September - December 2003

January - March 2006

Woodford – the hottest yet! Did you go to Woodford? Wasn’t it hot! However, we all survived and it was a great festival. The new, bigger Singing Shed was a superb venue with back-to-back sessions on widely diverse themes, hosted by experienced performers - with lots of opportunities and encouragement for the ‘wanabes’ in the audience to lead songs. I thoroughly enjoyed hosting the Gospel session on New Year’s Day and participating in various other sessions. I was also delighted with the sales of my children’s material – Special As I Can Be CD and music book and Love is a Circle CD.

Losses: Sadly, one of my oldest folk friends, Bill Scott, passed away on Christmas Eve. Bill was always generous in his support and in sharing with me his love of Brisbane ’s convict history, the many stories he’d collected and his resources. He was the inspiration for my research and writing about the Moreton Bay settlement in Patrick Logan’s time as commandant, and if you have been following this diary, you’ll know what an exciting and interesting time this has been for me. An extraordinary man, Bill Scott was a singer, songwriter, author, raconteur, historian, poet and inspiration to a generation of folkies.

In February the folk community lost another beloved member, friend and fellow musician, June Nichols. June played the lovely concertina backing on my CD Seasons and worked with me to create the music book for the children’s CD Special As I Can Be. Not long after the Seasons launch June was diagnosed with bowel cancer. She fought her disease valiantly and without bitterness, inspiring all of us with her enormous courage and strength. June was an outstanding singer and tune maker and edited Brisbane ’s only folk newsletter the Folk Rag. Her death left me with a sense of great personal loss – which I share with the majority of the ‘folk family’.

National Folk Festival: However, life continues and the National Folk Festival is fast approaching. Once again I’ll be heading to Canberra for Easter. Each year the festival features a different Sate and this year it’s Queensland ’s turn. I’m delighted to have been included in a two-hour tribute concert for Queensland folkie and friend Tony Miles who passed away in 2001. I’ll be singing two of his songs in the Tony Miles Tribute Concert to be held in the Palladium on Easter Sunday.

Love Is A Circle Music Book: This project has been put on hold temporarily. I had planned to work with June Nichols again but her death has meant finding another artist/musician/computer whiz (not an easy combination) to collaborate with me in its creation. But watch New Releases – it will happen.

Crow Minder: Now all the recording/CD production is behind me for the moment, I’ve been pleased to reconnect with Crow Minder , my second book set in Brisbane ’s convict era . I’ve taken up my pen/keyboard once again and am enjoying working on this story. The research is fascinating.

I hope your year is progressing with much success, happiness and creative fulfilment.

Warm good wishes,

 

July – September 2006

Welcome to another edition of the Diary. You’ll see I’ve added a new page which lists my up-coming performances.

eBay: I’ve had a very interesting few months, discovering the intricacies of eBay. I decided to offer my CDs in this market place, with the idea of opening an eBay store, and it’s been a curious and sometimes frustrating learning curve. My wonderful webmaster, Mary Brettell, joined me in this venture - without her I would have been entirely lost. After some months, I’ve decided that this isn’t going to work for me – so far it hasn’t been financially viable; but it has been an expanding experience and my motto is that you never lose by trying and no knowledge is ever wasted.

Tapes for sale: The CDs of Think Of It This Way, The Four Dragons and Flight are now available - see New Releases. However, there are still some copies of the original cassettes available at cost price, so click here for details and testimonials from other very happy listeners.

In August my niece Angela paid us a visit from London , where she is currently working. She came home for her brother’s wedding, so all my activities took a back seat. She’ll be returning in December for Christmas with the family. It’s always a great pleasure to spend time with her.

The Inaugural Neurum Creek Acoustic Music Festival:

What a great festival this turned out to be! Many of the best of South-East Queensland folk talent came together in the time-honoured tradition of participating simply for the joy of the performance, whether on stage or behind the scenes. The line-up was spectacular, with artistes of the calibre of Fine Cotton, Pirate Brides, Mark Cryle, Lonnie Martin, Andrea Baldwin, Rachel Whitney, Rose Jacob, Rebecca Wright, Mary Brettell and many more.

The festival was held from the 15th to 17th of September. Most attendees camped at the Neurum Creek Bush Reserve, itself a little slice of Paradise beautifully positioned in a mountain valley outside Woodford with every view a photo-opportunity. Some less hardy chose Woodford Motels, only a 15-minute picturesque drive away. Mary and I ‘roughed it’ at the delightful Storey Brook Cottage at Woodford – and we highly recommend this B & B.

The weather was mostly showery with heavy cloud banks, which only enhanced the beautiful valley and mountain views and gave everyone a greater sense of togetherness with many hugs and cuddling close for warmth. In these days of continuing drought it’s lovely to see any rain for any length of time, so no one was complaining.

The festival was well- organised, well-sited, well-run and inexpensive and took the form of a wondrous on-going concert of gifted performers giving their best for the muse in a large marquee with the bar at one end and stage at the other. All performers were allocated a 40 minute set and mine was on the Saturday afternoon. Audience sat on the grass or brought folding chairs. Some workshops were also offered on guitar (finger picking and tune-playing) and voice. The tipple voted the ‘best of the fest’ was Angela Kitzelman’s mulled wine – absolutely delicious and essential to keep out the sharp cold wind.

The Neurum Creek Acoustic Music Festival will be held again next year, so don’t miss it. I certainly won’t!

The Stan Arthur Memorial Concert:

It’s that time of year again. The third Stan Arthur Memorial Concert will be held on the 14 th October at the East Brisbane Bowls Club with another excellent line-up of performers. Last year the committee allocated the funds from the 2005 concert to Brisbane folk singer Ian Dearden to partially fund his project to re-release the recordings of the late Tony Miles. Those of us performing the special 40 minute Tony Miles set are looking forward to reprising part of the National Folk Festival’s Tony Miles Tribute Concert to promote Ian’s project. (Anne’s Diary April - June 2006)

What’s Next?

As mentioned in the April – June Diary, The Woodford Folk Festival will host a tribute concert to one of Australia ’s ‘lost treasures’ of the folk world, June Nichols. Mary Brettell is organising and presenting the concert and I’ll be singing Bahama Mama, my song for June, and possibly another of June’s songs.

