Music

Both singers themselves, my parents encouraged my vocal abilities and I made my first recording at age 8. I sang in the school choir and often did solos. Choir work and singing pop songs with my sister while we were doing the washing up was the extent of my musical knowledge until I attended a wedding in Scotland where everyone had to stand up and sing a song at the reception. There I heard traditional Scottish and Irish songs. I was hooked and began buying folk records, learning the lyrics and rapidly expanding my repertoire

 It was not until I was living in Perth, WA in 1970 that I had a chance to join a folk group, ‘The Tin Shanty Bush Band’ which was the first bush band in Perth, even preceding’ Mucky Duck.’ I was lead singer and learnt to play my first instrument, the lagerphone. Thence forth I carried a collapsible one on my motorcycle, entertaining people in many countries.

Whilst living in Adelaide in the 1980s I found a wealth of folk musicians, was involved in many groups and learnt to play the tin whistle. Some of the groups I performed in were: Green Gilbert, Shalimar, The Open Road Show, Hocus Pocus.

 I then became part of the Community Arts Team (CAT) which toured outback areas working in isolated schools with children and adults giving them experience in art, music and drama. CAT was well loved over outback SA and NT for its fun method of teaching and my three year involvement taught me a lot and developed my song writing, teaching and performance skill.

 I then attended Flinders University to obtain a degree in Anthropology, Geography and History to enhance my chances of working in schools elsewhere and went on to be involved with many educational shows in schools in Australia, Spain and Gibraltar working with other artists or alone.

Never having learnt to read music (though I have tried) I play by ear and can now play guitar, ukulele, whistle, lagerphone, bohran, fiddle and am trying to get my fingers round a harp. Music is a way of life and though mainly involved in Folk I appreciate many other genres. I have been involved in running Folk Clubs in UK, Gibraltar, Spain, Namibia and Australia and at present am on the committee of the Cellar Folk Club in Port Lincoln where we welcome all types of acoustic music.

If you would like to see the CDs of my music please click here.
If you would like to see the rest of my music photos please click here.

Port Lincoln my Home – with Ron Higgins (guitar) and Kris Verboven (mandolin)
The verses were originally written as a poem when I visited Port Lincoln as a performer on an Arts Council Tour in 1985, I only re-discovered it in 2011 when I had, indeed, made Port Lincoln my home – thus the chorus was added. This song , with the video made by Deane Williams, won the Port Lincoln FAME (Film And Music Entertainment) awards in 2012.





Ballad of the Overlander 
A song I wrote on my overland trip from Spain to Australia in 2005-7. It covers all the questions I was asked en route. Filmed on a roof top in Katmandu by another Overlander, it proves that I was then quite skinny!




Harvest Time – with Ron Higgins and Peter Milczarek
This song began its life as an accompaniment to a Morris dance that the CAT team were teaching in schools in the Murray Mallee. Adapted for the Eyre Peninsular, where the harvest is a major event, it was entered for the FAME awards in 2014 but my filming wasn’t as good as Deane’s!





Land of Smiles with Ron Higgins at the Cellar Folk Club, Port Lincoln Early in 2014
I made an unexpected trip to Thailand, when I lost my licence in Oz. Riding around North Thailand on a 125 Honda Dream all the sights I experienced came together as a song and, very popular in Thailand, it is now one of my favourites.