From the Archives - Bush Bands

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Photos from Archives, photographers named if known.*
If you can identify bands & members, please email 


1. Unknown band, unknown photographer -  Paul Weaver with lagerphone, identified by Ralph Pride. (Archives)  


2.   Tempe Tipsters, c.1989. Bob Fagan, ?, Gary Pudney, Igor Nossar, Margaret Fagan, James Fagan, Hugh Keogh, Gary Milligan (Margaret Fagan photo) 


3.  Wild Colonial Boys, 1969 - Jacko Kevans, Declan Affley, Jim Fingleton, Tony Lavin, Bob McInnes. (Archives)  

4.  Pinchgut c1974 - the original lineup - David Johnson, Ralph Pride, Chris Moore, Richard Evans. (Archives)  


5.  Reedy River Bushmen - John Burch, Jamie Carlin, Barry Collerson, Tony McLachlan, Frank Maher wearing Fred Sloane's hat at a Westfield Shopping Centre at an unknown date (John Burch collection)


6.  Reedy River Bushmen, c1976, taken at Australiana Village, Wilberforce. Ralph Pride, John Burch, Jamie Carlin, Frank Maher, seated Barry Collerson & Mary Williams (Bob Bolton photo)

7.  Rouseabouts, c.1977.  standing -  Bob Bolton, John Poleson, Ray Grieve, Chris Kempster, seated - Len Neary, Keith Snell, Bob Thompson (Bob Bolton photo)


8.  Rum Culls 1978. Shayne Kerr, Adam Macaulay, Pam Merrigan, Phil  Bates, Norm Merrigan  (Archives)  


9.  Ryebuck founders, 1979 - Stuart Leslie, George Bolliger, Wally Bolliger (Bob Bolton photo)


10.   Ryebuck, Bush Music Festival, October 1981, concert at Sydney Opera House - Wally Bolliger, Dave Roland, Alex Bishop, Stuart Leslie, George Bolliger, Sally Stevens, later Leslie (Bob Bolton photo),


11.  Selectors, 1983 - Eric Eisler on the left, Bob Bolton on the right (Eric Eisler) 


12. 


13.  Southern Cross, Mark 1 (Archives) , June 1981, L to R - Dave Johnson, Annette Dwight (behind), Anne Pidcock, Anne D'Arcy (behind), Megan Broadbent, Peter Mason (behind), Chris Cole, John O'Sullivan (Jos)  Names found here Dave Johnson's Southern Cross album celebrating the band's 40th anniversary    Invitation to Southern Cross's 10th birthday (Ralph Pride collection) 

14. Southern Cross, Heritage Ball, Willoughby 1981 (Bob Bolton photo)


15.  Southern Cross 1986  (Bob Bolton photo)


16.  FlyingWombats - 21/06/91, Col Douglas, Bill Waterhouse, Ralph Pride, Malcolm Clapp. (Archives)  


17.  FlyingWombats -1986/8, Ashfield, Brian Crawford, Bill Waterhouse, Bob Foggin, Malcolm Clapp (Archives)  


18.  Flying Wombats, 1986/87, Ashfield. Brian Crawford, Bill Waterhouse, Bob Foggin, Malcolm Clapp (Archives)  


19.  Flying Wombats, 1990, Ralph Pride, Bill Waterhouse,  Malcolm Hamilton, Colin Douglas (Archives)  


20. Flying Wombats lagerphone in the Hut, 2018.  It is still in the Hut, minus its wombat which is back with Malcolm.  (Sandra Nixon photo) 

21-23.  Murray Darlings - Sue McMahon, Amanda Daley, Ann Pidcock, Sam O'Brien, Wendy Richmond, Helen Romeo, Jess Randall, 2006, (Sandra Nixon photo)

22.

23.
 
24. - Scratch Band, 2003 - Eric Eisler, Pam Merrigan, Norm Merrigan, Alison Boyd, Jackie Luke, Greg Wilson. (Archives)  

25. Bennelong Bush Band at Glebe Town Hall - Julie Furneaux on guitar, John Coombes, Helen Romeo (Brain), Alex Cronin.  Dancer facing camera is Sue Bartos (Archives)  

26-27.  Woronora Bush band,

26-27.  Woronora Bush band, undated (photos from Ralph Pride collection)  see also The History of the Woronora Bush Band, 1979 - 1986 

28-33. Shearer's Dream reunion, 2016

28-33. Shearer's Dream reunion, 2016. UK-based Doug Jenner (fiddle) & Aus-based Pete Jenner (lagerphone)    Kerry Doherty photos

34. Unknown band - They were playing at a winery when we attended the Griffith Wine Festival way back in 1979. It wasn't until I looked at the photo that I noticed a distant family member Eric Eisler on the tea chest Bass. I don't know who the other members of the band are - I apologise for cutting off the banjo player when I took the photo! (photo by John Gow, email 22/04/2020)

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From the Archives - A selection of history articles published on our blog in 2019

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Fran Shaw's songsheets
Fran & Rod Shaw were very early members, Rod was a famous artist who illustrated Singabout (1956 to 1967) & Fran, who had wanted to be a teacher, taught these songs & lectured on traditional song. Her collection contained many duplicate copies of songs.

