G'day again,

Sorry: 'esprit de l'escalier' ... after that remark by Liam's Brother, I should explain that Wongawilli is a coal-mining ghost town at the foot of the Illawarra escarpment. One of the few things still standing is a nice country hall and the Wongawilli Band and Wongawilli Dancers have it for a 'peppercorn rental' ... as long as they keep it standing, painted and tidy.

It's a great asset - they can hold dances for a few dollars entry because they aren't paying city rents and the band are there to play for practice/fun ... and the keen dancers ditto! It works well in the country because everyone expects to drive long distances to a social function and they draw on something like a 100 kilometre radius for dancers.

It makes us Sydney folkies, dealing with local councils planning on a hall-rental-led financial recovery, bands that have to make a living in an expensive city and weekend traffic jams, quite jealous.

Regards,

Bob Bolton