January 27th, 2020Tom says ‘yes’ to Saffron’s Trentham invite
WHEN the Thek family went to the Northern Territory for a camping holiday escaping the rain and cold of the Central Highlands, they didn’t know their trip would be the catalyst for one of Australia’s top country music stars to come to Trentham.
They had attended the Katherine Outback Experience hosted by Tom Curtain with an array of performing horses, working dogs with music intertwined and they had a chance to chat with him afterwards.
“After the show he was talking to us about the tour he usually does through the southern states during the wet season,” says Kylie Thek, “and we kinda joked about him coming to Trentham and left it at that.”
However, when they returned home, her 11-year-old daughter Saffron, as part of a school project creating persuasive texts, wrote to the entertainer and asked if he would be interested in doing his show in the town.
She told him all the things that were good about Trentham, some reasons why he should come and some helpful information he might need; like places for the horses and dogs to stay. No one was expecting the reply from Tom which arrived a few weeks later announcing he would be happy to include the town in his We’re Still Here tour.
“It was kinda cool, because I didn’t really think he was actually going to write back,” says Saffron. “But I was really happy and excited that my letter worked and that he is going to come here and perform.”
It is now a little over six months since they returned from the Northern Territory and Kylie is now part of group of locals including Melissa Hider, Matt Bourke, Adrian Tusek and members from Lions, the football/netball club, cricket club and the Trentham and District Primary School, assisting with the logistics
Tom Curtain likes to work that way and the tour is not your usual travelling concert that swings into town with its gear, does the gig and disappears the same night. At every place he performs he draws in the assistance of local groups to provide refreshments and amenities which also ensures that money earned on the night goes back into the community where it is most needed.
He is also the official ambassador to the Dolly’s Dream foundation, a charity set up to counter bullying and cyberbullying and provide help to those affected by it.
As part of his visit to the region he will be speaking to students from grades two to six from Trentham, Daylesford and surrounding areas at the Daylesford Town Hall and be singing his award winning song Speak Up which he recorded in 2018 to raise awareness of the issue.
“I think it is such an important message,” Kylie says, “and as tech changes we need to give our children the skills to manage their online friendships. And the fact that Dolly’s Dream foundation has actually changed laws around the states regarding cyberbullying, I think is incredible.”
Tom Curtain’s talk will be on Thursday, February 14 at the Daylesford Town Hall at 1pm and the evening show is at the Trentham Sports Ground Reserve from 6pm.
Words: Tony Sawrey | Image: Contributed
