Something to cry about

Bob Townshend is ready for the big league.

Rebecca Davis

WARWICK'S town crier Bob Townshend is busy preparing to step back in time for the 22nd National Championships of the Ancient and Honourable Guild of Australian Town Criers in March.

Last year out of 16 competitors, Mr Townshend came in eighth, but took out third place in the seniors (over 65 years old) category.

But this time around he knows what to expect and is ready to take on the competition.

"I feel as though I've been there and done that now and know a little bit more about it," he said.

Mr Townshend is currently in the process of making many improvements, one of them includes the alteration of his uniform or "regalia" as he refers to it.

"There are a few things that I can do and one of them is to put a bit more sparkle into my regalia. The other town criers last year had a lot more braiding, and whilst I have a very nice uniform, it's not quite as fancy as some of the others," he said.

In his previous uniform, Mr Townshend said he was often asked by children if he was a pirate.

"It's all part of the fun, I'm a bit of a poser," he laughed.

Mr Townshend is also in the middle of writing this year's town cries.

"While I will be writing about Warwick, I also intend to include the rest of the Southern Downs area," he said.

The 22nd National Championships of the Ancient and Honourable Guild of Australian Town Criers begins on March 31st in Moree.