NARIEL CREEK, 1971 – ON THE TELLY!

The ABC has unearthed from its cavernous archives some footage of Con Klippel and all at the Nariel Creek Black and White Folk Festival of 1971. This treasure, complete with interviews with Con and a gum leaf solo, has been posted here on the Facebook page of Australian Folk and Roots Community Forum.

JIVING ON JUNETEENTH

Juneteenth celebration in 1900 at Eastwoods Park. (Austin History Center via NMAAHC)

Here’s an intriguing ensemble for the Ghost Music files. Juneteenth is a folk anniversary on June 19 marking the end of US slavery. Most states have now made it an official holiday, though for much of its history it flew mostly under the radar. This group was photographed at the 1900 observation in Austin, Texas.

With that line-up you wonder what sort of music they were making. If I had to guess, I’d say some early jazz, blues and the dance hits of the time. Oh, to have been there!

Article about Juneteenth at https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/juneteenth-our-other-independence-day-16340952/

ALL THE PRETTY WALTZES - NEW RELEASE

This new CD contains twenty-four tunes of beautiful traditional waltzes, mazurkas, varsoviennas and schottisches. 

Collected by Dave and Julie Gittus over thirty years, they include many traditional Australian dance tunes. Long-time friend Ian White provides backing on banjo and guitar.

The tunes include collected arrangements by Dave De Hugard, Maurie Gervesoni and the late Jacko Kevins.

The album is available at: 

https://thethreefourtimers.bandcamp.com/album/all-the-pretty-waltzes 

or by contacting the artists directly via this email address: 

davegittus@bigpond.com

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

LAUGHING OFF THE SPANISH 'FLU

Advertisement for Nicholas’s Aspro, claiming to cure the Spanish influenza. Herald, 29 January 1919

Listen to the recollections of Australia’s experience of the Spanish ‘Flu in 1919. In these excerpts from the National Library of Australia Oral History and Folklore collections, Mrs Helen Hohnberg, Sid Briggs and Rocky Wedd tell us what it was like back then. It turns out that the responses and the problems were not so different to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.

https://yarnsofoz.podbean.com/?p=14295751&token=323a72de8f8aa4a9ec17175104d2aaa9

Graham Seal and Rob Willis, together with Dennis McKay and Maureen Seal  - and John Meredith - meander through a bracing concoction of memories, snake oil, home remedies, awful verse and the humour that helped Australians weather the pneumonic influenza outbreak a century ago.

FOLK AT THE NATIONAL LIBRARY

Explore National Folk Festivals and the National Library's folklore collections online

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Bring all things folk to your living room and explore the folklore collections at the National Library of Australia. You can also relive the excitement of previous National Folk Festivals and associated events by listening to all the recorded proceedings held by the National Library of Australia.