From the Archives - Jamie's Carlin's eulogy for John Dengate, 2013

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Jamie's memories of John, read out & enlarged upon at the Bush Music Club's Memorial Concert, Sunday 24th November, 2013, videoed by Ray Gurney. Link to videos of all contributions here 

Sharyn Mattern photo

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Singabout - Journal of Australian Folksong, Volume 5(2), December 1964

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1.  Singabout, Volume 5(2), December 1964 - DUKE TRITTON, veteran Australian folksinger, and life member of the Bush Music Club - see story back cover.

2.  Singabout, Volume 5(2), December 1964 - NEWS AND VIEWS. Dear Reader. This issue of Singabout Magazine is a special one indeed ... celebrates the tenth anniversary of the Bush Music Club  - ten years of rediscovering, collecting, recording, teaching, performing, and just plain enjoying Australian traditional songs, ballads, music and dancing  ... CONTENTS. Edited and produced by members of the Bush Music Club. 

3.  Singabout, Volume 5(2), December 1964 - Pete Seeger's visit, Sept 1963 

4.  Singabout, Volume 5(2), December 1964 - THE JAM TIN BAND - ... The performers were 147 children from six Brisbane Schools, and this TV concert was the last part of an A.B.Q.-2 series in which they learnt how to form their own band sand make their own instruments. The series Beginners' Band was conducted by Mr John Manifold, well known Australian Poet and expert on Australian Bush music ... Spastic Centre, Seventh Day Adventist School, the Runcorn, Taringa and Kedron State Schools, and Newstead Opportunity School ...

5.  Singabout, Volume 5(2), December 1964 - THE WEE ONE - Collected from Sally Sloane by John Meredith. Sally learned this song from one Bob Vaughan in the Aberdeen district of NSW when she was a girl. 

6.  Singabout, Volume 5(2), December 1964 - TEN THOUSAND MILES AWAY. Ad for WEA & University of Sydney courses

7.  Singabout, Volume 5(2), December 1964 - TEN THOUSAND MILES AWAY.  (Cont) Ad for Melodica and HOHNER bush accordions. 

8.  Singabout, Volume 5(2), December 1964 - TRADITIONAL AUSTRALIAN BUSH INSTRUMENTS. From a lecture delivered by Alan Scott at a WEA Folk Lore week end, 15th July 1962.

9.  Singabout, Volume 5(2), December 1964 - TRADITIONAL AUSTRALIAN BUSH INSTRUMENTS. From a lecture delivered by Alan Scott at a WEA Folk Lore week end, 15th July 1962 (cont) 

10.  Singabout, Volume 5(2), December 1964 - TRADITIONAL AUSTRALIAN BUSH INSTRUMENTS. From a lecture delivered by Alan Scott at a WEA Folk Lore week end, 15th July 1962 (cont) 

11.  Singabout, Volume 5(2), December 1964 - TRADITIONAL AUSTRALIAN BUSH INSTRUMENTS. From a lecture delivered by Alan Scott at a WEA Folk Lore week end, 15th July 1962 (cont)  Singabout Magazine receives a lot of letters, but not enough. We need more of your helpful suggestions and more of those modern-day songs in the traditional style. 

12.  Singabout, Volume 5(2), December 1964 - THE FIRST FEW YEARS by Jamie Carlin . The following is a series of reminiscences from memory and diaries, volumes 1955 and later ...

13.  Singabout, Volume 5(2), December 1964 - THE FIRST FEW YEARS by Jamie Carlin. (cont) 
14.  Singabout, Volume 5(2), December 1964 -  THE FIRST FEW YEARS by Jamie Carlin (cont) 

15.  Singabout, Volume 5(2), December 1964 - AUSTRALIAN TRADITIONAL SINGERS AND MUSICIANS OF VICTORIA (Wattle Archive Series no.11) - review 

16.  Singabout, Volume 5(2), December 1964 - AUSTRALIAN TRADITIONAL SINGERS AND MUSICIANS OF VICTORIA (cont)
THE IRISHMAN'S SONG, Duke Tritton's note on The Irishman's song - Was travelling with a mob of sheep from Peak Hill to Coolah in 1910. There were five of us in the team, Billy McBeth, the boss drover, Tim and Tiger Schurr, Joe Goodman and myself. All were good mates and all could sing a fair song, so we had a good trip. Billy McBeth used to sing the above song and we all learned to roar it out around the campfire ...

