Dates For Your Diary Folk Federation of New South Wales Inc Folk News Issue 437 March, 2012 $3.00 Dance News CD Reviews Honours to Rob Willis for preserving Australian folklore and traditional music Photo: Bob Bolton folk music dance festivals reviews profiles diary dates sessions opportunities ADVERTISING SIZES MARCH 2012 Presidents Report Australia Day Honours for Size mm Members Not Mem Welcome to 2012 from the president & committee. We certainly Rob Willis Full page 210 x 297 $80 $120 In this issue hope you had an excellent silly season & have recovered well. 1/2 page 210 x 146 $40 $70 There have been many fab festivals already as tis, after all, Robert Willis has been awarded the Medal (OAM) of the Order Dates for your diary p4 the season to be festivaling and by all reports we are off to a good Folk Federation of New South Wales Inc or of Australia for service to the preservation to Australian folklore. Post Office Box A182 Festivals and Other events p7 start as regards good music and good times with those we consider For Mr Willis the OAM comes as an acknowledgement of 102 x 146 Sydney South NSW 1235 Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band p8 a part of our folk family. decades of work travelling around Australia recording oral history. ISSN 0818 7339 ABN9411575922 1/4 page 102 x 146 $25 $50 Personally I made it to this years’ Illawarra Folk Festival Speaking from his Forbes home, Mr Willis said was unaware jam.org.au Dance News p9 1/8 page 102 x 70 $15 $35 with Folklore and even with the rain, had a wonderful festival. of being short listed in the Australia Day Honours List until he Folk Contacts p10 Congratulations to the Illawarra organisers on another great event. received a letter asking if he would like to proceed. The Folk Federation of NSW Inc, formed in Advertising artwork required by 5th of each month. Regional Events p12 We have sent the funds through to the organisers of the “They snuck up on me the bastards,” he said, laughing. 1970, is a Statewide body which aims to present, Advertisements can be produced by Cornstalk if required. Please contact the editor for enquiries about Northern Beaches Music Festival and look forward to a rich and Mr Willis has been recording social and musical history for over Perisher Snow Mountains of Music p13 th th support, encourage and collect folk music, folk advertising Tel: 6493 6758 vibrant weekend on February 17 to 19 . It’s been a pleasure to be 30 years, spending the last 20 years working for the Oral History dance, folklore and folk activities as they exist All cheques for advertisements and inserts to be made CD Review p14 able to auspice for this event and lend our support in the gaining and Folklore Section of the National Library of Australia. in Australia in all their forms. It provides a link payable to the Folk Federation of NSW Inc of a grant to help fund the weekend. Please keep us in mind if we In the early 1970s Mr Willis’ passion for preserving oral for people interested in the folk arts through its Deadline for APRIL: 10th March (firm) can be of help to your event, after all that’s one of the things for history was kindled while involved in the Forbes production of the affiliations with folk clubs throughout NSW and its If your event misses Cornstalk, Julie Bishop 02 9524 0247, julie@folkfednsw. which we are here. Australian musical ‘Reedy River’. counterparts in other States. It bridges all styles org.au can include it in Folkmail, the I’ll be at both Cobargo Festival & the National (a good year for Since then Mr Willis has collected over 1400 hours of and interests to present the folk arts to the widest weekly email to members. And don’t festival attendance for your Pres, I’d like to get used to this!) & look recordings with major projects including ‘Bringing them Home’, possible audience. forget that as a member you can put forward to catching up with as many kindred spirits as possible. ‘Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants’ and the Cornstalk Editor - Coral Vorbach information on jam.org.au, where helpful We have started the year well on the venue front and the ‘Paralympic Oral History Project’. Post Office Box 5195. Cobargo NSW 2550 tutorials will guide you. continuing of the Mofo (Modern Folk) events. We had our first “I love listening to people’s stories. Tel/Fax: 02 6493 6758 “Mofo” at the Gaelic Club with The String Contingent and “In the early days it was with old people and now it’s people my Email: [email protected] COMMITTEE 2010-2011 Chaika as well as an impressive floor spot form Bec and Dan. own age,” he said, laughing. Around 100 people turned up and enjoyed a night of wonderful Over the years Mr Willis has conducted countless interviews Cornstalk is the official