From the Archives - The Folk Song Collectors Group, 1970, & Collectors Group, 1960s

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There appear to have been several collectors groups in the earlier days of the Club & more research is necessary.

Members were always encouraged to collect songs, but by the later 1960s many of the newly collected songs were variants of songs collected earlier or showed the influence of the wireless and country music shows. (Conversation with Dale Dengate, May 2020)3 papers from the Ken Fairey Collection relating to the Collectors group in the 60s are followed by the content of a folder labelled Folk Song Collectors Group, 1970. In 1967 material was gathered for Singabout 6(3) which was never published. The folder contained three of these pages, & some of the songs in the folder were on the draft contents list. Some of the songs were collected before the group started.
Background to the (earlier) Collectors Group - Singabout 5(1), 1963 p.16 - Text of John Meredith's talk is below this article
Extracts from Singabout - Folk Song weekend, WEA, June 1962

AGM minutes, 1964 re collectors group

Australian Tradition (Victorian Folk Music Club), July 1964
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5 papers from the Ken Fairey Collection referring to Bush Music Club's Collectors Group

Draft letterhead, undated

Circular no. 3, 10th April 1964

Minutes of Folklore Collectors group, found with 1968 BMC Newsletter

Page 2
Fragments of songs from Mudgee were
obtained from Mrs Pat Beck? Eastwood.
The Quandong Duff included
the lines :
The old hen then on the table flew
And went flip flop on the old tin plate
And the quandong duff & the kangaroo soup
And the stringy bark cockatoo???
Duke Trit  She had heard her father sing
this, and he had learnt it from old
settler, Billy Sutcliffe, who always wore
a yellow raincoat winter & summer because
"What kept the cold out
would keep the heat out
Duke Tritton remembered this but
could not add to it, nor to the following
verse : When your clothes are all in tatters
and your toes are on the ground
If you ask for 5 & 2c ????
And the squatter says Y     (mss ends)      

Page 3 - Duke Tritton
Mr Edward Dowly, 82, of Burns Rd, Picnic Point, recalled many friends in common & much history of earlier days in the country over which they had been droving, shearing or goldmining throughout NSW & Qld. Mr Dowley remembered a well known recitation composed by (mss. ends)
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 Folk Song Collectors Group inaugural meeting 23rd October, 1970

Dec 1970 newsletter report on the first meeting
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1.

2.  Minutes of 23rd Oct 1970 meeting, the only set in the book

3.

4. Letter from Alan Scott, with apologies for being unable to help the Group. 

5.  Questions to Ask (Alan Scott)

6. Notes on Son of Lazy Harry (2 pages)

7.

8. Ballad of Frank Lowry, p.14 in proposed Singabout 6(3)

9. Maid of Australia, p.6 in proposed Singabout 6(3)

10.  The Mermaid, p. 3 in proposed Singabout 6(3)

11.  The Fight

12.  Native Mate, page 15 of proposed Singabout 6(3)

13. Music for The Convict of Van Diemen's Land

14.  Lazy Harry's Son, page 14 of proposed Singabout 6(3)

15. Untitled - first line "Only one old post is standing" collected from Mrs Hunter by A. Parry 2-1-66



16. Untitled - first line I took my love to a restaurant" collected from Mrs Hunter by A. Parry 2-1-66

17. War Song for Mothers. Words A. Pizer, Music A. Parry

18.  From the Gulf  Will H. Ogilvie

18.  The Shanty By The Way  Will H. Ogilvie
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Singabout 5(1), Jan 1963, pp.16-19  The Art of Collecting Folk Songs by John Meredith


19.

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