John Williamson

In June 2025 I had to pleasure of attending a concert hosted by John Williamson, on his property in the Queensland Hinterland.

I have been listening to John as long as I can remember, and I still have the cassette tape we used to listen to in the car during road trips around Tasmania, and on our stereo at home.

When my first born was growing in his mother’s tummy, I used to play John’s songs to him. I found playing John’s music would help calm him when he was upset.

My son was born with congenital vertical talus, put simply, his ankle bone was vertically positioned. This required several attempts to fix via splints, and then eventually surgery. One day in the hospital while getting his ankle recast, he was scared and crying, and the nurse was having trouble changing his cast. I grabbed my phone and started playing John’s songs. He instantly looked at me and calmed down. The nurses were shocked. One said to me, “I have never heard of a child being calmed down by listening to John Williamson. That is amazing.”

It had been a wish of mine for ages to be able to take my son to see John in concert. In 2018 we finally got to go and see John. My son was still only little, and we had a long drive to go and see John, but we waited around after the show and got to meet him, and he signed an Old Man Emu book for him.

As a Taurus, we are renowned for being big music lovers, and having a song for every mood. Over the years, I found listening to John’s songs have helped to calm and relax me. Some of the hardest times I have been through, John’s music has been my go to. He has a song for everything, love, sorrow, kids, family, aging, loneliness, ANZAC’s, our wonderful animals, and living on the land in this fantastic country.

As I write this, I have been going through quite a difficult time in my life. As I was driving to the airport, then flying across the country from WA to NSW, and then to QLD, I was questioning going away and doing something for myself. I have always struggled being away from home but visiting John’s home and listening to him sing in a place that means so much to him was something I had been wanting to do for eleven years.

When I was finally on the bus and winding our way up the narrow road toward his property, I started to finally feel very relaxed and happy. I got off the bus with the rest of the people who were there to see him and we crossed the road to the entrance to Willoshed. The beauty of the place was breathtaking. And no, not just because the mountain air was damn cold.

The property was instantly welcoming, as was Meg, at the gate entrance to greet their guests to their home.

Going to concerts, you usually get annoying people who carry-on and make idiots of themselves, including some of John’s shows I’ve previously been to. But this time it was different, everyone that attended had nothing other than complete respect for John, his family and friends, and that he welcomes fans to his home.

To help make every guest feel at home, there was a nice campfire, Billy tea brewing, sausages cooking, a merchandise stand, a complimentary special enamel mug for everyone with either a beer wine or juice, a stunning view, and an abundance of friendly smiling faces everywhere.

The intimate concert was to take place inside the shed, where we were eventually asked to move into. Most people had picked their seats; others were quite content standing. Everyone settled in, and listened to one of the volunteers welcome us all. There was the general housekeeping, and then Meg was invited to the microphone.

John and Meg are very passionate participants of The Big Red Bash. They had a limited-edition John Williamson Akubra to auction off. I can’t remember the exact figures, but the opening was a couple of thousand dollars. At one point I put my hand up for a bid, I’m not saying how much haha, but the bids kept going higher and higher.

It was then time for the man himself, John, to come out on stage. The crowd clapped and cheered as John took his place on the stage and played and sang his magic for everyone.

With all that has been going on in my life, at that point in time I don’t think I could have been happier.

For nearly two hours, John captivated everyone.

At the end of the concert, they thanked everyone who attended, and all their amazing friends and volunteers who made it all possible for them to entertain the fans. It was quite an emotional thank you, as there is a high probability they may not host another Willoshed concert. If that was the last Willoshed, then I will cherish that occasion, and be forever grateful for the experience.

For those of us who caught the bus up from down the hill, we had the picturesque walk back up their hilly property to the road and back on the bus.

I am 46 years old and have been listening to John for as long as I can remember, and will continue to listen to him until the day I die.

John, thank you.