40th Birthday - Melbourne Colonial Dancers

[Stephen Whiteside]

The Melbourne Colonial Dancers held their 40th birthday bash at the Collingwood Town Hall last night. The Billabong Band (Victorian Folk Music Club) provided the music. They needed a PROPER lager phone player for the occasion, so I was relegated to the role of photographer.

It was a great night. No doubt I will recover from my wounded pride in time...

[r.magnay]

that's not a band...where's the drummer?

[Bob Pacey]

They always look soooo messy with cords ect laying all over the place. I saw a group one time that disguised this mess with hay bails added to the effect.

Bob

[Gary Harding]

that's not a band... that's an orchestra.

[Neville Briggs]

I think the colonials would be surprised at an array of instruments augmented by electrical gizmos

We have a little group in Singleton who play that sort of stuff, the leader of the band resolutely refuses to use any electric audio gear, including a microphone for his dance calling.

[Stephen Whiteside]

Ross: Back row, left (in white), playing the bodhran

Bob: Sorry about the cords. They were not so obvious from ground level.

Gary: Well, it's a big band.

Neville: Yes, I suppose so. They'd also be amazed at my phone with its camera, the ABPA web-site, and the interaction between the two. The VFMC bans amplification as a rule, too, though it does make occasional exceptions.

[Neville Briggs]

Stephen, your picture of the ball reminded me of one of my favourite paintings by the colonial artist S.T.Gill. You can find an image of it by looking up the art gallery of Ballarat website. The picture is called, The First Subscription Ball Ballarat 1854.

It's a very amusing and well observed picture. S.T.Gill is one of my favourite Oz artists. A few years ago a book on Australian poems was published which featured several of S.T.Gill's pictures , including the watercolour of the Ballarat ball, on the pages alongside bush poems.

[Stephen Whiteside]

Thanks, Neville. I'll check it out.

[r.magnay]

Thanks Doc.....I thought that was a keyboard..

[Stephen Whiteside]

Wow, Ross, I didn't believe a bodhran could trigger such meek capitulation!

That was a wild night in Ballarat that Gill depicted, Neville. It was much more civilised in Collingwood last Saturday - and no trombone or bass drum, either. By the way, that bloke staggering down the stairs - what's he carrying? Looks like a bunch of sausages.