Elaine Thornhill Collection

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Elaine Thornhill (later Wood) was a member of Concert Party for 4 years in the 60s. There are more photos of Concert Party during that period in the Noel Ricketts collection and in the Maher collection.

I played the largerphone & sang with the Bush Music Club from late 1966 - 1970. Wonderful years with many great memories but unfortunately no photos apart from a concert group shot taken in '68 or '69 with John Dengate, Ken Greenhalgh, Eric Bolton, Jamie Carlin, Harry Glendinning, & myself.  Another lost treasure was my five minutes of fame singing 'Convict Maid' in the Sydney Town Hall during the Sydney Folk Festival. How I wish I had a video of us all performing. (email 2014)

Unfortunately we have no photos of Sydney's January 1970 National Folk Festival as Bob Bolton did not return to Sydney from his stay in Tasmania until Easter 1970.

In Archives we have a photocopy of this article about the club in its 15th anniversary year, now thanks to Elaine we can see it as readers saw it in 1969.

Woman's Day - Oct 6, 1969, p.67 (Archives)

scan of original Woman's Day article - Oct 6, 1969 - p.67 - Seated on back - Dale Dengate, Jamie Carlin, unknown accordion player. Standing - Eric Bolton (banjo), Ken Greenhalgh (flute) behind Elaine & Noel Ricketts (mouth organ.)  Another photo of this parade is here with more members visible. 

Concert Party 1968 - back - Ken Greenhalgh, Elaine Thornhill, Jamie Carlin, Harry Glendinning, front - John Dengate & Eric Bolton. 

Concert Party - Frank Maher (bush bass), Eric Bolton (banjo), John Dengate (guitar), Wilma Bolton (lagerphone), Eileen Thornhill (singer), Dave Small  (guitar), Noel Ricketts (mouth organ). front - Jamie Carlin (concertina), Ken Greenhalgh (flute).

 Largerphone stick made by John Meredith for Elaine

Ken with others playing folk. Singer Dave de Hugard behind tree.

I remember Harry Robertson well from a meal Ken and I had at his home. He had both sad and very fond memories from his whaling days. I love his songs so full of passion coming from a past time when whaling was a hard and honest job. He talked with Ken about including him in a future album but I don’t know if that eventuated. His songs came out in 1971 this is a 1980 Larrikin record. (unfortunately Harry only made 1 album.)

While the Billy Boils - one of Elaine's treasures from her days in the folk scene.

 The only time Elaine attended a Wild Colonial Days Society event, a photographer from People magazine captured the evening and it was published in the 8th May, 1968 issue, on pages 38-43

Another of Elaine's treasures -  The Sydney Herald, April 18 1831 to January 2 1832  A facsimile reproduction of the first thirty eight issues of The Sydney Herald. (Sydney 1976?) 

The Sydney Herald, Vol 1, no. 31, Monday, November 14 1831

For the full text of this ballad see BE MINE, DEAR MAID. Broadside ballad. Probably published between 1840 & 1850. The four songs on this broadside were probably widely popular at the time of publication. 

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