Beau Dusk: winner of the Darwin heat of the 2010 Road To Tamworth national talent competition.

Seventeen year-old self-taught country musician Beau Dusk from Karama has won the Darwin Heat of the 2010 Telstra Road To Tamworth “talent development program”.

Beau won “an Epiphone acoustic guitar and a trip to Sydney to participate in an intensive two-day music mentoring ‘Boot Camp’,” in the lead up to the next round of heats, held at one of Sydney’s biggest sports events: a performance at the 500 V8 Supercars, at Olympic Park in December 2010. If he is successful he will also go one to compete at further finals, held at the Tamworth County Music Festival.

Unsuccessful at last year’s Darwin heat, upon his win this year Beau was quoted as saying, “This really is a dream come true for me – country music speaks to me and I genuinely love what I do.”

The ultimate winner of the TRTT “will be in contention for an ultimate prize package including recording opportunities and a return trip to Nashville USA.” The TRTT Grand Final will be held in Sydney in January 2011.

The NT heats were held at the The Bandstand at Darwin Showgrounds on Saturday July 24, 2010. Beau was one of six contestants, aged between 16 – 57. The other contestants included former Darwin-heat winner Yuliana Pascoe, Mark Hilton, Warren Corowa, Casey Glennon and Zoe Akkerman.

Also on the bill were official TRTT Ambassadors The McClymonts, Tenielle (2009 TRTT Performance Category Winner) and TRTT Grand Finalist Dave Garnham, frontman of Darwin band The Moving Targets and manager of Happy Yess.

Beau is a Year 11 student at Marrara Christian College and reportedly “picked up the guitar little more than a year ago”.

Read more about Beau Dusk’s big win here.

Words: Megan Spencer