Beaufort farmer Tom Franc, 80, still busking at 'Folkie' in wake of fires

"I've been coming to the Folkies for 41 years," he said.

"I missed two or three at the start but once I got here I haven't missed them since."

The 80-year-old retired Beaufort farmer still lives on the property he worked his whole life, even though he has now sold it.

"We had fires go through there a couple weeks ago. I've been there 80 years and never seen it burnt out but it's burnt out properly now," he said.

"It could have been worse. We've still got housing and sheds. Just lost fencing.

"No stock loss but a big mess to clean up."

Mr Franc said the blaze left about 80 per cent of the property "black" and about 80 kilometres of fencing would need to be replaced.

The stock has been moved to the paddocks that weren't burnt.

The retired CFA volunteer said they had been told to evacuate the property, which borders the state park.

"We came back a couple hours later and everything was still standing, which was a bit of a surprise," he said.

Mr Franc said it was the atmosphere and the people you meet over the years that brought him back to the Folkie year after year.

"It's just brilliant to come back and meet them again." he said. "Absolutely marvellous.

"I learnt to play a bit of music here and I enjoy that."

Mr Franc said he tried for about 10 years to learn the piano when he was a kid but it was the buskers at the festival that brought out his love of music all those decades ago.

He plays the concertina in the Rubber Band - who are regulars at numerous festivals including the Koroit Irish Festival.

While no one really keeps track, he said over the years the band had collected an estimated $35,000 for the Warrnambool hospital by busking in the street.

"Not a bad effort," he said.

Some days are more profitable than others. "Some days when it was really rocking we'd get $800 no trouble at all," he said.

Mr Franc said for the first 10 to 12 years it was the same group of musicians that would come down each year.

"But they've either got sick of it or passed away, but I'm still going," he said.

Mr Franc said over the years the number of band members had dwindled. "That's why they call it the Rubber Band," he said. "There could be six turn up or three or 15."

He said band members come from all across Victoria and as far as Dimboola and Melbourne. "We do our rehearsing at the festivals we go to every year."

Mr Franc said he had been debating whether this year's festival was the one where he was going to end his long tradition of heading to Port Fairy.

"I said I wasn't going to come this year. I had such a good time that I've got the pressure on me to come again next year," he said.

"So I've got 12 months to work it out."

Mr Franc said the biggest issue was the cost. "When I first came the weekend ticket was $12," he said.