THE life of one of the founders of the Modern Country Music Association will be celebrated with a sing-a-long at the Victoria Park Rotunda on Saturday.
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Ken Pritchard, who died in October aged 81, was a central player in the country music scene in Dubbo more than 40 years ago according to his former wife, Joan Burt and colleague, Gary Gowans.
Mr Pritchard was a fitter and turner with NSW Railways and then left to join the staff as a handyman at the Dubbo Base Hospital.
In 1972, he left Dubbo and moved to Oakey in Queensland's Darling Downs where he lived until his death.
Ken Pritchard was an influential musician in Dubbo's early country music scene performing in clubs, pubs and also for charity events for organisations like Westhaven, Mr Gowans said.
It was after a performance at the Royal Theatre, formerly located in Bultje Street, which was a fundraiser for the ambulance organisation, Mr Pritchard and other musicians like Mr Gowens, and the influential Ken Cameron who ran a radio program on 2DU, formed the the association.
"The Modern Country Music Association's members were mainly from NSW and Brisbane and we formed it in February 1962," Mr Gowans said.
He said Dubbo and Tamworth were the two major centres in NSW for country music performances in the 1960s and '70s.
The sing-a-long for Ken Pritchard will begin at 11am on January 11 in Victoria Park.
