On tour, country music star Tom Curtain doesn't travel light.
"We've got 10 horses, 10 working dogs, a few goats, the family and a few musos," the 45-year-old said on Tuesday, from the Cooma showgrounds where his The Good Life Tour plays on Friday night.
The show, which is travelling circus-style around Australia, comprises a one-hour outback show with working dogs and horses (and goats) and two hours of live music by Curtain, alt-country performer Laura Frank and Kununurra singer Chris Matthews.
As well as Cooma, Curtain is performing his show at Murrumbateman (on Saturday night), this week visiting the kids at the local school where they joined in with gusto to sing his song Speak Up.
"They were great," Curtain said.
The rousing song was inspired by Amy "Dolly" Everett, a victim of bullying who ended her life aged just 14. Curtain's song includes the words "Speak even if your voice shakes", which Dolly had written on a drawing before her death.
As an ambassador for Dolly's Dream, Tom visits local schools to talk to students, using his music and storytelling to engage them in discussions about kindness, empathy and bullying to help foster a more supportive and inclusive environment.
Curtain is continuing to raise awareness about the impact of bullying and the need for more compassion with his new single Be Kind which, a powerful collaboration with fellow Golden Guitar winners Ashleigh Dallas, Lyn Bowtell, and Matt Scullion.
"We know Dolly's family well. Her sister Meg worked for us on the Katherine Outback Experience and that song was way to keep things going and continuing Dolly's legacy," Tom said.
"When we go on tour, we meet a lot of families who have lost kids to bullying. A lady came up after one of our shows and said, 'It's not too hard to be kind is it' and I just took that line and went with it."
Curtain started his outback tourism venture the Katherine Outback Experience in 2013 in the Northern Territory. The venture celebrates life on the land, with starting horse and working dog demonstrations, music and bush yarns. He takes the show on the road from October for five or six months during the Top End wet season.
His wife Annabel and children Harry, four, and Lottie, three, travel with him. Harry does School of the Air four times a week (now all about Zoom and lap tops rather than radios on remote stations).
Three-year-old Lottie even got up on stage and sang her own tune at last weekend's show in Moss Vale.
"That was her first time ever," Curtain said.
"We haven't pulled them in one way or the other, but she wanted to get up."
Curtain says his shows are, ultimately, about community.
At each venue, a local charity gets to put on a barbecue or run the bar to raise money. It's a time for people to stop and relax.
"Even just parents dancing with their kids - we don't get too many opportunities to do that. It's pretty cool," Curtain said.
"It's just people catching up with mates, enjoying each other's company."
- The Good Life Tour with Tom Curtain is at Cooma on Friday from 5.30pm to 8.30pm and Murrumbateman on Saturday from 5.30pm to 8.30pm. Tickets are at www.tomcurtain.com.au/all-tours/the-good-life/
