From the Archives - Home-made musical instruments from Reverse Garbage

Click images for larger size.

Reverse Garbage 

About us - The organisation was established in 1975 by a group of teachers and community workers determined to ease pressure on the environment. Their plan was to divert industrial discards from landfill and reuse those materials in their classrooms.

More than four decades since it began, Reverse Garbage is now an internationally recognised environmental co-operative committed to promoting sustainability through the reuse of waste materials.

In recent time Reverse Garbage moved from the Addison Road Centre to 30 Carrington Rd Marrickville  

.

~~

---

From the Archives - School shows with The Journeymen, Colin Douglas & Ralph Pride, 2003

Click on pictures for large images

With Colin as The Journeymen - The Journeymen Show, The Voyage (of the First Fleet), Lambs, Lags and Larrikins, Colonial Bush Dance & A Wild Colonial Day.

All the shows were for 1 to 1 1/2 hours and performed up to 3 times per day often in different venues. Attendances ranged from as low as 6 at some country one-teacher schools to 400 or more at bigger schools. Ages ranged from pre-school to secondary school.

Teachers frequently said children learned more from our shows in one hour than they did from them in an entire term. I've got lots of photos, most of them were sent to us by teachers and taken during performances. The few I have showing the performers only are usually poorly focused with poor lighting etc. or surrounded by children. That's the problem with photos from live shows if you haven't got a Bob Bolton in the audience. 

 Ralph

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the Archives - The cast and the script changes but the tradition goes on - childrens' rhymes by Alan Scott.

Click on pictures for full-screen image

Undated typescript of an article on children's rhymes

(Shintaro TV series was broadcast on Australian TV 1964 - 65) 

~

Bob Bolton Collection - Mike Canning's music show for kids (2001 & 2002))

Click on pictures for full-screen image

14 photos were found in Bob's photo album no.75 in BMC's Reference library, along with photos from events dated June & November 2001.
Photos 15-18 from BMC Archives and have the international date  021218 - 18th Dec 2002  (photos © Bob Bolton)

Thanks to Ralph Pride for information about the shows.

I first met Mike when he joined Pinchgut Colonial Band in the 80's. He came from a film and acting background and gave the group a much improved stage presence. After Pinchgut folded in the 90's we got together again and produced our school shows - there were several of them mostly catering for different aspects of Aust. history curriculum. I learned a lot about stagecraft while working with Mike and he was an excellent teacher. He in turn learned a lot from me about Australian history and trad music. We toured for about 10 years up to his retirement circa 2004. Shows - "100 Years", "The Wild Colonial Show", "The Federation Show" & "The Pinchgut Push Bush Bash" 

I subsequently teamed up with Colin Douglas who had toured schools around Australia on & off for 20 or more years himself and was eager to return to it after the closure of Old Sydney Town where he had been entertainments manager. We continued touring up to 2016 when he too retired and I called it quits as well. The shows, all of them, were very popular and successful not to mention satisfying and lucrative. With up to 200 shows or more per year over 25 - 26 years there must have been thousands of performances before a countless number of children throughout NSW and ACT and Victoria.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.
6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.
~~~~~~~~~~~~

15.  021318 002
 
16.  021218 004
 
17.  021218 035
 
18.  021218 007
 
19.  021218 037

***********************************

Saplings session, November 2014

Saplings sessions are an opportunity for young musicians of all levels aged 8-16 who play acoustic instruments to join together playing collected Australian tunes & songs.

Unfortunately not all of the young musicians who attended the Saplings masterclass in August were able to attend this session, but those who did enjoyed themselves playing the songs & tunes with their tutors & a flute-playing mother.

 Banjo lesson

 Concertina lesson

Bush bass lesson

Playing bush bass in the session

 Tongue drum lesson

 Fiddle lesson

 Mouth organ lesson

Playing mouthorgan in the session

photos - Sandra Nixon