By Eva Kolimar

The good times keep on rolling for Cronulla country music star Luke O’Shea, who has nabbed two wins at the Tamworth Country Music Festival.

He was on stage to accept the Golden Guitar Award for Heritage Song of the Year, South East Queensland written by O’Shea, Fred Smith and Mitchell Lynham.

A dark look at the Australian veteran experience and a moving film clip netted the Sutherland Shire singer-songwriter O’Shea, two more Golden Guitars.

He spoke to the Leader before the festival, about his hope that the song would highlight the experience of returned veterans and those retiring from military service.

Winning also Video Clip of the Year with Jay Seeney, brings his golden tally to 16.

O’Shea wrote the song in Nundle with young songwriter Lynham with lines from Australian diplomat to Uruzgan, Smith.

“I am sincerely humbled by the overwhelming support for our challenging and confronting song,” O’Shea said.

“For me, country music has always sung up its people and its history, so that we can not only celebrate it, but also learn from our mistakes. South East Queensland shouts out to the remarkable Australians out there, right now, who are still fighting the silent enemy after experiencing the horrors of war.”

He said Smith and Lynham, said it best, that with returned Afghanistan veterans, “we don’t have to lionize them, we don’t have to pity them, but we do have to have some understanding of their experiences so that we do not have another generation of strangers walking amongst us.”

“The song and video to South East Queensland attempts to share a fraction of this experience and at its core, hopes to start the conversations that may play a part in this healing and stop the heartbreaking statistics that shame us all,” O’Shea said.