My performance schedule is keeping me busy at present (See Performances). I still regularly appear at Folk-Redlands, which operates on the 1 st and 3 rd Sundays of the month at the Redlands Indigiscapes Centre in Capalaba. Entry is free and there are blackboard as well as featured artists. I was the guest artist with an hour’s set on September 3 rd. The Centre is in a bush reserve with abundant wildlife and forest walks and has an excellent café. I’m also continuing to appear whenever I can at ABOFOTS in Maleny on the first Saturday of the month and at the Kookaburra Café in Paddington, Brisbane , each Wednesday night.

As the year draws to a close, I trust your life is fulfilling and creative. I recently read a delightful quote:

You might not have chosen to come to the party

but you may as well dance now you’re here.

Warm good wishes,

 

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October – December 2006

Hello, and welcome to Anne’s Diary. I’ve had a busy and creative year – but with its share of sorrow at the loss of some good friends passing. Numerologically, 2007 will be a 3 year for me so many more good things are on my horizon, I’m sure. They say, if you don’t enjoy a 3 year you’re very hard to please, because this is the year in which you can really go for your important goals or dreams and succeed.

The Stan Arthur Memorial Concert: The third memorial concert for Queensland folk icon Stan Arthur was held on October 14 and was an outstanding event. The Wayfarers, Stan’s old group, opened proceedings, followed by Lonnie Martin, Bubble and Squeak and the 2005 award recipient Ian Dearden (and friends) with a special 45 minute set of songs of the late Tony Miles. The incomparable Pirate Brides closed the evening in style. Everyone present voted it a superb concert.

Sadly, in spite of the quality of the performers, it was not well supported and the funds raised were insufficient to enable us to call for applications this year. Given the increasingly low level of public interest in these concerts and the lack of applicants for funding, the committee made the decision to discontinue the award and disband. Our last official act was to elect to give the 2006 award to Keith Urquhart and Angela Kitzelman towards running the 2nd Neurum Creek Acoustic Music Festival in 2007.

Crow Minder: My second book set in Brisbane ’s convict era under Captain Logan continues to grow slowly, amid numerous interruptions. I hope to make time after the New Year to complete this story.

End of Year Events: The year’s end is fast approaching and the folk clubs are preparing to close for their Christmas/New Year breaks. December 3 saw Folk-Redlands’ final gathering for 2006 – and what a gathering it was! Performances were scheduled from 11am – 6pm and the club ran a BBQ breakfast and lunch to raise funds. The event was held outdoors in the lovely bush setting of the Redlands Indigiscapes Centre and people set out chairs and rugs on the grass under the tall eucalypts or settled on the centre’s verandah (in the dress circle) to enjoy a wonderful variety of acts. In the afternoon a forecast thunderstorm threatened, causing some anxious thought and setting up of chairs and speakers in the club’s usual room – just in case. It started to spit just as I finished my final song at 5pm and the final acts were moved indoors. I ran into the deluge on the way home and had a heart-stopping drive along the freeway in the worst of the storm but made it home safely.

ABOFOTS at Maleny held its last session for the year on December 2 and the Kookaburra Folk Club will be closed on December 27 and January 3, reopening on January 10.

Woodford: This year the Singing Shed has been discontinued in its usual venue and will no longer be running throughout the festival. The new Duck and Shovel, which will be run as a folk club venue, has allocated an outdoor space for Singing Shed style sessions from 4pm - 6pm daily. I will be hosting a couple of sessions there. These will be:

Wednesday December 27 from 4 – 5pm – Australian Songs (Old and New)

Friday December 29 from 5 – 6pm – Gospel Songs

The Duck and Shovel will be run by Keith Urquhart and Angela Kitzelman who made such a success of the Neurum Creek Acoustic Music Festival in September and the June Nichols Memorial Concert will be held at this venue on Wednesday December 27 from 8 – 10pm so we can celebrate June’s life in song and dance. See Performances.

However you celebrate Christmas/Solstice/New Year, I wish you a wonderful festive season, safe celebrations and happy holidays. Perhaps I’ll see you at Woodford.

Enjoy your time with your family and friends and may 2007 bring you great success and happiness in the perfect way for you.

Warm good wishes,

 

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January - March 2007

Hello, and welcome to Anne’s Diary.

Woodford: As usual I started the year at Woodford.Miraculously, we had cooler weather and even rain,which made the days very much more bearable than in previous years. This year I only spent three days at the festival but had a wonderful time and was greatly inspired and refreshed by the experience.

Although the old Singing Shed has been discontinued, the new Duck and Shovel, which was run as a folk club venue, allocated space in the adjoining bar for Singing Shed style sessions from 4pm - 6pm daily and they were mostly well attended.

The Duck and Shovel proved to be an excellent and well run venue. It was a valuable meeting place and drop-in centre for South-East Queensland folkies, with the added advantage of being centrally sited on the way to everywhere and always with good performances happening. Its proximity to the lake and Village Green area was a plus. The food and wine were good and it was lovely to keep running into all the local folkies. I felt very comfortable there and hope the Woodford organisers appreciated its worth to the festival and allow it to continue.

I personally enjoyed my sessions of Australian and Gospel songs and the participants also seemed to have had a good time. There were some problems caused by not having a defined ‘sessions’ area - the bar’s benches and tables weren’t conducive to sitting around and joining in and there was considerable sound spill from the Duck itself, the Concert Marquee and other performers choosing the bar area to practise/jam. However, the Duck and Shovel team are aware of these and other ‘glitches’ and will endeavour to fix them next time.  

The June Nichols Memorial Concert, admirably organised by Mary Brettell and also held at the Duck and Shovel, featured many of June’s friends and highlighted the varied aspects of her many years of involvement with the Brisbane folk scene, from performing to writing wonderful tunes for concertina to Morris dancing. Teams of Morris dancers performed exuberantly in front of the stage, at one point showering the front row of the audience with splinters from broken sticks (we Morris hard in Queensland .) There was much joy and not a few tears shed on stage and in the packed audience as we celebrated June’s life in song and dance.The first three months of 2007 have seen me performing more and writing less. I’ve revised some earlier manuscripts which are being sent out to publishers, and have begun occasionally to attend the Saturday singing sessions at the Muddy Farmer, an Irish pub in Annerley, Brisbane. So far this year I’ve missed going to ABOFOTS, the Maleny folk club, but have performed weekly at the Kookaburra Folk Club and monthly at Folk-Redlands. My up-coming performances page now lists my performance dates and venues.

