VERANDAH MUSIC AT NATIONAL FOLK FESTIVAL - THE MELTING POT

 Some snaps from the Melting Pot gig in the Trocadero, Sunday 9 April:

L-R Fred Pribac, Ruth Hazleton, Clarita Derwent, Gemma Turner, Chistina Mimmocchi, Graham Seal, Rob Willis, Olya Willis

Art by Fred Pribac

THE MELTING POT AT THE NATIONAL FOLK FESTIVAL 2023

 

FAMILY FOLKLORE AT THE NATIONAL FOLK FESTIV

THE FAMILY FOLKLORE SHOW

What is ‘a wig-wam for a goose’s bridle’?

 

Come and find out at the National Folk Festival in Canberra this easter. Join us for an interactive journey through the rich traditions of family life and children’s lore. Presented by:

 

Olya Willis, Christina Mimmocchi, Judy McKinty, Maureen Seal, Rob Willis and Graham Seal.

 

 

Saturday 8 April, 3.50-4.50pm, Trocadero

IRISH FIDDLE MUSIC IN NULLA NULLA CREEK

 Henry Kyle and Mary Ann with Eva Norman and George 1905

Historian Noelene Kyle has published an excellent article on Irish fiddle traditions in Nulla Nulla Creek, NSW. The musical melting pot of this area eventually produced the early brew of country music typified by Slim Dusty, among others, himself a son of the region.

 

Read all about it on Tinteán Magazine

DOROTHY HEWETT AND MERV LILLEY

Dorothy Hewett

Sandra Nixon of the Sydney Bush Music Club has recently rescued this valuable historical information from the clutches of the Google police. As well as  their involvement with the early folk revival, Dorothy Hewett and Merv Lilley were – and are - noted poets. 

Extracts from Singabout - the early songwriters - Dorothy Hewett (1923-2002) & Merv Lilley (1919-2016):

http://bushmusicclub.blogspot.com.au/2016/02/extracts-from-singabout-early.html

This post may also be of related interest:

Guide to BMC blog https://blog.bushmusic.org.au/p/guide-to-blog.html

Simon McDonald - Rare 1966 TV Clip

 

In 1996, the amazing traditional musician and storyteller, Simon McDonald, appeared on television with the Lumsden family. Here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AUIcT2uvdk&t=259s

More about Simon at https://www.neiladamandjudyturner.com/the-simmy-show

MAKING DO WITH THE OLD KERO TIN

(SLNSW)

This bloke has found yet another use for an empty kerosene tin, once the go-to container in city and bush. Read all-out it on Pauline Connolly's website at https://paulineconolly.com/2023/the-kero-tin/

And see our earlier post on making do at https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/2138391645827947224/6190375246880944865

Passing of the Concertina Man

Richard Evans had many talents and passions, from motorbikes to music of many genres and styles. He excelled at them all but is perhaps best remembered for his ability to craft, repair and play concertinas. Richard readily shared his knowledge and wisdom and was a friend and mentor to many, myself included. John Harpley and I (Rob Willis) recorded Richard for The National Library of Australia in November 2003 and also made a video of him playing and describing various instruments and also talking about building and maintaining the concertina. We have edited this video from the raw footage and on camera audio which is not the best, we normally mix hi res audio in post. I will do this when time permits. Richard has gone but his legacy remains. Rob Willis

https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2Fn1BJfkBimwk&data=05%7C01%7Cg.seal%40curtin.edu.au%7C6cb4e4dca09d4716e98208dafcd3c862%7C5a740cd757684d09ae13f706b09fa22c%7C0%7C0%7C638100283776315157%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=3DPz%2BIg6R%2BeO1b1LpSvM9MyanbLz20uT3zTb14F1gaY%3D&reserved=0

THE DANCE AT MITCHELL’S ISLAND HALL

 

In 1990 John Meredith and I recorded the Murray Brothers, Bert and Bob, at Burrell Creek NSW along with their sister, Kit Taylor. All were well known musicians in the area. 
Early the next year (1991) Ollie and I along with our kids had an amazing musical session at Taree with them and local fiddle and concertina player, Ernie Wells. I videoed segments of this session and it is now in our NLA collection.
We also recorded Kit’s son Peter and his wife, Dorothy doing some local variations of dances.
The people we record are not just numbers on a Library catalogue, they often become friends and this was the case with Peter and Dorothy Taylor. 
About five years ago Peter lamented that the old (unique) local dances were being forgotten and suggested that he gather a few of his dancing friends, teach them the dances and we could video them. Of course, the answer was YES. Covid and a few health issues intervened but Peter contacted me again earlier this year and the result was the dance we recorded at Mitchell’s Island Hall in August 2022.
You certainly don’t see a dance programme like this very often these days.
There’s always a story and this one is a bit long to tell here so the resulting video and complete story are up on our Verandah Music YouTube site, here
Many thanks to Peter and Dorothy for facilitating the dance, Ollie Willis and John and Maree Harpley for helping us record it for posterity.

Rob Willis

NORFOLK WHALERS

 

The Last Wooden Whaleship, Mystic Port

A new book on the fascinating history of Norfolk Island offshore whaling has just been released. It is the product of years of in-depth research in Australia and the USA by Sue and Don Brian. As well as being well researched and illustrated, the book is FREE! If you’d like a copy of the digital edition of Offshore Whalers at Norfolk Island in the Days of Sail, just email donandsuebrian@gmail.com