Allan Kellet

Sound Grab

My interest in country music first started in the early 1940’s when I used to listen to a radio program "Songs of the Prairie from 2WG in Wagga, and then the "Sunset Trail" on 2WL in Wollongong during the late 40’s and early 50’s. This interest was maintained over the following years, during which time I married, had five children and 13 grandchildren. I spent approximately half my working life on the family dairy farm until 1977, when we sold the farm. I worked for the Shoalhaven District Hospital then the Department of Community Health until I retired in 1999.

Once I had retired, I decided to get more involved with the country music scene, and having listened to Triple U’s country music programs for a number of years, I decided to become a member. I was trained by Will Schmidt, and in April 2000 I got my own program, and "Country Gems" was born. I tend to specialize in the older country music and over the years have built up quite a collection and my program consists of approximately 80% Australian music. I contact artists to obtain material for my program and face to face contact has resulted in a number of them recording promos for my program. In between preparing and presenting my program, my other hobbies are my large veggie garden, reading and wood turning. I also play banjo with a keyboard player and we entertain the residents of Nursing Homes.