The Brisbane Folk History Project: various Brisbane folkies have become involved in a visionary project instigated by Michael Tully who realised that much of our rich folk music culture in Brisbane , arguably the most vibrant folk music scene of all the major cities in Australia , was becoming lost through the lack of any structured preservation. Michael recognised the outstanding the depth of talent among local musicians, singers and organisers and yet folk music and folk culture is little known in the mainstream.

Michael wrote: ‘The stories in song and verse handed down through the many songwriters in our folk music family are of historical importance not just to us but also to the wider community. With this in mind I want to set in motion this project with the aims of recording the history of the Brisbane folk music scene and promoting the work of the many and varied folk artists who are performing in and around Brisbane today.

I envisage the project will take three forms which will be integrated as a package.

1: A DVD documentary recording the Brisbane Folk Music scene, past and present.

2: A compilation CD of Brisbane folk music artists, past and present.

3: A companion book documenting the history of the above.’

With this aim in mind he sent out a call for others to become involved and a guiding committee was formed with sub-committees to handle the various tasks. We are presently collecting memorabilia and anecdotes, as well as other material which documents our folk history from the beginning to the current day.

Funds were raised through a revolutionary concert on January 20th which occupied the entire East Brisbane Bowls Club and featured back to back performances on two stages, one in the bar and one in the regular performance hall. It was an outstanding and visionary project and ran extremely smoothly, with the audience alternating between the performance areas and sharing many memories. We’ve come a long way together since the opening of the Folk Centre in Ann Street in the 1960s.

This is an on-going project which will take years to complete – but it has made a spectacular beginning and I’m delighted to be involved.

What’s Next? On Thursday 5th April I’ll be flying down to the National Folk Festival in Canberra over Easter and am looking forward to five days of music, wondrous food from around the world, spectacular autumn colours and delicious hot chocolate on those cold Canberra nights. Perhaps I’ll see you there. I hope your year is progressing creatively and that you are enjoying the changing seasons, wherever you are in the world.

Warm good wishes,

 

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April - June 2007

Welcome once again to Anne's Diary.

Mary Brettell CD: In late March I was delighted to hear that my ‘whizzy-computer’ web master Mary Brettell was about to record her debut CD – and about time, too. Mary is an outstanding performer with an enviable repertoire of songs which cross many different styles and genres from traditional and ‘folk’ contemporary through country and bluegrass to raunchy 1920’s classics. Her performances are always a joy to hear. I was especially pleased when she asked me to sing some backing vocals and I spent an enjoyable day with her in the studio before leaving for the National Folk Festival in Canberra two days later. Mary’s CD is titled Mary B and is a comprehensive and delightful musical portrait of Mary, containing a popular selection of the songs she sings so well, from the traditional Australian Convict Maid to Emmy Lou Harris’s Boulder to Birmingham. The finished recording is stylish, sensitive, uncluttered and professional and her version of Dancing at Whitsun, backed by Helen Rowe’s lovely viola, brought tears to my eyes.

In May, Mary and her new CDs left for the UK for 6 weeks where she was booked to sing at the inaugural Clennell Hall Folk Festival at the Clennell Hall Hotel, Alwinton, in the beautiful Northumberland National Park. Imagine fields of crimson poppies and daffodils blooming in shaded woodlands. I’ve seen her pics – lovely!

Mary Singing at Clennell Hall	Clennell Hall - pic by Dave Forshaw	'A Field of Red Poppies'

MaryB is available from Mary Brettell at Mary's Website and I highly recommend it.

2007 National Folk Festival: After freezing at the National in Canberra last year, this year’s Easter weather was unseasonably warm with crisp, cool nights and the days almost summery – very pleasant for sitting outdoors between concerts and enjoying the wondrous range of festival food. Canberra has joined the rapidly growing list of Australian cities and towns on ever-increasing water restrictions due to the prolonged drought and signs in the various toilet and shower blocks reminded visitors to use the water sparingly.

I joined the team for Roger Holmes’ Sunday Hymn session and led three old favourites. As always, many rousing choruses were enjoyed by all present. I also sang some ballads in Jenny Fitzgibbons’ Big Ballads session – a great pleasure. The final song was the undisputed highlight of the evening with Jenny co-opting several of the ballad singers into the definitive version of Willie’s Lady, arbitrarily allocating them the rôles of King Willie, King Willie’s evil witch mother and even the horse, while she played Willie’s lady with a jumper stuffed up her shirt for the unborn babe. By the end the audience was in hysterics, the cast triumphant if exhausted, the jumper safely born and all wrongs righted, with King Willie, his lady and his son left to live happily ever after.

Kookaburra Folk Club: In May we decided on a new venture for the Kookaburra Folk Club. Previously we have operated on a strictly ‘chalkboard’ style venue with all comers welcome and most certain of securing a set on a ‘just turn up’ basis. As we are unable to pay performers (we don’t charge an entry fee) we have always been pleased to welcome any professional soloists and groups who wanted to come along and join us for a set. Recently, given the wealth of wondrous talent in South East Queensland and so many artists on tour from the southern states, we made the decision to ask special guests to perform on the last Wednesday of the month. While we are unable to offer payment, they can sell CDs and promote their other appearances and be assured of a warm welcome in an intimate setting from an audience which not only listens attentively but also joins in choruses with the minimum of encouragement. I took on the pleasant task of contacting performers and had to quickly alter our plans from one night a month to several, with the possibility of more than one special act on the same night, as other touring performers at a loose end on Wednesday nights have come to our attention.

June 20 was our first ‘special’ night with two invited acts, Stockade, recently returned to Brisbane from New South Wales and Tom Bolton, a singer/songwriter on tour from Melbourne. Although we were having our coldest June day for 80 years with freezing westerlies gusting at 60k per hour, it was an excellent night with a good turn-up and we look forward to many more.

The Kookaburra Folk Club does not have its own web site, but information can be obtained by going to www.folkrag.org where we have a monthly ad for the club with details of the guest nights.

