Local News
Ridge CD rolls for award
By The Black Opal Advocate
Nov 21, 2003, 07:57

SUCCESS is coming late in life for Lightning Ridge singer songwriter, Mal Podmore, but it is all the sweeter for that.
Last year’s official ambassador for the Ridge at Tamworth’s Telstra Country Music Festival, he will be back this year competing for top honours as a song-writer.
Mr Podmore has been selected as a finalist in the Bush B alladeer Star Quest with the chance to win a recording contract to produce a single for radio airplay, as well as numerous appearances during the festival.
He is also an entrant in the festval’s presti-geous Tiara Awards for independent artists and for the Tamworth Song-writers Awards, follow-ing the success of his Lightning Ridge song, Where money can be found.
Recently as a vol-unteer at the tourist information centre Mr Podmore saw the power of the  when a couple came into the office.
“I had played the Lightning Ridge song at a concert at Ingleburn RSL and sold a copy of the CD to this couple,” he said.
“They had been trying to decide where to go for holidays and after listening to the album they decided the Ridge was the place.”
Mr Podmore has been living in the Ridge, “on and off” since 1979 but it was after a near-fatal heart attack while working as a car yard sales manager in North Queensland nearly seven years ago, that he moved to Lightning Ridge permanently.
“Following my attack I was told to change my lifestyle,” he said.
“I love life in Lightning Ridge and I have plenty of time for writing and recording.”
His musical credentials stretch back “further than I care to remember” as a bass guitarist supporting the Gibb brothers at a charity concert in Corrimal before they shot to worldwide fame as the Bee Gees, and later as a backing musician for Reg Lindsay.

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