Singabout - Journal of Australian Folksong, Volume 4 - precis of each issue

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The Bush Music Club was founded in October 1954 & published the first issue of Singabout in January 1956. This issue included notice of BMC's First Annual Conference on Saturday 11th February at the International Seaman's Club. 

The final issue published was Vol. 6, no. 2, 1967. Issue 6(3) was prepared but never printed and BMC then relied on newsletter-style publications until Mulga Wire started in 1977.

Singabout 4(1), 1960

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New Songs                

Wagga-Waggah - words & music by John Meredith

Bold Tommy Payne - written 1953 by Jack Crossland

When Regan Sat on His Spurs - adapted from an old bush yarn by Stan Wakefield

Where the Black Swans Fly - poem by Ted Harrington, set to music by Clair White

A Pub With No Beer by Dan Sheehan, Ingham, Qld. First published in The North Queensland Register, January 1st, 1944.

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Collected Songs           

Jackie Jackie - written by unknown Aboriginal songwriter from the collection of Roland Robinson

The Miner - collected from Mrs R.L. Sayers of Box Hill, Vic

My Own Native Land (version of Native Mate) - contributed by Mrs W. Anderson of Toronto, NSW

The Reedy Lagoon - tape-recorded in Singelton, NSW, by Joe Curran from the singing of an unidentified guest.

O'Mulligan's Wallaby Drive (tune Villikins & his Dinah)  collected from Jack (Bottle-o) Carter, Victoria

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Recitations

Italian Cocky's Mate - Matt O'Connor, Border Fence, NSW

Strike Eight Bells - collected by Merv Lilley from Kevin Tory on the S.S. Dulverton

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Collectors Notebook - fragments

Tambaroora Gold

Western Goldfields ballads & a Kelly Song

Shearing Along the Castlereagh

The Shepherd's Possessions

Additional verse to Charlie Mopps  
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Singabout 4(2) 1961

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Collected Songs 

The Lost Sailor - collected from Simon McDonald, Creswick, Vic

The Old Man Kangaroo - collected from Simon McDonald, Creswick, Vic

The Rouseabout - collected from Mrs Alma Burge, Dubbo, NSW  
      
When Jones's Ale was New - collected from Simon McDonald, Creswick, Vic

The Golden Vanity - collected from Simon McDonald, Creswick, Vic

The Maid & The Magpie - collected from "Hoopiron" Jack Lee of Auburn, NSW

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Reciter's Corner

The Bristol Rat - Matt O'Connor

What Bill Lewis told his Grandson - John Manifold

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Collector's Notebook

On a Lonely Western Station

The Hat Ned Kelly Wore

The Pub With No Dike

The Big Fish in Brisbane Waters

     

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Singabout 4(3) September1961

BMC's 7th Anniversary

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New Songs  

Don the Dogger - Joe Daly, Hungerford, NSW/Qld border

The New Chum Shearer - Joe Daly, Hungerford, NSW/Qld border  
       
Gordon's Great Leap - William L. Laves, grandson of Lance Skuthorpe. (tune - Villikins & his Dinah)

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Collected Songs       

The Fair Young Jockey - collected from Mrs Violet Skuthorpe

Tambaroora Gold - collected from Mr. Harry Holder of Lionsville, near Bar Yigil, NSW North Coast

Two Songs of '91 - The Struggle in the West (contributed by Len Fox)  & The Ballot is the thing (written by W. Kidson in 1891)
 
The Whip and The Spur - collected from Mrs Violet Skuthorpe

The Stockman's Last Bed - collected from Mrs Violet Skuthorpe
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Recitations

The Bullocky's Tale - collected by Stan Wakefield

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Collector's Notebook

Recitation - He never Blamed the Booze by G.A. Finn, Queenstown, Tas.

I'm the Best by Bob Dunbar (tune - Ring the Bell, Watchman)

Angler's Prayer - contributed by Clarence Strochnetter

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Singabout 4(4) 1962

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New Songs                

Our Fathers Cleared the Bush - Mick Highes, Vic

The Great Northern Line - Duke Tritton
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Collected Songs           

The Albury Ram - collected from Tom Newbound, Rutherglen, Vic

The Knickerbocker Line - reprinted from English Dance & Song, the magazine of the English Folk Song & Dance Society

Ireland Over Here - collected by Stan Wakefield from an Irishman in Wyalla, SA

The Canecutter's Lament - contributed by Jimmy Laycock of Ravenshoe, Qld

The Irishman's Gold Mine - collected from Duke Tritton

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 Collector's Notebook -

A variation of When Jones's Ale was New from Noreen Grunseitt

fragments of 2 ballads about Thunderbolt contributed by Dr Russell Ward, Armidale, NSWPoem - Let's be Australians - contributed by Vera Deacon, Dee Why, NSW

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Singabout - Journal of Australian Folksong, Volume 3 - precis of each issue

Click on pictures for full-screen image
 

The Bush Music Club was founded in October 1954 & published the first issue of Singabout in January 1956. This issue included notice of BMC's First Annual Conference on Saturday 11th February at the International Seaman's Club. 

