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06 Mar 05 - 07:14 PM (#1428405) Subject: Aust'n Folk Music Heritage Centre - NSW From: rich-joy Just wanted to mention an Oz Folk establishment that Poor Misery and I came across on our return trip from Canberra recently and which we thought was deserving of a Mudcat mention. Apparently, it was originally situated at Mamre Homestead in St Marys, out of Sydney, but needed a more accessable position, so it was moved to country New South Wales and enlarged. AUSTRALIAN FOLK MUSIC HERITAGE CENTRE In Coonabarabran (the halfway point between Maleny and Canberra on the more westerly, quieter, Newell Highway route!), one ROGER WALTER has set up a shed devoted to the Folk MUSIC of Australian history. Yes, that's right - Oz history told by its FOLK SONGS and POETRY!!! He also has an impressive display of Oz Folk LP record covers, including quite a few that I (growing up in West Aussie), have never come across!!! You could spend ages listening to the recordings (whilst singing along with his lyric sheets) and reading all the LP covers AND his vignettes of history; also examining the many items of interest and the large murals. Roger's particular personal passion is Henry Lawson and he dreams of someday, taking a Lawson tour "on the road". The entrance is A$6.00 adults, with various prices for family, children, students, concessions. It is just round the corner of the main street (John St = Newell Highway) and Cassilis St. and is open Wednesdays through to Mondays, from 9.30am to 4.30 pm - or later - (and evenings in School Holidays). Wheelchair access throughout. Tel. Roger on 02-6842 1788 or email him at : aussiefolk @ bigpond.com Note : There are plenty of motels and other lodgings to choose from in Coonabarabran and the excellent "Jolly Cauli" is just around the corner for coffee breaks and meals!! A perfect stopover for Brisbanites on your way to and from The National, eh?! Cheers! R-J |
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06 Mar 05 - 11:03 PM (#1428505) Subject: RE: Aust'n Folk Music Heritage Centre - NSW From: Bob Bolton G'day R-J, I'm glad to hear that Roger's wonderful display and sound archives has not just vanished. He formerly had it in a tin shed, kin the grounds of Mamre ... a property out around St Marys, on the western outskirts of Sydney - once one of the homes of the Rev. Samuel Marsden and now owned by a poor order of R.C. nuns. (Particularly poignant when you remember that it was Marsden who said ([~]: "If the Romanist priests are permitted in this colony ... it will be lost to the crown withing 15 years!".) The presentation of his separate theme areas and the success with which his different listening areas allowed you to access whatever tracks you wanted, without interfering with nearby areas, showed how effectively Australians can acoustically engineer with hessian sacks! I suppose he is still using similar baling twine and fencing wire engineering. I'll have to call in when Patricia and I head inland ... in the cool of winter. Definitely recommended, on the strength of his earlier display. Regards, Bob Bolton |
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07 Mar 05 - 01:46 PM (#1428984) Subject: RE: Aust'n Folk Music Heritage Centre - NSW From: Big Al Whittle and there I was thinking, why an Austin Heritage Centre in New South Wales......these Texans! |
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07 Mar 05 - 08:12 PM (#1429325) Subject: RE: Aust'n Folk Music Heritage Centre - NSW From: Bob Bolton G'day weelittledrummer, Rather depends on the "Austin " you had in mind. Interesting sidetrack story I have heard: Machine (sheep)shears were developed in Australia by Frederick Wolseley (Irish-born sheep grazier) in the 1890s. His first models where the sort of rough prototype a local blacksmith could make ... so he headed to the city (Melbourne ... ?) and found a toolmaker who could perfect the production model ... a bloke called Austin. They demonstrated the perfected models successfully - then sailed off the Britain to set up a factory. After a while, Wolseley got interested in these newfangled motor cars ... and had his partner Austin design the early Wolseley cars - but Austin reckoned they ought to make small, inexpensive, cars for ordinary people ... and left, to form his own car company ... making such classics as the little Austin 7. So, we could argue that these two noted old British marques actually arose from the Australian shearing industry ... but we haven't run up an Austin ( ... or Wolseley ... ) monument ... yet! Regard(les)s, Bob |
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13 Nov 08 - 03:07 AM (#2492477) Subject: RE: Aust'n Folk Music Heritage Centre - NSW From: rich-joy Does any Oz 'catter know if Roger and His Shed are still in Coona BB, and if not, just where he has gone??!! Thanks, Cheers! R-J |
