She was a quiet achiever a hard worker and a volunteer of over 20 years of service (1987-2008) for the Tamworth Songwriters Association and community at large. Sadly, she passed away on August 6th, 2013.
VALE Bev Daniel
By Patricia Cruzado
The late Bev Daniel and her husband Ron did more than their fair share, making an indelible impact on the TSA, influencing many up and coming songwriters. Sadly Bev succumbed to Motor Neurone Disease, passing away on April 6 and she truly left her mark.
It was the former TSA President Eric Watson who introduced Ron and Bev onto the TSA committee shortly after they arrived in Tamworth in the winter of 1987 and their involvement with the TSA lasted 20 years, according to Ron. “Eighty hours a week (voluntary); she lived for it,” he said. They were the backbone of the TSA with Bev as president for 14 years and Ron as her vice-president offsider.
She also took on various other roles from treasurer, membership co-ordinator, publicity officer/ newsletter editor while Ron took up secretary, membership co-ordinator and was vice-president for 13 years. When the positions weren’t filled, they took them on. “It took over our life,” Mr Daniel said. “She knew everyone in the industry and did what she could for them.”
Ron and Bev worked tirelessly to start the first TSA Salute Awards. “It was Tom McIvor’s idea to hold an awards night,” he said. It was Bev and Ron who fundraised, ran raffles “everything they could do” to raise funds for the first TSA Salute awards. “All the members sent in a copy of the albums,” he said. “We held a massive display in the foyer of the Worker’s Club. It’s sitting empty now.” Eric Bogle took out the first Tex Morton award. Ron said the ‘Mad Scotsman’ spat over the first three rows of the audience. “His songs are so hard to sing you can’t help but spit,” he laughed.
“Among their many achievements, they organised the first TSA National Country Songwriting Contest not long after joining the committee of TSA. In 1998 they organised the first TSA Song Search competition and, over the years, the untiring duo have run the prestigious TSA Songwriters’ Concert and Awards presentations, Songwriters’ Workshops, Pass the Guitar Nights, Songwriters’ Showcases and countless other events. Ron even makes the distinctive Awards trophies out of cedar each year.
“After holding many positions Bev became President in January 1994 and Ron became Vice-President in January 1995, positions they have filled until 2008 … Max Ellis www.historyofcountrymusic.com.au
Tamworth was a long way from where Bev grew up. Born in Gayndah on 21 April 1950 to parents Edward and Violet Buckholz of German descent, the family moved to Bundaberg where she lived and later met Ron, who also lived in Bundaberg. “She was already a member of TSA before we met,” Ron said of her joining in its second year.
The couple aptly met at a country music show in Bundaberg. Before they met, Bev had been married to Jim Dyckhoff and had a daughter Anita Jane (Bundaberg) while Ron had two boys Chad Ronald and Wade Brian, also from a former marriage to Desley Burton. Bev and Ron shared a love of country music as Bev wrote songs and Ron dabbled in guitar. “My singing was so terrible I stuck to the guitar,” he said. His old mate Lindsay Butler made Ron a special guitar when he fell ill four years ago bedridden for four months in hospital.
A couple of years after moving to Tamworth, Bev and Ron married in 2000 in a simple ceremony at The Steakhouse on Marius Street Tamworth surrounded by close friends. “We were supposed to be married in a park and got rained out,” Ron said of asking three men to be his best man. “Eric Watson was supposed to be my best man but he got flooded in as he lived in Casino and couldn’t get out,” he said. Then he asked a mate but he had a gig that night and couldn’t make it. “So I asked my boss,” Ron said.
From tree change to sea change, they headed for the coast in 2004 where they worked on the Gold Coast in their own business for five years. However in recent years they both battled with their own health problems and Ron has since retired. The TSA is indebted to Bev and Ron for 21 years of service helping budding to professional songwriters be involved, mentored and recognised for their original country songs. For her dedication and commitment to the Tamworth Songwriter’s Association, a commemorative award will be named in Bev’s honour at the 2014 TSA Awards.
“She was certainly a quiet achiever and she, with Ron’s support made an immense contribution to the TSA over an extremely long period, In fact I think it would be fair to say that Bev’s enthusiasm and determination maintained the early momentum of the TSA and instigated many activities that have proved to be a mainstay of the organisation over the decades. I should say my knowledge of Bev was restricted to her TSA activities. I had a great admiration for her abilities and her involvement and she and Ron gave the organisation a stability (unusual for volunteer organisations) and long term direction that enabled it to become a very effective organisation from the members’ point of view. Beneath her quiet exterior and lovely, friendly personality, lurked a determined and committed person who loved what she was doing and who made a significant contribution to Country Music in Tamworth and indeed in Australia.” Max Ellis 18/7/13
I first met Ron & Bev Daniel at Bundaberg many years ago and we have been close friends ever since. Ron & Bev eventually moved to Tamworth and became involved in the Tamworth Songwriters Association. I believe that their input into Tamworth’s country music industry was enormous.
I was the musical director for 30 years at their awards concerts. The best and most enjoyable years were when Ron and Bev were head of the team. In that time I received one of my most loved awards The Tex Morton Award thanks to Ron and Bev. Bev’s achievements in Tamworth were much more important than a lot of folks ever realized. We at LBS Music miss her greatly. Lindsay Butler OAM
I proudly held membership in the Tamworth Songwriters Association for over 20 years and had the pleasure of serving in the committee under Bev and Ron Daniels for many of those years. Their dedication to the TSA was extraordinary the likes of which may never be witnessed again. Their passion for the music, respect for the industry and love for the songwriters and artists, in turn, made both Bev and Ron valuable members of the country music family. More importantly they were personal friends of ours and part of our family. Consequently, I relinquished my position on the committee following their retirement. That’s how significant Bev & Ron were to the TSA and how important they were to me personally! RIP beautiful lady. Love always Shaza Leigh.