2007 Redlands Folk Festival: The year continues to involve me in singing – see up-coming performances. I was invited to perform at the second Redlands Folk Festival, run by the Folk Redlands team, which was held in conjunction with Environment Day and the Indigi Day Out at the Indigiscapes Centre at Capalaba, Brisbane. It was held over the first weekend in June and opened with a bush dance on Friday night followed by two days of excellent performances on two stages, street entertainment, and many environmental stalls covering themes from plant propagation and worm farming to bush care, bats, butterflies and – of course – koalas, the Centre being in the middle of koala country. Good food was available from the Centre’s own café, the Folk Redlands hamburger stall, a Hungarian langos booth and a coffee van.

I was booked to perform on Saturday afternoon but found myself going on as the opening act as well, the booked artist having come down with a shocking case of laryngitis; she could hardly speak, let alone sing. So I presented two sets then returned on Sunday as audience to enjoy the many top-quality performances. Altogether it was a thoroughly enjoyable weekend - all that and payment too! I am angling to be invited next year.

Below are pictures of one of my performances at the Festival, also with Stockade, who joined me on my last song and the Wayfarers, the resident group at the Kookaburra Folk Club.

	Anne and 'Stockade' at Redlands Folk Festival 2007
Anne singing at Redlands Folk Festival 2007	The Wayfarers at Redlands Folk Festival 2007
Photos by Denis Roche

What’s Next? I’m looking forward to the second Neurum Creek Acoustic Music Festival in September and have been invited to sing at the August Folkies Old and New concert (these quarterly concerts are a Brisbane tradition which raise money to produce The Folk Rag) also at The Madass, Brisbane’s Thursday night venue held at The Muddy farmer Hotel in Annerley, Brisbane -see up-coming performances. I’ve also had a publisher show interest in Striped Jacket, so am waiting to see what the result will be there.

May you enjoy this season, which is proving to be a blessing to many parts of Australia by bringing good winter rain, and I hope all your plans for the year are on track and providing you with every enjoyment.

Warm good wishes,

 

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July – September 2007

Hello, and welcome to Anne’s Diary.

Folk in South East Queensland: At recent performances I’ve been approached by people who have told me they enjoy reading this page as it keeps them in touch with what’s happening in the folk world. If you are interested in any folk activities in South East Queensland, you can visit www.folkrag.org for monthly updates for all the clubs, festivals and sessions. It’s a great way to keep in touch.

MP3 Affirmations: I mentioned in the April – June 2005 diary that Mercury Learning Systems LLC, who distribute my affirmations CDs on-line from America, were looking at the possibilities of converting the songs to MP3 format and offering them for individual downloading. This has taken a while to organize but they are now in the process of reconfiguring their web site to facilitate the necessary changes. I’ll let you know when it’s up and running.

Crow Minder: I’ve been busy performing and doing no writing at all, except for new songs. I’m very aware that I have an unfinished manuscript to complete and am looking forward to getting back to Brisbane’s convict past with Crow Minder, probably when the folk scene takes a break over Christmas and the New Year.

Performances: As well as my usual performances at The Kookaburra Café, The Upfront Café (ABOFOTS) in Maleny and Folk Redlands, I also sang on August 18^th at the Folkies Old and New Concert at the East Brisbane Bowls Club, a regular folk venue. For something a little different, I put together some of my favourite songs from the 1960s/70s and asked friends Mary Brettell, Mark Davidson and Rose Broe (from the amazing Pirate Brides) to join me in my set. I called my impromptu group Senior Moments and we took the audience by surprise when, after a couple of solo songs, I called the group on stage. We had a great time playing together and ended the set in fine rocking style with Sweet Little Vera (Buffy Sainte Marie) and When My Room Gets Dark again. On August 30^th I performed in a special evening for mainly traditional singers at the Madass Folk Club which is held on Thursday nights at The Muddy Farmer Hotel in Annerley. Although I had to leave early to tend my cat Pebbles, who had undergone an operation to remove a lump from her eyelid, there was some really outstanding singing and I was very happy to join Mary Brettell in her set to help out with choruses.

2007 Redlands Spring Festival: I was invited to perform in the Redlands Spring Festival on the 8^th September. Formerly the Redlands Strawberry Festival, it was held at the Cleveland Show Grounds and was quite a large event with a number of stalls and information stands, entertainment marquees and a Side-Show Alley. It had rained the previous night and the ground was very boggy, compounded by the many festival visitors churning up the mud, so we didn’t spend a lot of time outside the folk tent. I can’t resist fairy floss so I bought a bag – and a waffle and cream. Mary Brettell went with me and joined in my set for a couple of songs. The folk venue, run by the Folk Redlands team, was set up in a marquee next to Side-Show Alley which made for some interesting challenges as we had to contend with the rhythmic and quite loud thump-thump-thump from one of the rides and occasionally a spruiker with a megaphone outside. Chris and Chuck Euston (Stockade) were rostered on the sound desk so, as at the June Redlands Folk Festival, I finished my set with the lovely old American hymn Only Remembered and got Chris and Chuck and Mary up to sing the chorus with me. There were outstanding performances from all the folkies. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day and hopefully Folk Redlands will continue to be involved with this festival as many people were interested in our music.

Anne Sings at Redlands		Anne and Mary B		Anne and Mary B with Stockade

Vale Pebbles: Sadly, at the end of August, the lump taken from Pebbles’ eyelid was diagnosed as an anaplastic carcinoma (tumour) and the cancer had got away into her lymph glands and lungs. She became increasingly disinterested in food and was clearly having difficulty with swallowing; so, rather than leave her to suffer any longer, my mother and I made the distressing decision to let her go. Her vet came to the house on the morning of Friday 14^th September and released her in the most gentle and caring fashion so that she didn’t suffer or feel anything. She died in my lap and we buried her in the garden with the rest of our former well-loved cat companions. Pebbles was possibly the most interesting cat we have lived with; she had spent the first two years of her life being abused by her owners until she was rescued and came to us. She was initially a very angry, disturbed and wild girl, but eventually grew into a gentle, playful and talkative cat, although she was always timid, and she enjoyed another fourteen years of loving care with us. For those who know my song July Afternoon from my Seasons CD, Pebbles is the cat who stalked out of the room when I played my guitar. She hated the sound of the guitar and wouldn’t stay in the room with me when I practised.

Neurum Creek Acoustic Music Festival: The second Neurum Creek Festival was held from Friday 14^th – Sunday 16^th September at the Neurum Creek Bush Reserve’s idyllic camping grounds. Most of the performers and audience camped but Mary Brettell and I booked our motel room again at the Storey Brook Cottage in Woodford (our idea of luxury camping) and prepared to enjoy a weekend of continuous folk music from some of the best performers in South East Queensland. I drove up on the Friday afternoon after burying Pebbles, so for me the weekend was overshadowed with grief.

