This includes Bill Chambers, Harry Hookey and Brad Butcher, who was on the Golden Guitar Awards finalists at this year’s Tamworth Festival.

Recently a full house welcomed the highly acclaimed ‘String Family’ to Penrose and were treated to a wonderful night of entertainment.

Some Southern Highlands residents may have been lucky enough to see these talented musicians at the Moss Vale Buskers Battle or working the crowds in Corbett Plaza recently but those who came to see them at Penrose were able to sit back and enjoy a range of music during the night ranging from Celtic tunes to Elvis to Bohemian Rhapsody.

“It was a great night,” a Penrose resident said.

“And there wasn’t a spare seat in the house. Some people even set up a table outside so they could be part of the night.”

The String Family, Joel, Sarah, Heath (15) and Ashleigh (13), are into their third year of life in a caravan, touring festivals, performance competitions and the nations best busking sites.

They have won the National Busking competition (2016) and the Best Celtic Song and the best new Celtic Talent 2017 at the National Celtic Music Awards

“While we are not the first family who have hit the road to travel full time around Australia, we are a little different in a number of ways. We have no fixed end date. We have no fixed address to come back to, and sometimes have no plan of where we are going for a number of weeks” Joel said.

That is not to say they don’t land in the same place twice. 

The String Family has regularly returned to the Highlands as a favoured place of rest, performance, song composition and recording for two of their three albums. 

“We love performing at Penrose. The whole evening had such a wonderful friendly feel and it inspires us to continue our journey,” Sarah said

The Penrose concert ended in a standing ovation and emphasised the value of our small halls in bringing communities together for entertainment and shared experiences.

For more information and to listen to their music: https://www.stringfamily.com.au