17.  Singabout, Volume 5(2), December 1964 -  THE IRISHMAN'S SONG (cont)

18.  Singabout, Volume 5(2), December 1964 - THE GALOPEDE. Ad for North Australian monthly. 

19.  Singabout, Volume 5(2), December 1964 - COLLECTOR'S NOTEBOOK. Here's another in the "I'm the best"- "Ugly Dave" tradition, written by Alan Scott, Loftus, NSW.
Brian Loughlin of Sydney writes: In October ... I was with Mr Clem Jones, of Liverpool ... Clem came out with this little tourist slogan about the West - Fleas, flies, bugs and sand - all belong to Gropher land!  
The following lines, which sound more bush ballad than literary  style were also heard in a Sydney pub ... What's the use of talkin' When you're stoney broke and walkin...

20.  Singabout, Volume 5(2), December 1964 - ABORIGINAL SONG.  This song was collected by Barbara Gibbons from Mr & Mrs Harold Kead and their friends, Aboriginal Settlement, Peak Hill NSW.  so many beautiful stories are told .. .  DUNGENYUL SONG (Dungenyul = methylated spirits) Collected by Barbara Gibbons from Chris Woodland who learned it from aboriginal friends in Bouke, NSW  

21.  Singabout, Volume 5(2), December 1964 - MALAYSIA SONG by John Dengate 

22.  Singabout, Volume 5(2), December 1964 - THE BORDER FENCE This song was collected by Glen Hamilton from an unknown person who was born in 1927.  He has wandered around the bush, droving, fencing, wood-cutting, tank sinking, etc, and first started to write songs when his girlfriend shot-off with his best mate. The was sung to a tune popular a few years ago, She wore red feathers and a hula-hula skirt 

23.  Singabout, Volume 5(2), December 1964 - THE LITTLE SPARROW. Music John Meredith,  words Launcelot Harrison. 

24.  Singabout, Volume 5(2), December 1964 - DUKE TRITTON - A word about the man.  Ad - COME TO A WORKSHOP NIGHT IN SYDNEY. 

From the Archives - Bush Music Club Song Sheets in the Jamie Carlin Collection

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1. handwritten - Dunn, Gilbert & Ben Hall - Come all you sons of liberty & listen to my tale, A story of bush ranging days I will to you unveil ...
2.  Australia's on the Wallaby Our father's came in search of gold, The claim it proved a duffer ... Collected by John Meredith from Noah Warren, a miner from Lithgow NSW, who got it from Joe Young who learned in Cairns.

3.  Jimmie Riddle  - Way out in the wilds of Australia, In a tumble down shack of tin ...

4.  Cane killed Abel, by Merv. Lilly & Chris Kempster. Singabout 1(1), Summer 1956

5.  The Farmers up trees - a new song by Merv Lilley, to the tune of "Jimmy Riddle" Singabout 1(1), Summer 1956

6.  The John Maclean March by Hamish Henderson

7.  The Old Bullock Dray (Stan Wakefield version)  Originally published in Singabout 1(1), Summer 1956, p.16



8.  Rolling Home - Call all hands to man the capstan, See the cable run down clear ...

9.  Kelly's Farewell - Farewell to my home in Greta, My loved ones fare thee well ...
Published as Farewell to Greta, Bushwhacker Broadside no. 11


These songsheets were scanned by Allen Davis in 2013.

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Life Members - information on our 25 Life Members - part 3. Jack Barrie, Janet Wakefield, Jamie Carlin, Bob Bolton, John Dengate

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

Life Members - information on our 25 Life Members  - part 2 - Herb Gimbert, Alan Scott, Gay Scott, Brian Loughlin, Pam Loughlin 

Life Members - information on our 25 Life Members  - part 4  Dave Johnson, Frank Maher, Don Richmond, Helen Romeo, Harry Kay.

Life Members - information on our 25 Life Members  - part  5. Ralph Pride, Chris Woodland, Sandra Nixon, Wendy Richmond, Mike Young.

Life Members - Information on our 28 Life members - Part 6 - Colin Fong, Sharyn Mattern, Allen Davis



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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Jack Barrie (1917 - 2015) - a member of the Bushwhackers and foundation member.
Email from Bob Bolton about Jack's surname (email 29/11/12)

I'm afraid the "Barry" spelling was pretty pervasive ... It's certainly the way his surname was spelled on the sleeve of the  Diaphon "Selections from Reedy River 10" (... not quite so...) LP ... and turns up in a number of BMC usages.