My performance was the first on Saturday morning, and I revived Senior Moments for the last two songs as Mary, Mark and Rose were all performing at the festival so it seemed a pity to waste good rehearsal time. I also acted as MC on Saturday evening. For Neurum Creek Festival photos, visit www.brettell.info/nc07/.

Twice as many people attended this year and although the organisers did not receive the grant for which they’d applied, they made enough money to pay the performers and seed next year’s festival, which was a great result. The weather was gorgeous; sunny and mild (children and adults alike enjoyed paddling in the creek) and the Villeneuve Fire Brigade provided breakfasts, lunches, dinners and tea and coffee all weekend. If you would like to receive information about this excellent event just a short drive from Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast , visit www.neurumcreekfestival.org or email Angela Kitzelman at neurumcreekfestival@hotmail.com.

What’s Next?

Woodford: I’m not sure if I will be involved with this year’s Woodford Folk Festival (fast approaching) but if I do my appearances will be posted on up-coming performances. Hopefully this will be settled before I write the Diary’s next entry.

Striped Jacket : No news yet on the publishing front with Striped Jacket. This is always a slow process as it involves many decisions by editors and publishers when deciding on their lists.

New CD: I am presently putting together songs for a new folk CD and hope to be in the studio within the next few months. No title as yet, but I’ll keep you posted.

May you enjoy the last quarter of the year as you prepare for the coming summer and Christmas/New Year season.

Warm good wishes,

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October – December 2007

Hello, and welcome to the last Diary for 2007.

Where has the year gone? It certainly seems to have zipped past – is it just me, or does it really gain more speed every year?

As usual, I’ve had my hands full writing, performing and booking and promoting special guest artists for the Kookaburra Folk Club. All greatly enjoyable activities.

Crow Minder: I’m now fully back into this writing project and the manuscript is growing. It’s a great pleasure for me to be spending time back in 1826 with Captain Logan and his family and all the characters, real and imaginary, who walk with me through the pages of the manuscript telling me their stories. Mystery writer Lawrence Block once said, ‘Anyone who spends the major part of the working day in the company of people who do not really exist, and who are in fact the product of his or her own imagination … is apt to be a little weird.’ My friends believe this explains a lot.

Performances: Folk Redlands ended the year with its ‘Christmas Bash’ on December 16 which was fully chalkboard, no invited guest performers, and started an hour earlier at 1pm to accommodate all the acts. The club held a sausage sizzle and it was an excellent afternoon’s entertainment. The Kookaburra Club closed with a special Christmas themed night on December 19 with most performers singing Christmas/seasonal songs and carols. I provided a Christmas cake and Wayfarer John Lewis, known for his pirate songs, appeared as Pirate Santa Claus, handed around the cake and sang some wonderful traditional pirate carols (which he’d written earlier in the week). We had a rush of performers for the last night of the year - a wonderful evening and great fun. All the folk clubs around Brisbane are now in recess for two or three weeks while people are away for summer holidays and Woodford takes place. The Kookaburra Club reopens on Jan 9th with myself and Mary Brettell performing as a duo for the special guest spot.

Woodford: For those of you unfamiliar with the folk scene, The Woodford Folk Festival is a major folk/world music/environment/film festival which takes place north of Brisbane in the Sunshine Coast hinterland from December 27 to January 1 each year. Many of our folk performers/devotees head there for a week of camping, sessioning, performing, etc. I’ve been taking part for the last few years performing and hosting sessions in the Singing Shed but I decided not to attend this year – which might be a very good call as, amazingly, our long and vicious drought seems to be finally breaking and a wet Christmas is predicted. Woodford does get very boggy in the wet – they could hold mud-wrestling there – and a common and tragic sight is the number of single thongs cruelly abandoned in the mire (gum boots are far more practical.) Also, while most are at Woodford, we in Brisbane are looking forward to a visit from Steve Turner, English concertina player and fine singer of mainly traditional songs, who is travelling with his wife Liz. We hope to have a small session of traditional music and songs with Steve but he probably won’t be able to appear at the Kookaburra in January, although I had hoped that might fit in with his schedule.

Old Friends Revisited: I recently had the great pleasure to link up with an old friend Andrea Weymouth. Andrea (then Andrea Calder) and I were two of a group of folkies who shared a house in Carlton, Melbourne in 1970/71. We performed together at various folk clubs and concerts and it was Andrea who helped me choose the guitar I still use today. She had access to an instrument warehouse and I can still picture her sitting on the floor, surrounded by the guitars she’d selected, playing them until she found one she thought had the best sound. She handed it to me saying, ‘This will play in really well.’ It did and still has a beautiful sound.

Andrea was a New Zealander and when New Zealand folk icon Phil Garland performed at the Kookaburra Folk Club in September, we got to chatting about old times and I mentioned Andrea and our friendship and wondered where she was now. Another friend said she could easily make enquiries on a special Web site – she knows I’m a complete Luddite - and Andrea contacted me soon after the message had gone out. She had married and, I was surprised to hear, had been living in Brisbane (at Redland Bay) for many years. We finally met for lunch at the Folk Redlands ‘Christmas Bash’ and I reacquainted her with my guitar and sang one of the songs she taught me.

New Friends Discovered: After the sad death in September of our beautiful cat Pebbles, we have given a home to another needy feline – a pretty, chunky dark brindle tortoiseshell female we call TP (for Tortoiseshell Puss). TP was dumped with a litter of kittens when she was only 8 months old, then rescued and taken to a shelter, then given a home with a woman who gave her back after only a week, then fostered with a friend of mine from Best Friends Rescue. In spite of, or possibly because of, being abandoned twice and pushed from pillar to post (having five homes in less than two years) TP is extremely affectionate and craves human company.

If you go to Woodford, don’t forget your Wellies and have a wonderful time. However you celebrate Christmas/Solstice/New Year, may you enjoy every moment and celebrate safely with your family and friends.

Merry Christmas – and may 2008 bring you every joy and all the good you could wish for.

Warm good wishes,

 

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January – March 2008

Hello!

