Whether it's been the loud, tailor-made suits, the sharp-witted pub banter or the croon of a memorable Elton John or Billy Joel number, the last 13 years of Thursday karaoke at The Oxford Hotel have always been memorable with Andy Wheeler behind the mic.
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But the ever-charismatic host is set to sing his last song this coming Good Friday, before he makes the move up north to Tropical Queensland.
While he's excited for the move, Mr Wheeler said he will truly miss the "dream run" of Thursday karaoke events, but will have plenty of memories to draw on.
"We've had plenty of talent pass through the Oxford over the years, and it's certainly brought a lot of people out of their shell," he said.
"It's been quite a joy to see many first-timers grow into regulars, I've loved every minute of it."
Mr Wheeler traces his initial interest in hosting karaoke back to winning 'Bathurst Idol' at the venue, and said the excitement has been similar each week.
"The help, support and friendship of Ash Lyons [Oxford Hotel owner] has been fabulous. He's supported us the whole way through and we've managed to draw a dedicated crowd to the venue each Thursday, which hadn't happened in Bathurst for a long time," he said.
"Karaoke has always been for people who want to sing. It's always been said that everyone sings in the shower, sometimes they'll tell you 'not very well', but this event has always been about people having a go."
Mr Wheeler's profile as a karaoke host has extended to other parts of the community, whether it be as a LGBTQIA+ rights advocate, a devout Elton John fan, or as the first friendly face the community would see walking into Bathurst's Bunnings Warehouse store.
In many ways, the Good Friday event at the Oxford will be Mr Wheeler's farewell to Bathurst as much as it is his farewell to local karaoke, with visitors encouraged to dress as 'colourful' as they possibly can.
But Mr Wheeler has not ruled out hosting future karaoke events.
"I think there's still one song [or 700] in me, but we'll wait and see what the future holds," he said.
"We've had so many wonderful events that have aligned with certain themes, such as singing away to LA and the South Pacific, so Bathurst will be a hard act to follow."
As for the song Mr Wheeler will sign off on, attendees will have to wait until Friday.
"I'm leaving it a secret, except I will say it'll be a personal reflection of my journey through life."
The event will take place from 5.30pm to 10pm on Good Friday.
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Sam Bolt
"I'm not in the business of telling people what to do. I'm much more in the business of describing things, situations and stuff like that and leaving them out there, and you can make up your minds about them." -Nick Cave
"I'm not in the business of telling people what to do. I'm much more in the business of describing things, situations and stuff like that and leaving them out there, and you can make up your minds about them." -Nick Cave
