Singabout - Journal of Australian Folksong, Volume 1(2), Autumn 1956

Click images for larger size.


1.  Singabout, Volume 1(2), Autumn 1956 - cover (drawing of Brian Loughlin)

2. Singabout, Volume 1(2), Autumn 1956, p.2 - Contents, Editorial - Will "Singabout" share the fate of the little magazines mentioned in a recent ABC broadcast?  The broadcast stated that of 37 little magazines published ia Australia since 1923, only 5 succeeded in lasting for more than 10 issues - few reached the third, or even the second issue. Although sales have not been up to expectations we are determined that "Singabout" will not share the fate of the little magazines that failed to make the grade.
As a measure of our confidence we are still printing 1,000 copies; as a proof of our confidence we are going to enlarge our next issue by 4 pages; to justify our confidence, you, our readers can build our sales. We feel that the many performers and songwriters who are concerned with the future of songs that are essentially Australian need this magazine.
Finally there is a selling point to remember. "The Bushwhackers" have found that when audiences have heard the songs performed, they will buy "Singabout" by the dozens.
Singabout  - issued quarterly, Editor John Meredith. Orders & subscriptions Karin Grivas. Artwork & Layout Gil Small. Published by Alan Scott.

3. Singabout, Volume 1(2), Autumn 1956, p.3 - The Stranger by John Manifold

4.  Singabout, Volume 1(2), Autumn 1956, p.4 - Folk Songs and the Festival by E. Lancaster

5.  Singabout, Volume 1(2), Autumn 1956, p.5 - Mrs. Beth Schurr is a young Sydney folk singer whose first record will be released this month by Wattle.   Mailbag - letter from David Martin about Lament for the Gordons, continued on p.18.

6. Singabout, Volume 1(2), Autumn 1956, p.6 - Chips off the Old Block The Tricky Sixpence written and sung by Dick Hackett during the recent wharfies' strike. Dick "The Singing Wharfie" is well known to Sydneysiders for his earlier song "Ten and Four". The Tricky Sixpence is sung to the tune of "The Worried Man Blues"   Eight Bells by Merv. Lilley - tune Ring the Bell, Watchman.

7. Singabout, Volume 1(2), Autumn 1956, p.7 - The Cornpicker's Lament words; John Meredith, Air; Lady Munro

8.  Singabout, Volume 1(2), Autumn 1956, p.8 - New Books - Irish Songs of Resistance by Patrick Galvin, review by E. Lancaster.  Bandicoot Ballads review by J.M. (John Meredith)

9.  Singabout, Volume 1(2), Autumn 1956, p.9 - The Outlander, Bandicoot Ballad no. 12

10. Singabout, Volume 1(2), Autumn 1956, p.10 - The Hut That's Upside Down as sung by Mrs Byrnes and her brother-in-law Mr. Tom Byrnes of Springside and collected by John Meredith.

11.  Singabout, Volume 1(2), Autumn 1956, p.11 - A Man of the Earth  words: Jock Graham, Music John Arcott

12. Singabout, Volume 1(2), Autumn 1956, p.12 - The Rabbiter words & music by Stan Wakefield

13. Singabout, Volume 1(2), Autumn 1956, p.13 - The Rabbiter words & music by Stan Wakefield (cont)  Ad for Songs from the Kelly Country, available from the Bush Music Club and most bookshops. 

14. Singabout, Volume 1(2), Autumn 1956, p.14 - Introducing ...  John Manifold ... lives in Queensland where he edits Bandicoot Ballads, instructs the Recorder Group of Qld. Uni. Orchestral Soc., and the Uni. Bush Music Club, plays guitar and recorder with Morton Bay Bushwhackers, is Qld. editor pf OVERLAND and a founder member of Brisbane Realist Writers' Group.  Stephen Spain composed the music for "The station houseboy" written by his father. Stephen is 11 years old ... and hopes to be a musician or a boiler maker, or perhaps both. He also intends to write more songs about Australian life.  Stan Wakefield - Came from England to Australia in 1923 ... 20 years in the bush ... stockman, horse breaker, teamster, gold digger, wattle bark stripper, fencer and shooting rabbits, water rats, kangaroos and foxes ... composed several songs during his travels in the bush, and is represented in this issue by "The Rabbiter"

15. Singabout, Volume 1(2), Autumn 1956, p.15 - The Station Houseboy, words; Ron Spain, music; Stephen Spain

16.  Singabout, Volume 1(2), Autumn 1956, p.16 - Best foot forward. The Armatree; Brown Jug Polka. This simple, fun-provoking dance was discovered by the Editor while holidaying in the north-west of N.S.W. last Christmas, when he saw it performed at a Boxing night dance at Armatree, near Gulgargambone. It can be danced by couples, or as a progressive community dance. Ad for Wattle Recordings - Beth Schurr (The Green Rushes + Andy's Gone with Cattle) & The Bushwhackers (Nine Miles from Gundagai + The Old Bullock Dray)

17.  Singabout, Volume 1(2), Autumn 1956, p.17 - Victory at Bowen, words; Ross Tracie, Music;  John Arcott

18. Singabout, Volume 1(2), Autumn 1956, p.18 - Mailbag - cont. letter from David Martin, letter from Gil Small about Lament for the Gordons, letter from Arthur Rudkin re E. Lancaster's letter about unison singing.

19. Singabout, Volume 1(2), Autumn 1956, p.19 - Boulavogue from Irish Songs of Resistance by Patrick Galvin. This tune is used for the Australian Convict ballad "Morton Bay".