It’s probably a little late to be wishing you a Happy New Year – so I’ll just wish you on-going happiness and success for 2008.

South-East Queensland welcomed the New Year with much-needed rain and, although the city dams are still below 40% capacity, outside the vegetation is wonderfully green and burgeoning. Lawnmowers can once again be heard at weekends and the sweet smell of freshly cut grass hangs in the air – a familiar and much-missed perfume. Of course, with the warm wet weather houses are also turning green – with mould. You tend to forget that there can be a downside to the wet.

The Kookaburra Folk Club reopened on January 9 with Mary Brettell and me as the special guest duo. English concertina player Steve Turner also performed a short set. He and his wife, on a travelling holiday, had been rain-bound in the south-east as most of the coastal towns, north and south, were flooded. Steve’s set was excellent and I hope he’ll be able to spare us more time during his next visit.

Performances: If you are interested in any of my future performances, click Performances.

MP3 Affirmations: As mentioned in the July – September 2007 Diary, Brad and Maria Davis of Mercury Learning Systems LLC, who distribute my affirmations CDs on-line from America, are in the process of converting my songs of affirmation for children and adults to MP3 format and offering them for individual downloading. They are almost up and running and very soon you will be able to purchase and download single songs from Special As I Can Be, Love is a Circle and Sing Your Way to Health, Wealth & Happiness. All the information will be on Anne’s Music as soon as they’re ready.

National Folk Festival: I’ve just returned from the 42nd National Folk Festival - hard to believe it’s been going for so long – which is held annually in Canberra over the Easter long weekend. As usual, it was five days of outstanding concerts, workshops, sessions, chalkboards, poetry and dancing. There were several very high quality a capella groups who sang parodies and songs of political satire so there was a lot of humour on offer, as well as an exceptional tribute concert of pure nostalgia on the Sunday night featuring performers who were on the 1970 Festival programme or involved in the early New South Wales folk scene (1969/70). I enjoyed hearing many of my favourite songs again and had a wonderful three hours singing choruses and remembering past times. As usually, I led a couple of gospel songs/hymns at the Sunday morning Hymn Singing Session – always a treat for the wonderful harmonies that evolve in the group.

Canberra was very dry and dusty; from the air the surrounding country was mostly brown and dams on individual farms looked low. By the festival’s end many performers were struggling with sore throats from the constant fine white dust and anyone affected with allergies suffered from constantly watering eyes and dripping noses. It began to rain on the last night (Monday) and poured steadily all the next day. We picked our way through a small flood of water coursing through the motel grounds to get to our taxi – the ground is still so rock hard that the water can’t soak in.

What’s Next?

3rd Folk-Redlands Festival: Once again Folk-Redlands will be holding its June weekend festival and Indigi Day Out. The date this year is 7-8^th June. I’ll be performing on Saturday June 7 at 12 noon in the Café. I thoroughly enjoyed last year’s event and look forward to another weekend of great singing. For updated details as they come to hand click Performances.

Crow Minder: The manuscript continues to grow despite interruptions caused by practices, performances and festival attendances. By now my characters are used to being put on hold for extended periods of time and seem perfectly willing to pause in their tale until I’m free to listen, at which time they continue with their fictional lives for my critical inspection.

I hope your year is also progressing with much success, happiness and creative fulfilment.

Warm good wishes,

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April - June 2008

Hello and welcome to another diary.

It’s hard to believe that the year is half over. I know ‘where has the year gone?’ is a much-abused question – but ... where has the year gone?

South-East Queensland is now in the grip of its usual winter; clear skies, frosty mornings and biting westerlies – but the sun is warm if you can escape the wind. Although the promised ‘greater than average’ winter rain did not fulfil all the weather bureau’s hopes, we did have some good falls and more is predicted for summer.

I’m a little late with the diary this quarter. Like many of the Brisbane folk family, I was struck down with a particularly virulent form of bronchitis which is playing havoc with all our performances and making for meagre attendance at folk clubs. However, I am now back to singing, so if you are interested in any of my future performances, click Performances.

MP3 Affirmations now available: Brad and Maria Davis from Mercury Learning Systems LLC, who distribute my affirmations CDs on-line from America, are now set up to offer my songs of affirmation for children and adults in MP3 format. Individual songs from Special As I Can Be, Love is a Circle and Sing Your Way to Health, Wealth & Happiness can now be downloaded. Go to AcceleratedLearningMethods.com and click on ‘Treasure’ at the top to see my CDs. This information is also on Anne’s Music .

3rd Folk Redlands Festival: Held on the 7^th & 8^th June, this was another thoroughly enjoyable weekend festival. The performance stages were set up in the café and the garden and both attracted good audiences with the folk aficionados numbers swelled by day visitors to the Indigiscapes Centre and those attending the Indigi Day Out, which focuses on the environment with excellent information available from the profusion of interesting displays and stalls, on a range of environmental subjects from fire ants and bats to native flora. I performed on the Saturday then left early to catch my lift to Maleny for the ABOFOTS Folk Club in the Up Front Café. I returned to the festival the following day which rounded off a very good weekend of excellent folk singing.

Vale Bob Stewart: On Wednesday June 11the Brisbane folk family lost another multi-talented, well-loved and respected member – Bob Stewart. Bob was one of the original Wayfarers, a Brisbane folk institution, and often sat in with my sets, accompanying me on harmonica and penny whistle, which he played marvellously. In his last years Bob suffered from Parkinson’s disease and dementia was unable to continue playing and singing.

Bob’s life was celebrated in a lovely service (which he planned) followed by a great singing session and wake. I was touched to learn from his ex-wife Grace that Bob had requested that I sing at his funeral. I sang the traditional song Singing Bird which he always loved and gave a short talk on behalf of the folk community, which is reproduced below:

Anne Infante remembers Bob Stewart

Like many folkies, I first met Bob when I discovered the Folk Centre and the Wayfarers in the early 60s. All the Wayfarers performed solo sets as well – but where Bob came into his own was with his harmonicas and penny whistles. He was just superb!

