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TENTERFIELD raised its glass to another successful Bavarian Music Festival and Beerfest as the Original Bavarian Brass Band headed off to Cairns for a holiday.
Organiser of the original beerfest in 2001, Card Geirhos, said he believed this year’s event was “one of the best”.
“The crowd really got going,” Mr Geirhos said. “Germans were there from Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and everywhere.
“The band played the type of music the locals call ‘oompah’ music. It is no use playing the latest tunes they have in Germany. It takes a while to get here.
“They played music Aussies could follow.”
The festival, now organised by Tenterfield Rotary, kicked off with a civic reception at the Tenterfield School of Arts on Wednesday where Tenterfield leaders were presented with gifts and Ottobeuren representatives also were given Australian gifts including a didgeridoo.
This was followed by a Rotary event at Steinbrook Hall.
A Thursday night concert at the School of Arts was sold out. On Friday, the band from Tenterfield’s sister town of Ottobeuren and the surrounding region of Allgau in Bavaria played two school sessions which included brass band versions of The Chicken Dance and YMCA, then attended an event at the Tenterfield Tavern.
The Beerfest was held on Saturday, with a sell-out crowd of 600. On Sunday, the band took part in a packed church service at St Mary’s Catholic Church.
Former mayor and member of the International Town Partnership Cultural Committee Lucy Sullivan said the event had been “very, very successful”.
“They [the band] just seem to get better every year,” Mrs Sullivan said.
“They just love it. I think it’s wonderful they give up so much of their time and they pay their own fares to be here.”
The 35 band members, who travel with about 15 family members and supporters, are billeted out to families in the Tenterfield area for their stay.
Mr Geirhos said he believed the band enjoyed the visit, but were facing a challenge on Saturday night.
“It is extremely demanding playing for six hours,” he said. “Some had blisters on their lips, but there was no other choice.
“In Germany, two bands would be playing and they would have a break while the other played.”
Rotary’s Grahame Braid said the event was well worth it for Tenterfield.
“The whole thing does raise a bit of money for charity, but it is not as much the point of the exercise as the sister town is,” Mr Braid said.
“Like other Rotary projects, it gives people a chance to come and stay in people’s houses. You can’t get that from brochures.”
Rotary’s Peter Chittick said while the rain had prevented a few people from attending, those tickets had been resold to locals so there was a capacity crowd.
“It was a very big success,” Mr Chittick said. “It is good for the community and it is good for tourism.
“It brings people from away who then stay for a few days.
“The whole thing went very smoothly.
“There are a lot of people who help bring it together. There’s a lot of pre-planning and a lot of work, but the money raised goes back into the community.”