Jenny Brown followed our hero girl on a 4352km journey as she brought Christmas cheer to families in the bush.
They came from everywhere, crossing the desert in dusty utes and trucks and four-wheel drives.
The children carried candles, their dads swigged cans of beer – and they travelled hundreds of kilometers just to see and hear Nikki Webster sing.
The 13-year-old star of the Olympics opening ceremony was Queen of the Outback during an epic, 4352km whistleshop tour aboard the Indian Pacific train.
Mobbed wherever she went – even in the middle of nowhere – Nikki travelled from coast to coast bringing festive cheer to some of this country’s most isolated communities.
And if our hero girl looked small in the centre of Stadium Australia, she seemed tinier still surrounded by the empty vastness of the Nullabor!
At Pimba, deep in the harsh salt lake country of South Australia, Nikki got off the train at sunset to perform for an audience of mums, dads and excited schoolkids sporting reindeer antlers.
At Ivanhoe, near the NSW mining city of Broken Hill, the entire town turned out to make Nikki’s visit the excuse for a day-long party.
And at the tiny refuelling station of cook – with a total population of three – the young star presented four-year-old Brody Hutchinson with a brand new bicycle, courtesy of the Great Southern Railway.
We don’t get too much happening sround here, so this is a bit of a nvelty for us,” smiled Brody’s mum, Michelle, whose lifestyle gives new meaning to the word “remote”.
A “quick trip” to the nearest shopping centre, at Ceduna, takes five hours there and five hours back – while taking Brody to kindergarten entails a four-hour drive.
“We don’t get there quite as often as I’d like,” said 34-year-old Michelle. “I know he loves the company of other kids, but it’s difficult when you live so far away.”
Still, she and her 36-year-old husband Bruce – janitor of the once-thriving Nullabor township – knew all about Nikki Webster. “We don’t watch much television,” explained Michelle, formerly a secretary to legendary Queensland roads and racing minister, the late Russ Hinze. “But we did see the Olympics opening ceremony, and we thought Nikki was really good.”
For her part, the pint-sized performer was bowled over by the warmth and enthusiasm of her country fans. “This is a dream come true for me,” says Nikki, who lives with her family – her mum, Tina; dad, Mark; 16-year-old brother, Scott, and two pet pooches, Star and Princess – in Sydney’s crowded inner-west. “I haven’t spent much time in the bush before, so this has been a great experience for me.
“All the people I’ve met have been wonderful. Even in the city, I’ve never given so many autographs!”
“Yes, it’s pretty amazing,” the young star told Woman’s Day, her big brown eyes sparkling with excitement. “I can’t believe what’s happened since the Olympics. I always dreamt of being an all-round entertainer, but I never thought it would happen so quickly – or that I’d be given the chance to perform with role models like Kylie Minogue and Olivia Newton-John.
“Kylie has even offered to advise me if I ever need help with my career.”
But Nikki’s success is no surprise to her grandparents, 64-year-old Margie and Brian Keane, who chaperoned her on the trip-of-a-lifetime. Brian, who normally runs a pet shop in Forest Hill, London, said, “This is something I’ll remember until my dying day. We never expected to see the Outback, let alone in such comfort.
“It’s the experience of a lifetime. And to watch Nikki sing to all these people, it’s wonderful, absolute magic.”
At which point, proud “nanna” Margie beamed, “We’ve known for years she’d be a star one day, although we’re not sure where she gets it from – certainly not from me, because I can’t sing at all!”
Nikki appears in the Main Street Parade at Warner Bros. Movie World on January 2, 3, 4 and 5.
Source: Woman’s Day
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