“She also got the Capital Country Music Association’s achievement award out of 200 other contestants,” her proud father Wally Hindle said yesterday.

Kate was also declared a WA Rising Star.

She said perhaps the greatest thrill of the whole trip was doing a press conference with Beccy Cole, who took out the best female vocal award for the second year running.

During a hectic trip, the year 11 Collie Senior High School student performed at more than 30 shows. They included shows featuring Graham Rodgers, Brian Letton, Dianne Lindsay, Amber Joy Poulton, Peter Coad, balladeer Evan Platschinda and Sam Smyth.

She also performed for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter fund-raiser and hosted and performed at the Mcdonald’s pancake breakfast to raise money for Ronald McDonald House.

In addition Kate staged her own shows at caravan parks and other venues around Tamworth.

A highlight was getting radio air-time to promote her new CD, which is being played on most country music stations around Australia, Wally said.

Dolly magazine sought permission to put Kate’s photo on the magazine website. A magazine representative rang this week to say the picture was there now.

“Kate has again been invited back to Tamworth next year,” Wally said.

Kate and her parents, who took off for the 40th Tamworth Country Music on December 27 drove back into Collie last Friday.

They got home just in time for her first show at the Donnybrook Food and Gourmet Festival the following day.

Their New South Wales departure was hasty. “We had to beat a bit of (flood) water,” Wally explained.

Kate is having music lessons and hopes to become a music teacher.

She will study for a degree at Edith Cowan University and is already doing a few university units, Wally said.

Kate said she had originally hoped to be a performer but had decided to become a teacher because “I can still do music on the weekends”.

She agreed that teaching might provide more regular pay packets than show business.