"Barry" is the obvious 'first guess' spelling for someone who doesn't check ...  I checked: I'm going by Jack's signature on the scan of the paper sleeve of the David Jones Wool Week (~1958) record that Rob Willis supplied to me!

Regards, 
Bob Bolton





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Janet Wakefield -
Secretary, widow of early member and songwriter Stan Wakefield, responsible for the 1966 publication by BMC of Songs of Stan Wakefield. 

Janet was made an Honorary Life Member at the Stan Wakefield night in August 1967 in recognition of her energetic and conscientious service to the Club over the years (source Newsletter September 1967)






Alan Scott and Janet Wakefield  (BMC Archives, Maher collection)

Early Members reunion - Bill Scott, Frank Maher, Jack Wright, Jamie Carlin, Janet Wakefield, Alex Bowker, Rex Whalan, Barbara Gibbons, Alan Scott, Bill Berry - Bush Music Festival, 1986 (BMC Archives, Maher collection, Bob Bolton photo) 

Mulga Wire, no.111, October 1995
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 Jamie Carlin - joined BMC soon after it was founded

Jamie's article on The First Few Years from our website


Jamie receiving his Life Member badge, August 2014 (Sandra Nixon photo)
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Bob Bolton

Mulga Wire, no.12, p.4, April 1979 - Bob was awarded Life Membership at the 1979 AGM.

Citation for Bob's National Folk Festival 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award
Bob Bolton - artist and professional photographer, publisher and editor, archivist and researcher, teacher and mentor, transcriber of traditional tunes, folklorist, bush musician and reciter.
Bob joined the Bush Music Club in the early 60s, served on its Committee for 40 years and is a Life Member. His contributions since 1998 on the Mudcat Cafe online discussion group helped spread Australian bush and folk traditions across the world.
As editor and archivist Bob helped disseminate Australian traditional folklore through BMC publications – Mulga Wire, Singabout, and many songbook collections – and also by providing photographs, information and research facilities to anyone who asked. He has attended almost every National Folk Festival since 1971 with camera and instruments in hand. His photographic archive of bush music events and of the Australian folk revival of the 70s and 80s was donated to the Australian National Library in 2014.
Hundreds of aspiring performers have benefited from Bob’s weekly participation at BMC’s Monday night workshops. He played in a number of bush bands and was a founder of Backblocks Bush Band, one of the first groups to play only collected material using only traditional instruments.
Bob Bolton has devoted a lifetime to maintaining folk traditions

Bob, c.1963 around the time he first visited BMC

Congratulations Bob, well earned.

I remember when Bob's older brother Eric would bring a young Bob along to the BMC's weekly workshops in about 1963 or '4. Who would have thought then that Bob would grow up to be such a very important cog in the BMC's wheel? The club owes so much to Bob: his profound knowledge on many subjects such as the folk movement, reed instruments, various histories (Australian, musical instruments and folk song and folklore histories to name just a few). Of course his wonderfully professional and extensive photo collection is a unique source for present and future generations. Bob's contributions to the Australian folklore movement, plus the dissemination of much material is of considerable national value and the award is a memorable legacy to him and his selfless efforts.

Chris Woodland. (Comment on blog article)


Bob with award, National Folk Festival 2017. (Photo Chris Woodland)
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John Dengate  (1938 - 2013) John was introduced to BMC in 1961 by another teacher at his school, his future wife Dale.

John Dengate - Story of a family Workshop conducted by John Dengate at the National Folk Festival (Canberra, Australia) April 2001. A collection of songs, poems and stories based on the lives and experiences of his own ancestors, covering the period from the 1830s to the present. (video by Wayne Richmond)

Memories of early days in the Bush Music Club by Dale Dengate 

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Mulga Wire no. 12, April 1979 - nominations of Ronda Carlin, & John and Dale Dengate as Life members

Mulga Wire no. 13, June 1979, Nomination of John Dengate as Life Member

Photo by Chris Woodland at launch of John's 3rd book, 2012


Mulga Wire, no. 20, August 1980, page 3

Portrait of John,1979 by famous artist & family friend Sue White

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