Country music broadcaster recognised

WITH a career dating back to the 1960s, country artist and broadcaster Floreena Forbes is no stranger to awards.

She can now add a Victorian Seniors Award to her list of accolades.

Forbes started performing music in the 1960s and presenting radio in the 1990s and has no plans on slowing down any time soon.

“It means a lot, I’m proud to be a senior citizen and to think I’ve come as far as I have,” she said.

“I bought my guitar in 1965 and started my music in the band in 1977 and so during the course of learning the guitar and enjoying my music, I started working a lot with the senior citizens of that time.

“I used to go into the nursing homes and still do, I’d go to the senior clubs and do a lot of charity things.

“By the time you leave, they’ve got a smile on their face, and you feel you’ve done something for the community.”

In the last six years, Forbes has helped raise $18,000 for cancer and during her career has held charity concerts for the Salvation Army, bushfire appeals, farmers, and droughts.

In 2006, Forbes was a foundation member of Phoenix FM and held concerts, chocolate drives and bootscootin’ fundraisers to help the community station secure a license.

Today, she still hosts her country music program, where she plays country and bluegrass and interviews artists, established and emerging.

“I like to try and help the artists that are up and coming of today, not only yesterday,” she said. “The country music that’s coming out today, there is a lot of good music coming out.

“I love doing my shows and I love country music people, I’ve made many, many great friends through the country music industry and the radio.”

In 2008, Forbes was diagnosed with breast cancer and was forced to evacuate her house during the bushfire season, while undergoing treatment.

She never missed a beat however, and was honoured for her work in country music by being inducted into the Australian Country Music Broadcaster’s Hall of Fame in 2017.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Forbes kept the show alive, broadcasting from home via her own computer set-up.

She has also continued to support country music artists through her website floreena.com using her computer skills learnt in the late 1980s.

Still an avid performer, Forbes has been invited to sing in a fundraiser in Tamworth in January next year.

The 84-year-old said it’s an honour to still be doing what she loves and giving back to the community.

“I’m not aiming to give it up any day soon and I’ll only be retiring when the day comes they say you can’t do it anymore,” she said.

“I’m proud of the age I am, and I don’t really want to hide it, because if you can keep doing the things you love, health wise and everything, then you’ll stay young in mind.”