Australia’s biggest country music event kicks off in Tamworth

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The 53rd Tamworth country music festival is underway, with 10’s of thousands of visitors expected over the coming days. The festival is much more than the music, with plenty of iconic country culture on show.

Transcript

00:00Welcome back to the Tamweb Country Music Festival for the 53rd year in a row.

00:06Now as you've been seeing all morning, there is much more happening here at the Country

00:10Music Festival than just the music.

00:12You may have seen some cock crowing this morning, you may have even seen a ventriloquist.

00:16But something else we're very excited to show you is these beautifully coloured whips here.

00:21Samantha, you're looking after this stall here, tell me a little bit about what we're

00:25looking at right now.

00:26Yeah, so I hand make all these stock whips, they're made from marine rope on this side

00:30or ski rope on the other side, they're just great kids whips or people working in mud

00:35or water, they're just really, really easy to use and hardy.

00:39Now it is a family affair, and you've got your two daughters over here.

00:43Before I go over and say hello to them, I understand that these whips, the reason why

00:46you're selling them is for a very special reason, because they're more than just talented

00:50crackers of whips.

00:51Yeah they are, they're both very talented horse riders, all three of us play polo cross,

00:56and all the proceeds from making the whips and selling the whips goes to helping cart

00:59them all over the countryside, and they're a very expensive hobby that we love.

01:03I love that.

01:04Well without further ado, let's go over and meet the young sisters here, who are all set

01:09up, ready to go to crack a whip.

01:11Let's start here.

01:12What's your name?

01:13I'm Tori.

01:14Tori, now you are very talented, your mum's just stopped you in.

01:18You crack whips, and I understand that you're a polo cross player as well, but let's stick

01:22with the whips.

01:23How does this even happen?

01:24How do you learn?

01:25Um, well, mum taught me when I was very young, so I can't really remember the first time

01:30I learnt, but I do it a lot.

01:32Yeah.

01:33Um.

01:34Well very good, Tori.

01:35How about without further ado, you give us a bit of a demonstration.

01:38Now everybody stand back, protect your eyes.

01:40Now it's all in the arm, I've been told.

01:45An absolute expert here, with adoring fans watching from afar.

01:50Tori Gabb is here on the main street of Tamworth Country Music Festival.

02:00Amazingly done, but only one part, yes, let's get a round of applause, please, and only

02:05one part of the sibling duo of whipcrackers.

02:11We have the younger sister here, and I understand you're quite a polo cross player.

02:14Yeah.

02:15Yeah.

02:16And I understand that you travel a fair bit with polo cross.

02:19Yeah, we do.

02:20We travel all the state.

02:21It's really good.

02:22Yeah.

02:23And I imagine that'd be expensive, so you've got to sell these to get you around the country.

02:27Yeah.

02:28Yes.

02:29Yeah.

02:30So I imagine you must be pretty good.

02:31So without further ado, why don't you give us a demonstration.

02:33Listen to that connection.

02:39Absolutely ear-piercing.

02:47Now what more can you expect at the Tamworth Country Music Festival?

02:52Whipcracking, we've got ventriloquists, we've got plenty more to come.

02:55It's only day one, so make sure you tune in to see the rest of it.

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