Heather Thacker is no stranger to country music accolades.

This month, the Gore 68-year-old  won the veteran category at the Southern Country Music Awards, in Mosgiel.

  Her win will see her  compete at the New Zealand Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year contest, in Rotorua, in October.  

Despite all of her trophies, Mrs Thacker admitted she had battled self-doubt over the years.

“When I first started, I used to just stand there like a deer in the headlights,” she said.

She would look back at footage of her performances and pick apart her movements and voice. 

But she had turned a corner, she said.

“I am always so critical, but I’ve decided that I’m not going to be from now [on].

“It’s taken me a while to get there,” Mrs Thacker said. 

She shone the brightest when she focused on telling a story on stage.

 Regular vocal lessons had also helped boost her skill and confidence, she said. 

Instead of focusing on what she thought had gone wrong, she became inspired by fellow veteran performers.

“They bring camaraderie really, because you see people your age out there and … they’re doing it and you just want to be like them,” she said.

Mrs Thacker won the highest scoring Gore Country Music Club member category, in the classic section, at the New Zealand Gold Guitar Awards this year. 

In 2019, she won the 60+ category at the awards.

Mrs Thacker joined the Gore Country Music Club in 1976, had a sabbatical, then returned in 2009.

Today, she performs regularly at rest homes in Gore and enjoys seeing people’s faces light up.

“Music touches everybody,” she said. 

gemma.sinclair@alliedmedia.co.nz