20. Singabout, Volume 1(2), Autumn 1956, p.20 - Australia's on the Wallaby. Traditional. Versions of this song have been collected from Cairns and Collinsville, Q; Wallerawang & Surry Hills, N.S.W.; & Yallourne, Vic.  In the Townsville, Q., district, Henry Lawson's "Freedom on the Wallaby" is sung to a variant of the Winton version of this tune.

---

From the Archives - Correspondence between West Sydney Singers & John Manifold

Click images for larger size.

The West Sydney Singers were one of the small singing groups doing their best to popularise Australian songs in the early 50s.

The letters are not dated, but were written between 1953 when the first edition of Bandicoot Ballads was published & before Sheepwasher's Lament was published in the second edition in 1955.

Jamie Carlin who joined the West Sydney Singers sometime in 1954 after seeing Reedy River, was not aware of this letter (May 2020)
The First Few Years by Jamie Carlin. Talks from BMC's 2012 National Folk Festival Themed Workshop on BMC's First 10 years.

Thanks to Sutherland Library's Local history Librarian Helen McDonald for locating these photos, and to the Library for allowing them to be reproduced here.
West Sydney Singers at the Henry Lawson Concert, West Como, 18th September 1955

Screenshot of NLA record

Bandicoot Ballads - 9. Bound for South Australia. 10. Farewell to the Ladies of Brisbane. 11. Widgegoara Joe. 12. The Overlander. 13. The Old Bark Hut. 14. The Sheepwasher. 15. The Stockman's Last Bed. 16. Bill the Bullocky.

From the Archives - Bandicoot Ballads by John Manifold


1. Copy of letter sent by West Sydney Singers to John Manifold, with statement as to why they are distributing them.

2. First page of John Manifold's reply (un-numbered) Page 2 is missing (unless the following pages were mis-numbered)

3. 3rd page (numbered) of John Manifold's reply

4.  page 4

5. page 5

---

From the Archives - Bandicoot Ballads by John Manifold

Click images for larger size.

Both volumes are available in our Library.



National Library record


Bandicoot Ballads, numbers 1-8, published 1953




No. 8 - Morton Bay 

Bandicoot Ballads, numbers 9-16, published 1955

---

Bush Music Club involvement in Henry Lawson Concerts at Como - 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958

Click on pictures for full-screen image

For at least 5 years the Bushwhackers (1952-1957) and the Bush Music Club were involved in the annual Henry Lawson Concert at Como.

An article (below) in Singabout, 1(4), Spring 1956 refers to a performances by the Sutherland High School Players at the West Como Progress Association's 3rd Annual Lawson concert in Henry Lawson Reserve in Como.

An article on Sutherland Primary School website giving the history of the Primary School referred to this otherwise unknown high school -

The school was opened in 1887 & by 1955 the student enrolment was 1790 students across 4 departments, ‘high, girls', boys' and infants'- on 3 acres of accommodation including 8 portables.
1959 Goodbye Sutherland Intermediate High School
Port Hacking High opened in 1959 with Sutherland students providing the nucleus of the enrolment. Prior to its opening, the Sutherland P&C had vigorously campaigned for Port Hacking to be a  co-educational  school as was the case at the Intermediate High School. The department conceded to the pressure, later  opening Jannali Boys and Jannali Girls High Schools.

The recent 150th Anniversary activities at Sutherland Library included reminiscences of local residents associated with these earlier celebrations.
Celebrate the 150th birthday of Henry Lawson, much loved Australian writer, poet and journalist. Come along and enjoy a program of readings of his poetry and prose, singing, and talks about his life and writing from Bob Walshe (OAM) and Chris Sim. Presented in partnership with the Henry Lawson Appreciation Group of Como. Light refreshments provided.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1954
Thanks to Sutherland Library's Local History Librarian Helen McDonald for locating these clippings and the five photos from 1955 and to the Library for allowing them to be reproduced here. 







~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1955
Thanks to Sutherland Library's Local history Librarian Helen McDonald for locating these photos, and to the Library for allowing them to be reproduced here. 

West Sydney Singers at the Henry Lawson Concert, West Como, 18th September 1955

References to West Sydney Singers from our archives
Jamie Carlin's memories of the first 10 years
Reproduction of our first newsletter, 1(1), October 1955
From the Archives - Correspondence between West Sydney Singers & John Manifold

 








~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bushwhackers at Henry Lawson Memorial Concert, Como, September 1955

Photo supplied by Warren Fahey

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1956
West Como Progress Association's 3rd Annual Lawson Concert in the Henry Lawson Reserve in Como.
Singabout, 1(4), Spring 1956, page 2
Singabout, 1(4), Spring 1956 - page 11 - top

Singabout, 1(4), Spring 1956 - page 11 - top

Singabout, 1(4), Spring 1956 - page 11 - bottom
Silvia Salisbury shared her experiences with New Theatre & Reedy River at our 2012 National Folk Festival Themed Workshop on BMC's First 10 years and is still singing as a member of the Sydney Trade Union Choir

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1957
West Como Progress Association's 4th Annual Lawson Concert in the Henry Lawson Reserve in Como.

Leaflet located in Archives, July 2018





~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1958

West Como Progress Association's 5th Annual Lawson Concert in the Henry Lawson Reserve in Como





(BMC Archives)
************************************************************************************************* *************************************************************************************************