The final issue published was Vol. 6, no. 2, 1967. Issue 6(3) was prepared but never printed and BMC then relied on newsletter-style publications until Mulga Wire started in 1977.

Singabout 3(1) Summer 1958

Cover - members of the Bush Music Club Concert Party - Peter Francis, Jamie Carlin, Gay Terry, Lorna Lovell, John Meredith & Alan Scott.

New Songs

The Never-Never Plan - words & music by J. Scott

The Kookaburra Laughed - words & music by Stan Wakefield

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Australian Ballads

Definitely Barred by Merv Lilley

Malone's Cockatoo - from the collection of Matt O'Connor, Wilcannia, NSW

Lucinda Closing Down by Jim Hogan, Townsville, Qld

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Collected Songs

Never Trust A Sailor - learnt by Bill Scott when he was in the Royal Australian Navy in the early 1940s

Wild Rover - collected from Joe Cashmere

 Paddy Sheahan - collected from Madge Laver, daughter of Lance Skulthorpe

The Dying Stockman - collected from Madge Laver, daughter of Lance Skulthorpe

The Drover's Dream -c ollected from Charlie Phillips at Warrawong, NSW

I'm Spending My Days in the Doss House - depression days parody collected from Mr J. Bates by Merv Lilley, Yeppoon, Qld

Old T.I. - one verse of a  variation learnt from native military during the war by Merv Lilley.

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Recitation

How would you be?

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Singabout 3(2) Autumn 1959

Cover - All home made. Three of the Manifolds with puplute, pan-pipes and 4-string bass. The family band also includes a mandora (tenor Mandolin) which is likewise home-made.

New Songs

Farewell Snowy Lamb - words, Merv Lilley, tune - The Dying Stockman

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Collected Songs

Garrawilla - written by a shed-hand at Garrawilla station, collected from Jack Wright, who learnt it from his father.

The Goondiwindi Song - extra verses - collected by Jamie Carlin from the singing of Lach Robertson

The Dying Stockman - contributed by Ian Mudie who learnt it from his mother, who had learnt it in the seventies.

The Body in the Bag - music hall song contributed by Stan Wakefield 

T.I. - from Jean Devanny's book about North Queensland, By Tropic Sea and Jungle (A&R, 1940) 

2 fragments of Kelly Ballads - the first collected by John Meredith from 86 year old Jack Luscombe in March 1953, the other sent to the editor in 1956 by Mrs H. McKenzie, aged 89 of Launceston, Tas. 

Sixteen Thousand Miles from Home - collected from Jack Wright of Coogee who learnt it from his father.

The Little Fish - 2 extra verses, collected from Jack Wright, Coogee

Banks of Riverine - collected from Mrs Smeed, Mudgee,

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Reciter's Corner

The Spider from the Gwydir

The Shearer's Nightmare - by Darcy Burns, Monaro, contributed by Fred Sloane

The Bush Ain't What it Was - contributed by G.A, NSW

Gumleaf Musician - by Len Fox 

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Singabout 3(3) Winter/Spring 1958

cover - Bush Music Club members at the Henry Lawson Statue in the Sydney Domain.

New Songs

The Goose-Neck Spurs by Duke Tritton (composed during 1905 shearing season) 

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Birth of the Victorian Bush Music Club

 

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Collected Songs

Humping Old Bluey - words & music from the singing of Mr. Rod Manton, aged 70, of Erskineville

The Wild Colonial Boy - supplied by Mr Theo Archdeacon, WA who learnt it at school in Western Australia in the middle 80s when it was new.

Charlie Mopps - the theme-song of the Bush Music Club, collected by Redd Sullivan from the Chief Refrigeration engineer on the ss Tekoa in 1953 & localised with Sydney pubs. 2nd verse written by BMC member Peter Francis.

The Pommy's Lament - collected from Mrs Murial Whalen of Katoomba, NSW

Shickered as He Could Be - collected from a fisherman on Lake Macquarie with additional verses remembered by members.

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Reciters Corner

A Battle of Wits by Matt O'Connor, Milparinka, NSW

Hurry Up by Stan Wakefield, Panania, NSW

The Tragedy, traditional, collected by Kath Anderson, Heathcote, NSW

Shearer Man (fragment of an Afghan's rhyme on shearing) - traditional, collected by Dennis Ryan, Sydney.

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Miscellaneous

Skipping Rhymes by Alan Scott

Aboriginal Songs by Roland Robinson. Reprinted by kind permission from The Bulletin.

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Singabout 3(4) (n.d.)

