Mr Smith and his wife, Pip, flew their helicopter to the Centre, landing in front of a small crowd of local fans and media representatives before greeting the wife of the late Slim Dusty, Joy McKean.

“It only took us six minutes to get here from a friend’s place in Grassy Head, “ Mr Smith said. “I’ve never been to the Slim Dusty Centre before but we helped finance it so it will be great to see it.”

“Slim Dusty was a wonderful Australian – comparable to Banjo Patterson and Henry Lawson.

“It will be lovely to see Joy again.”

Centre Manager Michelle Atkinson said the Smith’s visit was a momentous occaision that had attracted significant local attention.

“Dick has been a long serving patron and advocate of the Centre so it’s fantastic to have him here,” Mrs Atkinson said. “He’s an Australian icon like Slim Dusty so it’s nice to have that association between them. Like Slim, Dick has a real passion for Australia.”