Bush Music Club at the Waratah Spring Festivals, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1967, 1969

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Waratah Spring Festivals were held in late October to early November between 1956 and 1973. In 1977 the Waratah Festival was replaced by the Sydney Festival/Festival of Sydney.
Drawing by Jamie Carlin of the banner he designed. (Source - Jamie Carlin collection)
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1956 & 1957
Documents from City of Sydney Archives - Control number: CRS 909   Date range: 1956-1974,   Number Range: 1956-1974   Box no: 1   Cited with permission
Tentative program


Tuesday 2nd October, Open Air Theatre, Bushwackers (sic) concert  7pm

Sydney Waratah Spring Festival Pageant, Saturday 13th October, 1956

1956 Sydney Waratah Spring Festival procession details - Bush Music Club
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1957 Sydney Waratah Spring Festival

A Report: submitted to the Sydney Committee by the Executive Officer, Friday 26th October 1956

Statistics

Order of pageant

Float 85 - Bush Music Club
Documents from City of Sydney Archives - Control number: CRS 937   Date range: 1947-1958,   Number Range: 02   Box no: 2  Reproduced with permission




We have been invited to take part in the City of Sydney Waratah Pageant again this year. We ask you to sort out your ideas now, so that our contribution to the procession will be something to remember. (Newsletter, Vol 3, no. 1, June 1957 - BMC Archives)
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1958

Pass for 1958 Waratah Festival. (BMC Archives)
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1967

Extract from Concert Party report, Singabout 6(2), 1967, page 7 (BMC Archives)

BMC at 1967 Waratah Festival, cart supplied by Ware's Stables, Leichhardt.
Jamie Carlin standing with lagerphone, Lorna Lovell,  Chris Kempster walking with guitar, accordion player Harry Kay seated below driver, at Darlinghurst, cr. of Oxford St & Wentworth Ave, now Whitlam Square. On the left with Reuben Brasch's department store (Brasch's Corner) with Paris Theatre to the right (Source: Jamie Carlin & Frank Maher)   (Photo - BMC archives)

email from Noel Ricketts 3rd June, 2020 -I was just looking at the Waratah blog and it brought back memories of the 1967 entry, we were definitely in it. I remember it well as I ordered the horse and wagon from Graeme Ware Leichardt and whilst going along Elizabeth St. there was this fellow walking along behind for quite some time and then he asked me if he could get up on the wagon as he was getting leg tired. I asked John and he said ok. that fellow was Warren Fahey.


Documents from City of Sydney Archives - Control number: CRS 937   Date range: 1958-1970,   Number Range: 02   Box no: 3.   Reproduced  with permission
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1969




Documents from City of Sydney Archives - Control number: CRS 937   Date range: 1947-1958,   Number Range: 02   Box no: 3.  Reproduced with permission ************************************************************************************************* *************************************************************************************************

Our banners

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BMC has used a number of banners over the years.
A recent contribution from Alex & Annette Hood - a picnic from the earliest days of the Club (emails & phone calls, February 2022)  
Sketch by Jamie Carlin of banner made by him & used in the 60s. BMC is known to have participated in the 1956, 1957, 1958, 1967, 1968 & 1969 Waratah Festivals.
Waratah Spring Festivals were held between 1956 & 1973    (Jamie Carlin collection)

clipping from Women's Day, Oct 6, 1969 - (Eileen Thornhill collection)

Dale Dengate made our first banner in 1968 for use at the Tuena Festival (BMC archives)

Sketch by Elaine Thornhill giving names of participants

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1968 banner with 1969 sash & 1971 Crabben Cullen Sapphire Safari pennant (BMC archives)

Unmounted felt pennant that never made it on to our first banner. (Given to BMC archives by Dale Dengate 2014)


 Alex Bowker at a Singabout night at BWIU Building, between 1971 & 1980 when BMC stopped using BMIU hall (BMC Archives)



Banner at a performance of Rousebouts -
source - The Rouseabouts the rattling good bush band - interview with Ray Grieve

Bush Music Festival banner 1986   (BMC archives)

Chris Kempster on stage at the Hut, 1980s (BMC archives)

Parramatta Heritage Week Parade, 29th October 1988 - other photos  here

Heritage Ball, c.1980s  (BMC archives)

Unsuccessful appeal in Mulga Wire no. 102, June 1994 for a new banner.

Dale Dengate's design for banner, 2012  (BMC Archives)
 Banner created by Dale Dengate in 2012, & backed & quilted by Sandra Nixon
(Wayne Richmond photo)  
 
Bob Bolton, 60th Anniversary concert (Sandra Nixon photo)

Pull-up banner

BMC's latest banner, 2017  (Sandra Nixon photo)

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Duke's Place, Australian Songs in Concert & Session with Peter Hicks (Tas), Friday 16th June, 2017.

Peter Hicks is a Tasmanian based performer recognised nationally on the Australian folk scene. His work in the union, peace, solidarity and gay rights movements, together with his constant output of songs for issues of the day have been recognised on ABC radio, at folk festivals and clubs large and small and at rallies for environmental and refugee rights.Since 2002 Peter has also performed internationally at May Day events in New Zealand and in 2011 performed at the Tolpuddle Festival in the UK.


(Sandra Nixon photo)

Bush Music Club
Tritton Hall
Hut 44 Addison Road Centre
142 Addison Rd, Marrickville

Map of Addison Road Centre     http://www.arcco.org.au/contact/

Door opens 7.30 for 8pm start. Session 10.00-11.30pm
BYO songs
Cost - $10

Bring something to drink & a plate for supper

Enquiries - Sandra 9358 4886

 

Duke's place, named after our honoured early member Harold 'Duke' Tritton (1886-1965), is the place to go once a month for a great night of Australian songs in concert and session. Duke was a powerful singer who supplied BMC with many songs he had learnt in his younger days while working as a shearer and at other bush jobs. He was also a songwriter and poet giving us songs that have entered the tradition such as Sandy Hollow Line and Shearing in the Bar.

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Duke's Place Australian Songs in Concert & Session with Nancy Nicholls & Eric Eisler, Friday 14th July, 2017 + report

The session on July 14th will feature Australian songs (and tunes) of freedom and friendship with BMC members Nancy Nicholls and Eric Eisler 

Nancy loves to sing and plays guitar, recorder and clarinet. In the 80's, Nancy played recorder in the original line up of Wallis and Matilda.

Eric is a long standing member of the Bush Music Club. He has played with various bush bands for 30 years as well as the Heritage Ensemble, Loosely Woven and Urban Scrub and Currawong Bush Band since 2011. 

He also made an appearance in the Australian movie My Brilliant Career, playing bush bass in the Harry Cotter Bush Band for the Woolshed dance.

Bush Music Club
Tritton Hall
Hut 44 Addison Road Centre
142 Addison Rd, Marrickville

Map of Addison Road Centre     http://www.arcco.org.au/contact/

Door opens 7.30 for 8pm start. Session 10.00-11.30pm
BYO songs
Cost - $10

Bring something to drink & a plate for supper

Enquiries - Sandra 9358 4886

Duke's place, named after our honoured early member Harold 'Duke' Tritton (1886-1965), is the place to go once a month for a great night of Australian songs in concert and session. Duke was a powerful singer who supplied BMC with many songs he had learnt in his younger days while working as a shearer and at other bush jobs. He was also a songwriter and poet giving us songs that have entered the tradition such as Sandy Hollow Line and Shearing in the Bar.

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(Photos © Sandra Nixon)

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