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18 Nov 08 - 07:02 AM (#2496558) Subject: RE: Aust'n Folk Music Heritage Centre - NSW From: rich-joy refresh |
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18 Nov 08 - 08:30 AM (#2496615) Subject: RE: Aust'n Folk Music Heritage Centre - NSW From: Sandra in Sydney rich-joy - why not try Ausworldfolk or Folkaustralia? There's a few more folks on those lists! sandra |
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18 Nov 08 - 11:21 PM (#2497352) Subject: RE: Aust'n Folk Music Heritage Centre - NSW From: Rowan Coonabarabran is also halfway (within cooee of it anyway) between Melbourne and Brisbane. While I have been involved with investigating the archaeology of the area, it was before 2005 and I've never noticed Roger nor shed there. I've passed through Coona a couple of times a year, most years in the last decade and have never even seen signage, so he must have been hiding his light under a serious bushell. From the description, his shed might have been very close to a secondhand shop that was without peer until it closed down about ten years ago. And I can recommend The Jolly Cauli; we'd always take a break there. Cheers, Rowan |
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19 Nov 08 - 02:12 AM (#2497394) Subject: RE: Aust'n Folk Music Heritage Centre - NSW From: cobber Hi Bob. It's only three years since you posted that story which is not long by folk standards. I once heard that there was a third man involved bu8t I can't remember whether he was another Australian or joined the company in England. He was Morris who eventually also started his own line of cars. Anyone know whether this is true? |
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19 Nov 08 - 04:56 AM (#2497449) Subject: RE: Aust'n Folk Music Heritage Centre - NSW From: Sandra in Sydney rich-joy - according to the white pages there is a R Walter in Coonabarabran, at Cassilis St - on the same number! in 2005 Rob Willis interviewed him for the National Library Oral History collection - NLA Catalogue record 3427714 Folkloric recording. Roger Walter, born 1945 at Darlinghurst, NSW, talks about his family background; his siblings and school days; his early musical influences; singing in a folk group in Sydney in the 1960's; working in the retail sales area, followed by working in promotions, especially music; starting to write satirical songs; beginning to collect model cars; developing an interest in Australian folk songs and music; his interest in overseas folk songs and music; eventually deciding to concentrate solely on Australian music; his decision to set up a folk heritage centre in the late 1990's, first at St Mary's in Sydney and eventually Coonabarabran; the difficulties in making the centre financially viable; marketing policies for his future business enterprise; the usage of his private collection; trying to find video footage of Australian performers; his cataloguing system; future directions; he recites a poem. sandra |
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19 Nov 08 - 06:00 PM (#2498005) Subject: RE: Aust'n Folk Music Heritage Centre - NSW From: Bob Bolton G'day cobber, As far as I know, all the companies that eventually found themselves amalgamated into British Motor Corporation (BMC) / British Leyland were originally separate companies. Morris was one such separate firm ... although I understand they had an offshoot "Morris Garages" doing sports cars - that eventually became "MG" (much neater badge!). By the time I was working in Cost Accounts with British Leyland (1970 - '72) almost every British car maker had folded, in the face of international competition ... but Morris's merger with Austin (~ 1950s) was the foundation of BMC ... and the later merger with Leyland incorporated the Leyland name to emphasise that they now did full-size trucks. By that time they included: Jaguar, MG, Riley, Rover/Landrover, Wolsely ... and probably more! Rolls Royce remained separate ... and really acted as advertising for their aerospace engines. A few sports car makers were so small they weren't even worth amalgamating ... some kept up for a good while (Aston Martin, for instance) ... but I don't think the Poms own any of it, today! Regards, Bob |
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20 Nov 08 - 05:23 PM (#2498814) Subject: RE: Aust'n Folk Music Heritage Centre - NSW From: Rowan The Aston of Aston Martin was, according to family tradition, part of my ancestry. As a young teenager I dreamed of inheriting a wheelnut, but found out the Aston had sold out his share more than a decade before I was born. Dreams! But dreams of Aston Martin worked for Ian Fleming a bit later on. Cheers, Rowan |
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25 Nov 08 - 08:27 AM (#2501099) Subject: RE: Aust'n Folk Music Heritage Centre - NSW From: rich-joy Sandra, thank you so much for your sleuthing - much appreciated! Cheers, R-J |