G'day Blackcatter,

I had one of the tin-plated steel ones (also caled "Magic Flute" ...?) when I was a kid ... about 45 years ago, if you disregard the chattering masses! It vanished (probably quietly buried by my family) while I was working on the Snowy and Tasmanian Hydro schemes, back in the '60s ... and all I could find to replace it was one of the brilliant red plastic imitations (made by Trophy?).

However, I managed to do some trading with a friend who has a museum of musical instruments at Nowra( south of Sydney, NSW, Australia) and acquired a vintage tin model last Easter.

I need to do a bit more careful restoration ... but it beats hell out of the red plastic pale copies. I played it in the "Band Mixup" penultimate concert of the Australian Folk Gathering at Albion Park, NSW, June last year ... to the bemusement of the audience!.

BTW:Last year I published an archive photo of The Bushwhackers (of 1952 - 1957) ... the "Bush Band" that started the Australian Folk Revival ... and pulled out a close-up of the late Alan Scott as a new member playing to 3000 schoolkids at Sydney Showground in 1954 ... on a noseflute!

Regard(les)s,]

Bob Bolton