FUNDS FOR CENTRE

Rotary hands over Concert proceeds

Kempsey West Rotary Club members Brian Irvine, Kevin Farrawell and Bruce Woods present the cheque to Kathryn Yarnold and Melissa Killmore from the Slim Dusty Foundation.

Kempsey West Rotary Club members have presented the proceeds from the Slim Dusty Country Music Memories Concert to the Slim Dusty Foundation.

The concert, organised by the Kempsey West Rotary Club, is now in its sixth year, and made a resounding profit of $16,590 this time around.

More that 650 people from all over NSW and interstate attended the concert held at the Warwick Park Racecourse in October.

Funds for the Centre were also raised from the annual auction, with a haNdcrafted red cedar chest made from the Nulla Cedar Collection fetching good money.

Guests were treated to some outstanding acts on the night, with Clelia Adams, Kathryn Jones, Amos Morris, Joy McKean, Anne Kirkpatrick, David Kirkpatrick and the Travelling Country Band all keeping the crowd entertained.

Kempsey West Rotary Club member and concert coordinator Bruce Woods said preparations for next year's concert are already underway.

"We have spoken to a lot of people who say it's a long way to travel for one afternoon, so the committee has decided to hold a week long event next year," Mr Woods said.

"The concert will be staged at the newly refurbished Kempsey Showground and will offer a variety of activities."

The committee's aim is to attract more visitors to the valley by offering powered and unpowered sites for caravans, motor homes and campers at the showground.

Visitors will be able to visit the construction site of the Slim Dusty Centre, tour Slim's childhood home at Nulla Nulla and of course listen to some exceptional live country music.

Another highlight of the concert was the signing of the building contract. Phil Lahey from Lahey Construction's signed the contract on top of Slim's daughter Anne Kirkpatrick's guitar case, while Slim's widow Joy looked on.

Slim Dusty Foundation manager Kathryn Yarnold said the project was now fully funded and would open for business as planned at the end of 2010.

"Maxine McKew, who is Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development, was at the concert to announce the awarding of $6 million of Federal funding, so we are all set," said Ms Yarnold.

STORY & PIC COURTESY OF MID COAST OBSERVER, DECEMBER 2, 2009