October 2016 Australian
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Established 1959 October 2016 Australian Print Post Approved PP335169/00012 Reg No A2511Y NEWSLETTER OF THE VICTORIAN FOLK MUSIC CLUB INCORPORATED In This Issue ... OUR WATTLE DAY Item Page BUSH DANCE Club Events/Next Guest 2 Guest Artist Review 4 Dance Pages 6 Croydon U3A: 9/10/16 8 Our VP / Wattle Day 3/9 9 C.J. Dennis Festival 11 Martyn W-R Concert 12 Woolshed Ball 13 BLACKBERRY JAM Quiz / Concert Party 14 (photo by Trevor Voake) Other Clubs/ VFMC info 15 COMING UP ON SATURDAY 8th OCTOBER: THE WOOLSHED BALL See inside on page 13 for details Please send your contributions for NOVEMBER Newsletter by: Friday 21st OCTOBER 2016 to: [email protected] The views expressed in this Newsletter are not necessarily those of the Editor or of the VFMC October 2016 2 Australian Tradition Club Event Calendar • Club Sessions first Thursday, 8.00pm (at Harry’s place) Tuesdays, 7.30—10.15 pm, East • Second Tuesday, 10:15 pm (after Ringwood Community Hall (enter from the Ringwood Folk Guest Night Knaith Road, off Dublin Road) (Melway 50B8). Supportive round-robin sessions • Every Monday, 8:00 pm, (fiddles where all are welcome for playing, and mandolins at Harry’s place.) singing, reciting, performing, workshops • Most Saturdays, 11:00am, all etc. $5.members, $6 non-members. instruments and singing, busking Contact Don (0407-737-202)/ opposite the railway station in www.vfmc.org.au Ringwood East Guest Performer Concert Harry Gardner: (03) 9870 8998, 0408 708 998 / On the second Tuesday of the month www.vfmc.org.au (instead of the weekly session) a concert is held featuring top acoustic performers. Ringwood Colonial Dance Ringwood East Community Hall. Family Bush Dance, first Saturday of Concerts start with open stage acts at every month except January 8-11pm at 7.45pm, finishing 10.15pm. $12. $10 the Ringwood East Senior Citizens Hall, conces and members, kids no charge. Laurence Grove. A different band is Contact 0407 737 202 / featured each month and all ages are www.vfmc.org.au welcome. $12, $10 concession and By-Ear Sessions members, kids no charge. Contact: Jane Join us to learn how to play by following 9762-1389 / www.vfmc.org.au someone on: Sun Mon Tues Wed Thu Fri Sat 30th Oct 31st Oct 1st Nov 2nd Nov 3rd Nov 4th Nov 1st Fiddles Club Session By-Ear Session VFMC dance Borderline Kaylee BB 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th Fiddles Club Session 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th Fiddles Guest Night 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th 21st 22nd Fiddles Club Session 23rd 24th 25th 26th 27th 28th 29th Fiddles Club Session Australian Tradition 3 October 2016 . October 2016 4 Australian Tradition Guest Artist Night, September 2016 Our host for this evening was Greg Woodruff who welcomed our audience and read out the Acknowledgement of Country. First up was our well-loved reciter Jim Smith who performed a short humorous poem by the Boys from the Lough about a drunk at a pig market. He followed with the classic: Man from Snowy River. Alex read his latest poem -The Starter House – renovators delight. Then John joined him as they both played ukuleles and sang Johnny Cash’s hit -Walk the Line. Colin McLaren on accordion along with John on twelve string guitar entertained the crowd with two Scottish tunes. The traditional ballad The Water is Wide and a more modern McCartney tune Mull of Kintyre. Stephen Whiteside recited his rap style poem about the life and death of Ned Kelly. Then he was joined on stage by Maggie Somerville. C J Dennis published a poem in 1922 about a well-known Melbourne criminal – Squizzy Taylor. Maggie has set the poem ‘The Surrender’ to music and she and Stephen sang and acted out the song to the great amusement of the audience singing out ‘ Squizzy’s not in Town Boys.’ As a tribute to our poet guest artist David Campbell, Maggie set one of his poems to music and performed it along with Maree on harp and vocal harmony and Don Fraser on accordion. The narrative poem had a nautical theme and was called Shadow on the Water. A sad poem of a shipwreck, with the audience joining in singing the haunting refrain- Do you love me Mary-Ellen? Australian Tradition 5 October 2016 Guest Artist Night, September 2016 Well known traditional poet, storyteller, teacher and writer David Campbell was our first guest artist for the evening. He told us that poetry should have rhyme and rhythm, sometimes it called for musicality and lightness; other times it may be serious and sad. During his performance this evening he recited poems which echoed all of these sentiments. David explained that as C J Dennis used to write topical poems for the newspapers, he liked to do the same. He recited for us a poem inspired by the news photograph of the five year boy in the