publication of the Folk President, Anthony Woolcott Federation of NSW. Contributions, news, reviews, entertainment from some highly skilled and talented musicians. A from Vietnam Veterans, Paralympians and Indigenous Australians, Email: [email protected] big thankyou to all the performers for sharing your gift – it is very to musicians and a few politicians. poems, photographs most welcome. Vice President: Dallas Baxter Photographs and Artwork much appreciated and it means a lot to be able to provide a space Reflecting on past recordings, Mr Willis said he often develops a Secretary: Pam Davis 02 9955 3677 for you to celebrate your passion and talent when we can, not to deep relationship with the person. Photographs - high resolution JPG or TIFF files. Email: [email protected] 300 dpi images cropped at correct size. mention the pleasure you give to so many of us in the audience. “These people are not just numbers in a Library catalogue, they Treasurer: Bruce Cameron 02 6331 1129 The Gaelic Club is being very supportive and with their improved are part of our life,” Mr Willis said. We use Adobe In-Design, Photoshop 6, Microsoft Peter Ellis has been awarded an OAM for his Email: [email protected] sound system, congenial staff and conducive atmosphere, we hope “Everyone has a story to tell and it’s how we handle that story… Word. PLEASE do not send photographs as part commitment to the collection and preservation of a Word Document . Committee: Dallas Baxter, James Baxter, to present many more events at this important venue, supporting Every story is important to that person who is telling it. The most of Aust. folk history & heritage. both folk music and the club as it continues to grow and flourish. common thing [they say] is ‘Why do you want to talk to me?’,” he No part of Cornstalk may be reproduced without Terry Clinton, Sandra Nixon, Margaret Mr Ellis is dedicated to keeping Australian Walters We have had to farewell too many “gentle and loving” said. permission of the publishers. All care but no folk history alive and is the author of spirits over the past few months, some I have had the pleasure of The interviews, which are more like conversations, can take responsibility taken for omissions or errors. Membership: Wayne Richmond Listserv/ Collector’s Choice series in three Volumes, knowing, some I only know of through others. To the families and hours. Wrap Co-ordinator James Baxter 02 9810 4131 - Jam/Membership 9939 8802 (not after Music Makes Me Smile, The Waltz, the Polka friends they have left behind, our love and hearts are with you and They often digress to reveal an anecdote or another story before [email protected] 8.00pm please.) and all kinds of Dance Music, The Merry to those who are no longer here in body, thankyou for touching returning to the original subject. Country Dance & 200 Years of Dancing. our lives and making this world a better place for your having It is these apparent ramblings which continue to ignite Mr been here. You are very much missed. Willis’ passion for folklore. The Folk Federation of NSW - Membership Application Form Anthony Woolcott Stacey Miller Name/s: Eve phone: Day phone: Lynette Hicks (19/7/35-23/1/12) - Postscript Address: Mobile: We had a short piece about Lynette in the February Cornstalk and there is also a mention on the Folk Federation’s website with a link to an article that Lynette wrote about her early experience of learning English folk dancing at Cecil Sharp House in England. See http:// Email: home.pacific.net.au/~bcooper1/oxfolk.htm. Lynette’s subsequent teaching of dance in Sydney (from 1976) has been a lasting legacy to the folk scene. As well as her practical involvement on the committee of the Folk Federation, her passion for archival records led her to Membership Type (Tick one) Individual - $25 be proactive in seeing that the Folk Federation of NSW papers were lodged in the Mitchell Library. Family (more than one in same household) - $30 Other name/s: _________________________________ Lynette would have been delighted with her funeral service. Recordings of English dance tunes were played throughout, and eight Affiliate (organisation) - $35 Contact Name: _____________________________________ people danced Sellengers Round about the cardboard coffin which had been decorated with photos of Lynette, pictures of nasturtiums and covers of Abbey books – the books that had led to her involvement in folk dance. Please find enclosed $ ____ being my subscription for ___ years. Here are some extracts from remarks made at her funeral: Celebrant: We remember Lynette as a smiling, gentle but strong and intelligent woman who loved I enclose my cheque/money order payable to: Folk Federation of NSW; or history, books, music and English folk traditions.