Cover - This jolly crowd of performers are members of the Billabong Band from Melbourne, founders of the Victorian Bush Music Club. 

History of the Victorian Folk Music Club (est. 1959 as Victorian Bush Music Club)

www.vfmc.org.au/VFMCHistory.pdf

1959

In August an offer by the Sydney Bush Music Club to a ten percent share in their “Singabout” magazine was accepted. An example of the Club’s contribution to this magazine can be seen in “Singabout” Vol. 3, No. 4, which included the words, music, notes and drawing for the “Dying Shearer”, and an article by Frank Nickels.

New Songs  Ringing on Gummin - by Duke Tritton

The Bream of Anson's Bay by Clarence Strochnetter, Tas,  music by Stan Wakefield

Pelican Joe - words & music by Stan Wakefield

The Stock Route Again - words & music by Stan Wakefield

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Collected Songs

The Maiden's Prayer - collected from "Cat" McCann in Gulgong, NSW

The Dying Stockman - collected from Mr Tom Newbound, Rutherglen, Vic

Old Poley Cow (air - Blue Tail Fly) - contributed by Jamie Carlin, who received this version from Mr Alf A. Ryall of Kojonup, WA.

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Reciter's Corner

Battler's Ballad - Jack Wright, Coogee, NSW

Bollon - Stan Wakefield, Panania, NSW.

Shearing Ditty (air - Marching Through Georgia) - contributed by Charlie Rundle, Louth, NSW


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Report on Bundanoon DanceFest, 2015

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The Seventh Bundanoon DanceFest was held at Bundanoon in the Southern Highlands of NSW on the Long Weekend in June 2015. It was a full weekend of social dancing, with workshops run through the day and a dance each evening.

The callers for 2015 included 11 BMC members -

Caroline Barrell, Nesa David Simon, Jude Bertolin, Mark Simmons, Anthony Simon, Daryl Powell, Tony Northey, Don  Richmond, Arthur Kingsland, Norm  Ellis, Paul Carr, Colin Towns, Margaret & Bill Winnett, Bruce Lemin, Madis and Tiina Alvre, Cathy Richmond, Helen & Tony Romeo and Keith Wood.

Keith received awards from the Traditional Social Dance Association of Victoria for entries in each section of their 2015 dance-writing competition

 1.  Norm Ellis presenting Keith his awards

2.

3.

 











4.

5.  Colleen Patterson

6.  Don Richmond calling

7.  Lisa Simons & Don Richmond

 8.  Mike Young, Annette & Frank Moore

9.   Mike Waters & Amy Simons

10.

 11. Alex Bishop smiling at camera

 12. back - Cathy Richmond & Amy Simons

 13. centre - Jude Bertolin & Cathy Richmond

14. Bob Smith from No Such Thing with BMC's Kerry & Claire Doherty

20. Mainly fiddles

(photos Sandra Nixon)

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Duke's Place - Australian songs in concert & session with Chris Maltby, Friday 10th July, 7.30 to 11.30 + report

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Chris is another long term member & appeared in the John Dengate memorial concert where he sang  Terrorist Song and Song of childhood.

from Margaret Walters -

He went to concerts, festivals and sessions for years, quietly enjoying the music, never putting himself forward unless it was to help arrange or pack up the chairs. And then, one day, there's a gap in proceedings and out he comes with a traditional song you haven't heard for yonks, and he knows it thoroughly, needs no prompting. Jaws drop and you think "What a good voice!, and has he known songs like that all the time? Why didn't he tell us!" That's Chris Maltby for you.

Of course, in no time, he was courted by the Ecopella Choir (he was Green!) and the Roaring Forties (he had a beard!) and both groups continue to be amazed at the number of songs he already knows and the speed with which he can learn new and quite difficult material. 

 

Bearded section of the Roaring Forties - Tom Hanson, Chris Maltby, Robin Connaughton, John Warner, National Folk Festival 2011  (missing Margaret Walters)

Chris had a grandfather who ran away to sea at 14 - hence his fascination with nautical songs; he grew up in a household that loved classical literature - so Kipling and other poets were kindergarten fodder; and the family were keen bushwalkers - the genesis of Chris's Green political convictions. Blessed with a sharp intellect, humanist ideals, a range of practical skills, a great sense of humour, and a supportive life partner in Prue, Chris is an all round good guy. Oh yes, he can sing, and you can be sure that the material he chooses will enrich your life!

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Tritton Hall, Hut 44 Addison Road Centre, 142 Addison Rd, Marrickville

Door opens 7.30 for 8pm start.

Concert & supper 8-10, Singing Session 10.00-11.30pm

BYO Australian songs

Cost - $10

Bring something to drink & a plate for supper

Enquiries - Sandra 9358 4886 

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(Photos © Sandra Nixon) 

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