Later, Bob began to sit in now and then with my sets, particularly when I played blues or calypso. I was always delighted to have his backing – he made me sound so good. One of my favourite songs with Bob was The Rose – he played a lovely mouth organ break in that and I’ve hardly sung it at all since he stopped playing. It’s just not the same without him. In calypsos, his whistles soared and danced and counterpointed the melodies – I think he had one for every key. I just had to say ‘It’s in C or D’ or any other, and he’d pick out a whistle or harmonica and away he’d go – no practise, sometimes no warning! I’d be singing something that I’d think would sound great with Bob and I’d turn to him, ask if he wanted to hop in, give him the key and know he’d ‘wing it’ brilliantly. I enjoyed hearing him play so much that I often got him to repeat the break - just for the pleasure of it.

One night Bob proved he also had a wicked sense of humour. In the Folk Centre days we all took ourselves pretty seriously – it was the time of the Vietnam War and protest marches and Bob Dylan’s protest songs like ‘The Times They Are A-Changing’ and ‘The Hour That The Ship Comes In.’ Bob amazed and startled us by getting up for his set with his guitar and harmonica holder – into which he’d inserted half a ham sandwich - at least I think it was ham – ham would certainly have been right! He then launched into a parody of a Dylan song in that angry early-Dylan style and when the harmonica break came at the end of each verse, he took savage bites out of the sandwich, reducing us to tears of laughter. It was just so unexpected and funny – except possibly not for the dyed-in-the-wool-Dylan fans – but the rest of us loved it and still occasionally remind each other of that wonderful moment.

When Bob’s hands began to shake too much to play whistle, he still played great harmonica – the Wayfarers had moved by then to the Kookaburra Cafe in Paddington and Bob could still play up a storm when he sat in with me – and I was always proud to play with such a talented musician. Eventually, though, he couldn’t manage anymore and stopped coming.

Grace brought Bob down to the Kookaburra again one night when I happened to be MC. I finished the night by getting all the singers up for a ‘jam session’ in which Bob joined. He led a couple of the old songs and joined in the choruses and I know he enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed having him for what turned out to be his last evening with us.

Wherever Bob is now, I’ll bet there’s great music and he’s sitting in with his whistles and harmonicas - just having a wonderful time.

Thank you, Bob.

Senior Moments : My impromptu, tongue-in-cheek group Senior Moments continues its life; as well as Mary Brettell, Mark Davidson and Rose Broe we have now been joined by the talented flautist Robin Etter-Cleave (who played flute and whistle on my children’s CD Love is a Circle.) Robin has now recorded her own very beautiful CD Notes From Squire Street in Alto and C flutes. Lovely folk tracks arranged by Robin for flute and available from her at www.altoflute.com.au. Senior Moments was booked to perform on July 10th at the Mad Ass Folk Club which is held on Thursday nights in the Muddy Farmer Hotel at Annerley. Although Mary and I are both still recovering from the ‘dreaded lurgy’ we managed one rehearsal beforehand and our performance was enthusiastically received.

Crow Minder: I’m pleased to say that the first draft of this sequel to Kate Campbell’s convict adventures is fast drawing to a close. Of course, after the first draft comes many more revisions, readings, edits, more drafts; an author’s life is one of repetition. However, the initial story is nearly complete in spite of the many interruptions it has endured.

What’s Next?

As usual, many more folk club performances - I am booked in August for a solo set at the Mad Ass on August 28^th (see Performances) at one of their regular Singer/Songwriter evenings. I’m also putting together my application to perform at the National Folk Festival in Canberra next Easter. I am still booking ‘special’ acts for the Kookaburra Folk Club and writing the club’s Folk Rag articles, so I’m busy and creative as usual.

May your year continue with much satisfying creativity and success.

Warm good wishes,

 

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July - September 2008

Hello and welcome to Anne’s Diary.

Spring has arrived in South-East Queensland with its predicted and much needed increase in rainfall. The grass is leaping up in suburban lawns and we have returned to an almost forgotten yet familiar weekend occurrence – the sound of lawnmowers accompanied by the delicious sweet smell of cut grass.

Senior Moments: After our set at the Mad Ass on July 10^th Senior Moments lost two of its members. The lovely Rose Broe, who already performs with Pirate Brides, found commitment to two groups, a young family and full-time work just too stressful and our wonderful flautist, Robin Etter-Cleave, presently travelling overseas, is in the same situation, being a member of the Irish music band Silken Thomas and a full-time teacher. So at present Senior Moments consists of Mary Brettell, Mark Davidson and myself.

Neurum Creek Acoustic Music Festival: It looks as if this excellent festival is now definitely fixed as an annual event. This third year saw the beautiful Neurum Creek Bush Reserve campsite fully booked out from the 12^th – 14^th September for another unofficial long weekend of singing and sessions. Once again Mary Brettell and I stayed at our favourite B&B, Storey Book Cottage, and this, too, was fully booked with friends from the Kookaburra Folk Club. We enjoyed introducing them to this lovely guest house with its herb garden, fascinating knick-knacks and excellent menu.

One of the delights of this fledgling festival is the single concert venue which makes for a relaxed, lazy weekend without the necessity to race from one venue to another grabbing a hasty meal along the way so as not to miss a particular act. Neurum Creek might be small (one marquee, a session shed and a workshop arena); it might be short (from Friday night to Sunday afternoon); but there’s nothing at all undersized about this best of festivals.

The brain child of Angela Kitzelman and Keith Urquhart, this predominantly camping festival proved yet again that Angie and Keith, ably assisted by Don Jarmey, Helena Bond and assorted willing others, have discovered the perfect formulae for creating a weekend experience which is relaxing, entertaining, sociable and just brimming with outstanding performances - the cream of South-East Queensland (and beyond) artists.

This year, as before, the acts were nicely combined in an on-going concert blending performers into a flowing, constantly varied turnaround of soloists, instrumentalists, duos, bands, Morris dancers, humour, sombreness, absurdity (and sometimes just plain insanity) to delight the large and highly appreciative audience which spilled out of the main marquee to sit under the massive ‘party tree’ and the large ‘sail’ at the sides. All performers were of the highest calibre; also outstanding were the volunteer MCs who kept the festival running perfectly to time. I was MC on the Saturday morning and, as always, very much enjoyed introducing a fabulously talented line-up. Sound was again handled by Ryk Rostron and helpers, who worked tirelessly and with infinite good humour throughout.