Fran Shaw's songsheets - Part 1, Bush Music Club Song Sheets dated 1956 & 1957, & undated 
Anniversaries - Bush Music Club's 2nd Anniversary, 1956 - Fran Shaw's Song Sheets - part 2 



Fran Shaw's Songsheets, Part 3. Miscellaneous sets & papers

Fran Shaw's songsheets - Part 4. Camp Songs, Dept of Education, Phys Education Branch

Fran Shaw's songsheets - Part 5, Talks on bush music


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Our 1969 banner made by Dale Dengate

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50th Anniversary Reunion of The Bushwhackers, National Folk Festival 2002, part 1 - Concerts

Bushwhacker Reunion 2002 - Chris Kempster, Cecil Grievas, Alex Hood, Harry Kay, with Rob Willis playing John Meredith's musical part     (Rob Willis collection) 

50th Anniversary Reunion of The Bushwhackers, National Folk Festival 2002, part 2 - Reedy River 
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First in a series of articles about our life members

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


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Songsters in the Bush Music Club Library


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Dance
The Music of Strange Bands, by Graham Seal (reprinted from Verandah Music with permission)


The Earliest Bush Bands, by Graham Seal (reprinted from Verandah Music with permission) 
 
Bob Bolton Collection - Dance at Abercrombie Caves, April 1982


Ken Fairey Collection (Bush dance in the 60s)
Takings from a Singabout night, 16th May, 1965.


From the archives - extracts from Mulga Wire no. 29, February 1982 - The Country Dance by Barbara Gibbons

From the Archives - The Songs They Sang and the Dance Tunes They Played at the Old Time Bush Dances and other Material, Parts One and Two



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From the 50s to the 70s members gathered together on Workshop nights to learn songs, and on Singabout nights which were fundraising concerts, held to make money for printing the next issue of Singabout.
From the Archives - Workshop nights held in the early days for learning & rehearsing songs





From the Archives - Singabout Nights in the 50s, 60s & 70s 
  Newsletter, 1(2), Dec 1955
The First Singabout Night - 3 hour program, started with dancing to Building Workers dance band.  Next Singabout night will be 11th February.

Singabout 1(1), Jan 1956 p.5
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NFF 1982 - Australia since Captain Cook or look what they've done to our songs!



Bob Bolton collection - an assortment of t-shirts from Bob's screens 



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60 years of the Victorian Folk Music Club (est 1959 as the Victorian Bush Music Club) as recorded in Singabout.





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From the Archives - 1995 Bush Music Festival, program, posters & other ephemera

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photos here -  Pete & Sue McMahon Collection - Part 1      


1.  Mulga Wire no.110, August 1995, pp.1-3

2.  President's Message - Bush Musicfest'95 is looking bigger & better.  Concert Party is playing at the Loaded Dog 23rd Sept.  BMC appearing on Radio Broadside 27th August, Club is appearing at Orange Blossom Festival.

3. Ad for Festival

4. 3-fold leaflet - Waltz Your Matilda out to Australian Pioneer Village, booking form

5.  Programme - Concerts, Workshops, Displays, Dance Demonstrations, Parents' Relief Hut.
riday night - Welcome Party at Oxboro Inn, Saturday - Denis Kevans & Sonia Bennett, Wongawilli, Carl Myriad & The Ragged Band, Margaret Walters & John Warner, Blair Greenburg, Michael Waters, David Johnson, Dave de Hugard, Bob McDonald, Dennis Aubrey, Irish Ceili Dancers, Nell Challingsworth, Dennis O'Keefe, Australian Colonial Dancers, Wongawilli, Australian Heritage Dancers,  Alan Scott, Bolton & McMahon, Jeff Lawrie, Australian Pioneer Dancers, John Grenenger & Betty Benson, Backblocks Musicians, de Santi, O'Keefe & de Hugard, Big Family Dance, Campfire session.  Sunday - Poet's Breakfast with Denis Kevans & Frank Daniels, Song Writers Workshop, Wongawilli, Concert Party, Paddy's River Band, Peter Duggan, Robert Hughes, Southern Cross Bush Band, Colonial Games, Vinegar Hill.

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