson every year to compete since he was very young . Now Tyson plays and sings in venues around Townsville.

Darryl wanted to give something back so turned up to the 2021 Festival and bid for the painting. Well done Darryl!

The painting “Hughenden Muttas” was painted by Shahn Murphy.