By Milla Webster
THE Kilmore Regional Busking Festival has been named Mitchell Shire Council’s Community Event of the Year, celebrating an event that has grown from a grassroots idea into one of Kilmore’s most vibrant and anticipated annual celebrations.
Established in 2019, the festival was created to give young rural and regional performers a public platform to build confidence, develop skills and gain real-world performance experience.
Organiser Rose King said the award was a meaningful acknowledgement of the work behind the scenes.
“It was such a thrill to receive the award (on Australia Day). It was recognition of the countless hours of work that went into creating the Kilmore Regional Busking Championships.”
Ms King said the event would not have been possible without strong community backing. “It would never have come about without the support of the Rotary Club of Southern Mitchell, the sponsors, big and small, who entrusted me with their sponsorship money.
“I felt such a responsibility to deliver a successful community event that worked for performers, sponsors, local businesses, residents and visitors,” she said.
The festival features three age categories, with winners earning the chance to compete at the Australian National Busking Championships in Cooma, New South Wales. Ms King said the partnership was critical in the festival’s early success. Helping to establish credibility and offering performers a pathway to national exposure.
While the event runs smoothly, Ms King admitted the first year was challenging. “There were times leading up to that first event when I had to remind myself to just ‘breathe’,” she said. “But, it was clear from that first event the Busking Championships had ‘legs’ and could develop into an annual community event for Kilmore.
Over time, the festival has built strong relationships with schools, families and performers of all ages. Older performers bring professionalism, while younger participants gain confidence through public performance.
The award was accepted at the council’s Australia Day ceremony at Seymour by Dean Saitta on behalf of the festival.
