Monday 30 December 2019

From the Archives - Bush Music Camp at Penrose, 8-9 November 1997

Click on pictures for full-screen image
Photos © 


1.


2.  standing - Tony Stuart, Bob Bolton, Pat Bolton. seated - Rose Pride, Dave Johnson, James Johnson, unknown woman & man.

3.

4.  Tony Stuart (back to camera), seated Dave Johnson, Bob Bolton behind, Ann Pidcock (standing right), Amanda (seated) & John Daley (standing)

5. Pat Bolton, Bob Bolton, seated Don Richmond, John Daley
 
6. back to camera - Pat Bolton, standing Bob Bolton, seated - John Daley, Dave Johnson, Sue McMahon, Kathy Chapman, Amanda Daley, Jack Chapman.

 7.

8.

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Thursday 19 December 2019

From the Archives - Pinchgut Colonial Bush Band

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see also Bob Bolton Collection - Pinchgut @ Vicary's Woolshed, c.1982

1.  Original lineup c1974,  David Johnson, Ralph Pride, Chris Moore, Richard Evans.

2. Band, c.1981


3.

4.

5.  At the Illawarra Folk Festival in 2019  our MC Claire was a former member of Pinchgut & sent us a scan of their cassette.

In Dec 2019 a copy of this VERY RARE cassette was offered by a US dealer on eBay for $AUD39.79 including postage.

6.  The Glebe, April 28, 1982  Mike Canning, Chris Moore, Ralph Pride ,Bill Vernon

7. 1980 Colonial Subscription Ball

8 Heritage Week Concert, 1982?

9. undated photo  (supplied by Ralph Pride)


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Wednesday 18 December 2019

Silvia & Tom Salisbury Collection - Program from Reedy River, 1953/54

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Thanks to Silvia & Tom for supplying a copy of the program of the first production of Reedy River.











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Tuesday 10 December 2019

Life Members - information on our 25 Life Members - part 1. Sally Sloane, Duke Tritton, Clem Millward, Val Hennessy, John Meredith

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Foundation Member John Meredith, unveils new Life Members' Board before launching his new book Duke of the Outback at the Bush Music Festival Oct 1983

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Duke Tritton  (1886 - 1965)
Duke was one of the early sources of traditional songs, and was a songwriter and poet.

He joined not long after the foundation of BMC, around the same time Frank Maher joined (source Frank Maher)
Duke Tritton - Australian Dictionary of Biography
 



Alan Scott recording Duke (John Meredith photo, Singabout 2(1), 1957, BMC Archives)


Drawing by Bulletin artist
Hottie Lahm for the first edition of Time Means Tucker.

Hardtmuth (Hotpoint or Hottie) Lahm
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Sally Sloane (1894-1982) - one of the early sources

Who is Sally Sloane? by Valda Low, 2003
The Music of Sally Sloane  Blog by Ian Hayden with links to on-line recordings at the National Library of Australia

Saturday Streaming - Jason & Chloe Roweth present the Songs & Tunes of Sally Sloane, 1, With her extraordinary repertoire and powerful singing style Sally Sloane has left an undeniable mark on the Australian Tradition - and on ourselves! Born in Parkes, NSW in 1894, and living most of her life in Lithgow - for us she is not only a legend, but a local one. Join us for a selection of the great lady's many traditional songs and tunes in all their bountiful variety. August 2021.
  

Sally Sloan presiding over a birthday party, Lithgow 1943. The photo was supplied by the guest at bottom right, next door neighbour Judy, who does not remember much about the day. (Judy O'Connor collection, 4/9/20)

The occasion was a birthday party for someone in Sally’s family. Our memories (and our parents comments) was that she was a cranky, difficult neighbour! I remember feeling pretty unhappy at being there and my sister was obviously not asked (which was not very neighbourly.) As you can see from the photo – it was not a wildly festive affair! I think the older woman seated on the left was her mother. For some reason, I seem to remember that. I mention it because it is of more than passing interest because from what I gather, it was Sally’s mother who passed on all the Irish songs etc. that she has become famous for.
Photo of Granny Clegg, Sally's mother here cropped from the same photo, one of many photos in Valda Low's 2012 article Who is Sally Sloane?  

Sally Sloane on Wikipedia
 
Mulga Wire, no. 34, December 1982 (BMC Archives)

May 1969 Newsletter (BMC Archives)


Singabout 3(1), p.16  (BMC Archives)

Sally & Fred Sloane at 2nd Colonial Subscription Ball, 25th August, 1979, Ralph & Rose Pride were sitting next to Sally & Fred. Sally had her fiddle with her as Ralph was going to  fix it. (Source Ralph Pride) (Bob Bolton photo)

81-year old Sally at 1975 Bush Music Festival, Turner Hall, Ultimo  (Bob Bolton photo - BMC Archives)
Sally The Sloane Songbook, by Gay Scott, BMC 2004.

Photograph & Introduction by John Meredith


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Clem Millward (1929 -) is a well known artist. He was one of the Sydney left-wing artists who were involved with the Bush Music Club in our early days. He illustrated Songs from Lawson and received Life Membership for this work.


Illustration from Songs of Lawson  (BMC Archives)

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Val Hennessy - information supplied by Jamie Carlin
Val and Derm (Dermot) Hennessy were members of the South Granville branch of the Communist Party of Australia. They were friends and neighbours of Jamie's father who was not a party member.
Derm was a printer at The Telegraph where Brian Loughlin was Father of the Chapel (union).
Val was a barmaid at Granville, maybe at the
Royal Hotel. She had access to a duplicating machine and printed up songsheets and was made a life member for those services.

According to her Membership card, Val was Assistant Secretary at some date/s between those covered       vol 2(1) April 1957, Vol 3(3) Winter 1959.


Membership cards, 1950s to 60s (BMC Archives)
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John Meredith
Mulga Wire, no.90, April 1992, p.4

John Stanley Raymond Meredith (17 January 1920 – 18 February 2001) was an Australian pioneer folklorist from Holbrook, NSW whose work influenced the Australian folk music revival of the 1950s. He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia  in 1986 for service to Australian folklore and music, and became a Member of the Order of Australia in 1992 for service to the Arts, particularly in the collection and preservation of Australian folklore.
The Meredith Collection is housed at the National Library of Australia and contains nearly 8,000 catalogued items including photos and material collected from over 700 performers. Wikipedia 

Instigator of Australia's first Bush Band, the Heathcote Bushwhackers (1952-1953) later The Bushwhackers (1953-1957) and a foundation member of the Bush Music Club. A few comments on John Meredith by Chris Woodland, 2012


Pam Loughlin & Merro on left, with friends
searching for aboriginal rock carvings, Kuringai Chase, 1950s. Photo taken by Pam's nephew Ron Nixon & published with permission.

 
 (1964 - BMC Archives, unknown source)

John Meredith's bookplate  (Chris Woodland Collection)


The republican possum which lived in Merro's ceiling (Chris Woodland Collection)

Poem by John Meredith, c.1981  (Chris Woodland collection)
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