Chillagoe townsfolk get gear off to raise money for local starlet

The townsfolk have got their kit off for a nude calendar, the Chillagoe Cheer Squad 2016 – the fifth for the former mining town in the past 14 years – to raise funds for local country music artist, Becci Nethery.

Becci found success earlier this year with her debut EP featuring “I Wrote This One For You”, an original piece which sat on the Australian Country Tracks Chart for six weeks, reaching number 14, and also topped the Tasmania Country Chart.

Calendar coordinator Laura Webb said most of the people featured in the calendar have known Becci all her life.

“We wanted to help Becci out,” Ms Webb said.

“This is the first one that is musically themed and its very tasteful.

“It features the beauty of Chillagoe, fabulous waterholes and the limestone bluffs and everyone has a musical instrument in the pictures.”

The town produced its first nude calendar featuring its menfolk in 2001 to raise money for the local hospital. Not to be outdone, the ladies got their gear off in 2002 for a female nude calendar and a year later, a couples one was done. In 2013, a 10^th anniversary calendar was done and this year, the musical one.

“No-one is really shy anymore,” Ms Webb added.

The 1000-copy print run always sells out early in the year, and the town is hoping that it will happen again for their local starlet.

Becci, who is studying music at the Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Sydney, was humbled by the gesture.

“It’s wonderful that they are so supportive of me,” said Becci, a graduate of the 2012 Junior Academy of Country Music. “I know they’ve had a lot of success with their calendars in the past and I know they had a lot of fun making this one.”

Becci hopes to release a single from her new album in 2016 and will appear at the Tamworth Country Music Festival.

The calendars cost $20 each plus postage and are available from the Chillagoe’s Post Office Hotel or Kerry Nethery on 0408 062 865 or Laura Webb on 0439 432 345.