Two high school students have won this year’s Toyota Country Music Busking Championships at the Tamworth Country Music Festival.

Robbi Morgan, 14, from Sydney’s Asquith Boys High School, and Ben Gillard, 15, from Kooringal High School in Wagga Wagga, forged a friendship and a strong musical bond as Featured Artists at the 2022 and 2023 Schools Spectacular concerts.

The dynamic duo was “speechless” about their win, which came just six days after their first gig together. They wowed the crowd with covers of Benjamin Dakota Roger’s ‘John Came Home’ and ‘3:59 AM’ by John Moreland.

Toyota Country Music Festival Tamworth Manager Barry Harley said: “Congratulations to Robbi and Ben on being crowned this year’s busking champions.

“Not only did they deliver an outstanding performance tonight, but they engaged festival goers throughout the festival CBD across the 10 days, which is why they are a truly deserving recipients of the busking champion title.”

The busking championships is one of the most anticipated events of the Tamworth Country Music Festival, with 10 buskers invited by judges to perform in Toyota Park on the last weekend of the festival.

“It’s just incredible, I cannot believe the win,” Ben said.

Robbi said: “Six days ago when Ben and I played our first song together, I didn’t have any idea anything like this would happen.

“We used to jam when we weren’t on stage at Schools Spectacular and thought, ‘Hey, this is pretty fun, why don’t we keep doing this?’”

Busking championship co-host Carl Cash recounted how eager Robbi and Ben were to play at the iconic Tamworth Country Music Festival.

“Robbi accosted me in the caravan park right before the festival saying he was wanting to get gigs, and I told him to attend the Riverside Stage & Takeaway Open Mic Night to see what they’ve got,” Carl said.

As the 2024 busking champions Robbi and Ben take home $2,000 cash, a chance to play at the 2025 festival opening concert, two paid gigs at The Courthouse Hotel, and a Jands Everse8 PA system.

Robbi, a vocalist who was discovered as a member of The Arts Unit’s Boys Vocal program, led the 40th anniversary Schools Spectacular event rendition of the song, ‘Happy Birthday’, originally performed by Stevie Wonder.

Ben is a virtuoso guitarist who received a mentoring session with legendary guitarist Tommy Emmanuel as part of the Schools Spectacular training program. Last year Ben played an adaptation of Emmanuel’s version of ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ at the Schools Spectacular.

Ben’s mother, Kate Gillard, said Ben and Robbi “just work together so well and have developed an amazing friendship”.

“I don’t think they’ll ever come down from this high,” she said.

Each year, up to 400 buskers perform on Tamworth’s ‘Boulevard of Dreams’ on Peel Street in the hopes of following in the footsteps of some of country music’s biggest stars including Troy Cassar-Daley, Kasey Chambers, Beccy Cole and Keith Urban.