MY FATHER, BURL IVES, PETE SEEGER AND AUSTRALIA’S FOLK MUSIC HERITAGE

Stephen Whiteside reminisces about the 1970s, his encounters with folk music and a couple of its noted singers, as well as their encounters with the notorious House Un-American Activities Committee in the 1950s.

On Stephen's website at:

https://stephenwhiteside.com.au/my-father-burl-ives-pete-seeger-and-australias-folk-music-heritage/

REMEMBER, REMEMBER ... WITH DANNY SPOONER

Here’s a teaser for the other Cracker Night (or one of them, at least). The late and much missed Danny Spooner sings the Guy Fawkes bonfire song and reminisces about the Fifth of November. More on this then!

CRACKER NIGHT!

Here’s a link to Rob’s Cracker Night mashup and the memories of Merle Hayward of NW Tassie.

Empire Day (May 24) was established in Australia in 1905. Officially, it marked the date of Queen Victoria’s birthday throughout the British Empire. More importantly, it was a half-day school holiday and in much of the country the evening of Empire Day became the folkloric ‘Cracker Night’, with enormous bonfires, fireworks and general celebration.

In 1958, Empire Day became 'British Commonwealth Day' and just 'Commonwealth Day' in 1966. Since then, hands-on (and off) fireworks have been progressively banned around Australia and ‘Cracker Night’ is no more. (Though the Northern Territory still allows fireworks on Territory Day celebration, July 1).

In NSW, Cracker Night was moved to June and in some parts of Australia, a ‘Cracker Night’ was observed on the evening of November 5, Guy Fawkes Day. More on this in November!

SOLDIERS SINGING – FROM THE BOER WAR TO VIETNAM

WEYMOUTH, ENGLAND. 1919-04-25. AUSTRALIAN SOLDIERS SINGING SONGS AROUND THE PIANO IN A YMCA. NLA.

Here's our second podcast - the songs made by and for Australian soldiers, featuring excerpts from the collections of Rob Willis, Graham Seal and the National Library of Australia. Hear the voices of those who were there – Bill Case, Maysie Tucker, Marion Hardy, Kevin O’Connor and Brian McMaugh.

UPON THE FIFTH OF MAY – THE DEATH OF BEN HALL

Today is the day bushranger Ben Hall was shot dead in 1865. Rob has put together a multi-media commemoration of the event at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHtJrQr0Gr8. Have a squiz. There’s a full commentary beneath the video, just hit ‘more’.

This also is the first in a new series we’re doing called ‘Today in Folklore’. We’ll be noting significant dates in Australian folk tradition, including commemorations like this one, celebrations, customs, (think ‘Cracker Night’, etc.), tragedies, disasters and other events that appear in traditional songs, poems, stories, events and the like. If you know of any, please send them to us at g.seal@curtin.edu.au