Workshops and sessions were held for those eager to learn to how play dazzling instrumental guitar, sing and harmonise, write songs or play Aussie tunes. Mary and I hosted a Sunday Gospel Session which was a runaway success with wondrous harmonies soaring out across the grounds, drawing even more folk to the session. I collected 50 gospel songs and printed out 17 booklets with the words for people who wanted to lead songs. We’ve been asked to hold another Gospel Session next year – and I’ve promised to print a lot more song books! The pics below show us having a great time before the start of the official Sunday concert. In case you’re wondering, the US flag was the backdrop for our American visitors, the fabulous Hydrangeas.

A big thank you to Pat Hall for the Gospel Session photos

This year also saw the beginnings of a craft market. I am a spinner and for many years I’ve taken great pleasure in this activity while my mother knits shawls, beanies and bags. I applied to run a wool stall and invited Rian Anderson, an expert knitter, to join me. Another spinner, Dale Jacobsen, joined us with her wheel and we ended up with a stall of quality home-spun and hand-knitted garments and knitting/spinning demonstrations, which encouraged other ‘crafty’ folk to join in a spinning, knitting and embroidery circle.

Free-wheeling Dale		Rian, Anne & Dale – a crafty trio!		Inside the wool stall		Anne spinning a yarn!

Thank you to Mary Brettell for the craft stall photos

The days were fine and warm, the nights crisp, clear and glowing with moonlight; all over the campground people dropped into each other’s tents to jam, socialise and catch up, creating a wonderful ‘buzz’ around the site.

I had a great weekend. Neurum Creek is growing in popularity and it will pay to book early for next year. If you weren’t there, but would like to be part of this outstanding festival, put yourself on the email list for 2009 so you don’t miss this wonderful experience. Go to www.neurumcreekfestival.com or email neurumcreekfestival@hotmail.com.

Crow Minder: Finally! The first draft is complete and has been put aside for a few weeks so I can tackle it with fresh vision. I am still seeking an agent to represent my work in Australia and overseas.

What’s Next?

Whiskey Gully Wines: Some Kookaburra Folk Club members are planning a trip to Stanthorpe, a town on The Granite Belt of South-East Queensland, for a reciprocal visit to the folk club held at the Whiskey Gully Vineyards. In August the Kookaburra Club hosted the Whiskey Gully group Jelly for a ‘special guest’ performance and a number of Whiskey Gully club members joined us making it a memorable night. We’ve promised to go ‘up the range’ to perform at their club. As it is considerably colder in Stanthorpe than in Brisbane, this won’t happen until the weather is hot enough for us to enjoy getting away from the heat. We plan to spend a couple of days exploring this beautiful area which is famous for its orchards and vineyards.

Senior Moments have been booked to appear at Folk Redlands in January. For this and my other performances, click on Performances.

May your life and all your endeavours reflect the new growth of spring, wherever you are in the world.

Warm good wishes,

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October - December 2008

Welcome to the last Anne’s Diary for the year – and this will also be the final edition of the diary. I’m replacing it with a new page titled Scrap Book which will have its first outing in the New Year.

MySpace: With the invaluable help of my webmaster Mary Brettell, I’ve lately ventured further into cyberspace with a page on MySpace. You can hear songs, see photos, meet my friends and link to my web site at http://www.myspace.com/anneinfante.

Broadband: I’ve also finally made the switch from Dial-Up to Broadband to speed up my access to the Internet and my email address has subsequently changed to anne.infante@bigpond.com. The old address will still be accessible until 2010 to allow people who have it on my CDs to contact me.

Disaster Area: No, it’s not a new folk group. You’ve probably seen that parts of South-East Queensland were recently hit with destructive storms and cyclonic winds. I live at The Gap, which bore the brunt of a hurricane-like storm on November 16 and was the first suburb to be designated as a disaster area. Luckily my home is in a fairly sheltered area and, apart from some branches snapping off and our long easement/driveway being scoured out by torrents of water, we had no major damage. Many parts of The Gap are still in a sorry state with debris still waiting to be cleared and many wonderful, massive old eucalypts and other trees uprooted or snapped in half, or twisted off and hurled about. It was interesting as well as disturbing to be living in a disaster zone; the event was likened to Cyclone Larry which devastated Innisfail in March 2006 and as well as the Army and the Brisbane City Council workers, we had a flood of willing volunteers from North Queensland, the Sunshine Coast and Northern New South Wales who laboured tirelessly day and night for over two weeks to clear the wreckage, repair homes and counsel those traumatised by the damage they suffered.

With the continuing rain and warm weather, it’s heartening how many of the trees which were lopped right back after the disaster are already putting out new shoots but many on the hillsides and in the surrounding bush reserves lie where they fell, uprooted and broken. It’s heartbreaking to see the damage to our beautiful green bush corridors. The wildlife, although not mentioned in any of the news bulletins, also suffered losses and people reported finding dead possums, flying foxes and many beautiful birds that had perished in the storm.

Whiskey Gully Wines: On November 27, six of the Kookaburra Folk Club members drove up to Stanthorpe on The Granite Belt of South-East Queensland, for our promised visit to the folk club at Whiskey Gully Wines. We had our eyes on the weather, as we’re still experiencing quite violent electrical storms and drenching rain, but luckily, although it was raining in Brisbane when we left early on Thursday morning, we eventually outran it and had excellent weather for our visit. A number of Brisbane folkies have moved into the country and it was a great pleasure to catch up with old friends and share an evening with them once again. The Whiskey Gully Winery restaurant/folk club is in a lovely old Queenslander. Built in the late 1880s it has cedar fittings, wonderful open fireplaces and a mellow, welcoming atmosphere. We thoroughly enjoyed performing there and are planning another visit in a few months.

John Arlidge, mine host at Whiskey Gully Wines		Anne Infante, Mary Brettell and resident group Jelly at Whiskey Gully Wines

Senior Moments: I’m delighted to report that Senior Moments haven’t completely lost our brilliant flautist, Robin Etter-Cleave – she will be with us for our performance at Folk Redlands in February. For details as they come to hand click Performances.

Last Kookaburra Night for 2008: After performing at the final night at ABOFOTS (Maleny) on Saturday December 6 and the Folk Redlands 2008 breakup and Christmas party next day, Sunday December 7, we closed the folk year with the Kookaburra Folk Club’s last night for 2008 on Wednesday December 17. The evening was packed with performers and audience members exchanging gifts, cards and Christmas wishes and, as in 2007, John Lewis’s alter ego Pirate Santa arrived in his pirate suit, sang a set of pirate carols, and handed out Christmas cake.