ambulance in Alleppo. Sad and poignant, this poem touched all of us present. Dementia was another subject which he mentioned as his mother suffered from this sad illness. He is the 2011 winner of the Bronze Swagman award for his poem Wasteland detailing the various ways his mother and other family members struggled with the many and varied aspects of this condition. David stated that this experience has resulted in him being a supporter of euthanasia for extreme cases. On a lighter note, a poem about whether there should be school for politicians. Then a poem about nursing homes: where lives are held by a slender thread, why keep me alive when I want death? Poets muse must still be found to anchor us to solid ground. David’s final light- hearted offering: It’s bloody hard to be a bloke, Women’s rules are always shifting- left all of the women chuckling and the men wisely nodding in agreement. Sherarer’s Tally comprises three very talented musicians. Ian Gary and Lionel play an array of instruments between them and immediately had toes tapping with a lively jig played by the boys on fiddle, guitar and bodhran. Then an old favourite - The Ryebuck Shearer with banjo accompaniment. A bluegrass number followed where Gary demonstrated his expertise playing the spoons. The entire audience sang along as the men serenaded their Beautiful Fergie Tractor. Gary recited an Outback Poem then all joined in to sing of Molly Malone. Ian and Lionel played duelling banjos while Gary accompanied them on a metallic washboard type tie which was a gift from New Orleans. Another jig was followed by The Road to Gundagai then a John Hartford song about The Mississippi Queen. Then a song about Lionel’s fiddle which had been passed down through generations. Then a Chad Morgan song about the Fatal Wedding: The bride she died at the altar, the bridegroom died the next day… The group finished the evening as the audience joined them in singing the Seeker’s hit: I am, you are, we are Australian. Next month is A’capella night with 3 groups. - report by Bette Martin ; photos by Stephen Whiteside & Wal Tiedeman October 2016 6 Australian Tradition The Dance Page Diary dates for October: Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 30th 31st 1st VFMC Dance Borderline Kaylee 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th TSDAV Irish or English Irish or Colonial V.F.M.C. Dance Scottish Colonials Beginners Woolshed Ball Workshop 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th Contra Irish or English Irish or Scottish Bendigo East Scottish Colonials Hop 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th 21st 22nd Claddagh Irish or English Irish or Colonials Welsh Scottish Colonials 23rd 24th 25th 26th 27th 28th 29th Irish or English Irish or Scottish Colonials Diary Dates for early Nov 2016:- 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th English Irish or VFMC Dance Colonials Comhaltas SPRING DANCE 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th Irish Irish or Scottish English Colonials Scottish Scottish WEEKEND SPRING DANCE WEEKEND—Portarlington, 4th-6th November 2016 Contact: Norm Ellis 9888-5332 Australian Tradition 7 October 2016 The Dance Page Claddagh Irish set dancing at St Georges Anglican Church, Warncliffe Rd, Ivanhoe. Sunday 2-5pm . Contact: Rod 9497-1793 VFMC Colonial Dance at Ringwood East Elderly Citizens Hall, Laurence Grove, Ringwood East, 8-11 pm. Contact: Jane 9762-1389 Irish Monday Dancing at The Quiet Man pub, Racecourse Road, Flemington, 8-10 p.m. Contact: Marie 9471-0690 Irish Wednesday Irish dancing at St. Phillips Church, Hoddle St, Collingwood, 8-10pm. Contact: Marie 9471-0690 English Dancing at Bennettswood Neighbourhood House, 7 Greenwood Street, Burwood, 8-10pm. Contact: George 9890-5650 Colonial Wednesday Social dance classes at Collingwood Senior Citizens Hall, Eddy Crt, Abbotsford, 8-10pm. Contact: Coral 9885-6109 Colonial Thursday & Australian Colonial/Bush Dance: Ashburton Uniting Church, Colonial Beginners 3 Ashburn Grove, Ashburton, 7.30-10pm. Contact: Coral 9885-6109 Welsh Dancing at Church of Christ Hall, 1 The Avenue, Surrey Hills. 2-4.30pm. Contact: Ian 9878-2414 TSDAV Sunday: The Eleventh Hour Theatre Hall, cnr Gore & Leicester Sts, Fitzroy. Contact: Norm Ellis 9888-5332 Contra Dance Northcote Uniting Church Hall, 251 High St, Northcote, 7.30 -10.30pm. Contact: George 9890-5650 / Gary 9481-3386 Contra Dance Malvern Community Arts Centre, 29 Burke Rd, Malvern East. Info: 0422 932 532 www.onlymelbourne.com.au Scottish Mon. & Sat. Paton Memorial Hall, Deepdene Uniting Church, 958 Burke Road, Deepdene, 8 pm Contact: [email protected] Scottish Thursday Taggerty Hall, Maroondah Highway at Taggerty, corner of Thornton Rd. 7-9pm. Contact: Di Gaylard 5963-3277 or [email protected] Bendigo East Hop Bendigo East Progress Hall Lansell Street, Bendigo.