Up close and personal with Beccy Cole

28 Jun 2016

Much-loved Australian country singer Beccy Cole has been performing all over the world for 30 years, but one of the biggest highlights of her career so far was when she performed for the Australian troops. 

Back in 2005, Beccy was invited to take part in the Tour de Force series of concerts in Iraq and across the Middle East. She was joined by several other entertainers, including Angry Anderson and the Royal Australian Navy Band.  

“It was a life changing experience. I met some very inspirational Australians, servicemen and women who do an amazing job. I was extremely proud of them and the work they do. They were doing things like mentoring and training the Iraqi troops, as well as collecting hot and cold water for the village or just playing with the kids,” Beccy tells Active Retirees.

“Australians just get in and do it - they know how to multi-task and they can do anything. That’s what I loved about both the men and women that I met.”

When Beccy returned from her trip overseas, she received a letter from a disgruntled former fan who objected to her performances for the military. In response, Beccy wrote Poster Girl (Wrong Side of the World), where she declared her support for the army but not the Iraq War. 

“I wanted to write about those men and women to help them get rid of the stigma around their participation in the military and help change people’s political attitudes towards our involvement in the war. You can separate the two - you can support the troops without supporting the politics.”

Last year, Beccy wrote Broken Soldier, which discussed the challenges of returned servicemen. 

“Songs about your personal experiences work the best. When you’ve actually gone through it and turned it into a song, they’re the songs that work the best that touch people’s hearts because you’re speaking from your own point of view. It’s an honest way of writing a song,” she says. 

In August this year, Beccy is an ambassador for the 26th annual Gympie Music Muster, which is raising funds for Mates4Mates, an organisation which offers rehabilitation programs for former military men and women. 

“Mates4Mates uses their funds to work with each individual who’s suffering from PTSD or who might have a physical injury whilst serving overseas. They’re a wonderful charity that helps people from the ground up until that person doesn’t need them anymore. I just think they’re a wonderful mob to give the profits to,” she says.

The Gympie Music Muster was one of the very first major festivals Beccy performed at as a young artist in 1993. 

“As an artist, it’s such an honour to grace the stage there. When you get booked for it, you punch the air because you know it’s going to be a great gig!” she says. “The atmosphere is amazing. It’s like a huge campground with Woodstock in the middle of it.”

“When you play the main stage, especially on a Friday or Saturday, you look into the audience and it’s a sea of people going up a hill for as far as you can see. The adrenalin is incredible. That feeling and atmosphere is hard to beat.”

Visit the Gympie Music Muster website for more information.