Left to right: Peter Aroney, Richard Ollerton, Allan Chard, Robyn Aroney, Ray Christison, Ross McLachlan, Graeme McWilliams.
Left to right: Allan Chard, Robyn Aroney, Grame McWilliams, Glenn Rodger (in mask)
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
A prophet without honour in his own country
It took a long time for our home church to accept Donga Dan's Derelict Band. I guess the concept was too radical. Maybe the quality of the music wasn't always the best in the early days but gee people had fun when we played! Our church held regular coffee shops that were a draw for young people from across Sydney. The formats varied but there was usually at least one musical act. In 1974 it was called Drift Inn (how sixties is that!). One of the band's early performances was at Drift Inn. The attitude of some of the church youth group to the band can be summed up in the flyer produced for the event. It proudly exclaimed "Donga Dan, Derelict Band - a night you'll want to forget!"
Within three years Drift Inn had become Salt Mine and the young people who wrote the original flyer were singing as part of our backup band. They had hooked into the fun and become band devotees who accompanied us to many performances. Our greatest local triumph was the Big Nite Out held on 11 December 1976. What a riot that was - music, fun, drag queens and a full Goon Show recitation, complete with crazy sound effects!
The old Caringbah Gospel Chapel is gone now, demolished to make way for home unit blocks, but the good memories and the love remain. It was a good place to make a start.
The identity crisis
The name 'Donga Dan's Derelict Band' was always contentious. Some people in the churches criticised it as being too frivolous. Others questioned the use of the word Derelict. (clearly Derek Zoolander hadn't hit the scene yet.)
When we were planning the first trip to Hillston we decided that we wanted a more serious name. Ray suggested 'Piers the Ploughman'. It was folky and linked to the English folk rock that was popular in the mid '70s.
When Ross McLachlan did the artwork for posters and flyers to publicise the Hillston trip he used the new name. This is a one-off. The name didn't stick - it wasn't us. Besides Ray's Donga board said quite clearly in gold and black 'VOTE 1 DONGA DAN FOR COOK' and Glenn's lagerphone was painted with 'Donga Dan's Derelic Band' (intentional mistake there - there was actually artwork produced that spelt the name that way).
And above all the name had been in Rolling Stone AND endorsed by none other that Bob Hudson. Who were we to argue. Thirty four years later it's still DONGA DAN'S DERELICT BAND.
The Hillston road trips
During 1976 Sandra Neale joined the band, bringing her sweet singing voice and guitar skills. Sandie was a key member of the band that went to Hillston in September 1977 and April 1977.
The image above shows Richard Ollerton, Cathy Olsen (lHillston Central School teacher) and Sandie Neale in the driveway of Rob and Wendy Silver in Hillston in April 1977.
We arranged with Rob Silver, Pastor of Hillston Baptist Church, and his wife Wendy to spend a week in Hillston running coffee shops and activities for teenagers and children. In July 1976 we got together with some other Christian bands from the Sutherland Shire and held the 'Concert for Hillston' at our home church Caringbah Gospel Chapel. That concert rasied money for food and petrol for the trip. Ray Christison, Richard Ollerton, Peter Aroney, Grame McWilliams and Sandra Neale conducted three coffee shops in the Baptist Church at Hillston on 6, 8 and 10 September 1976.
The image above shows Robyn Rodger, Peter Aroney, Ray Christison and Glen Rodger doing the Botabolar Boogie at Hillston Baptist Church on the second trip.
We also helped organise a picnic for the Sunday School children on the banks of the Lachlan River and travelled to Lake Cargelligo for a Sunday evening church service in the CWA Hall. That trip involved a drive of 1.5 hours along a dirt road that followed the Lachlan River. On the way back we had about three kangaroo spotters looking out for the teeming mobs of roos along the river country. On the Thursday we headed down to Griffith for some great pizza and a bit of shopping.
Richard Ollerton and Sandie Neale. What a duo!
The teenagers in Hillston really appreciated that we had gone out to provide them with school holiday entertainment and were keen for us to return. On the Anzac Day weekend in 1977 another team of band members including Ray Christison, Richard Ollerton, Peter Aroney, Glenn and Robyn Rodger, Sandie Neale, Jenni Quinn and Kerry Taylor went out for more fun and entertainment. The trip home proved to be eventful when Glenn's Commodore blew a head gasket between Rankin Springs and Yalgogrin North. The only mechanic was in West Wyalong and he was busy in the Anzac Day two-up game!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Cellar Folk - three floors down
Until the 1980s the Sydney YWCA Building stood in Liverpool Street facing Hyde Park. It was demolished to make way for the Connaught Apartments. Located on a steep site this building had three floors below street level. On the very lowest floor was The Cellar, one of Sydney's premier folk clubs. Cellar Folk hosted folk stars like Jon English, Ross Ryan, Ray Brown (of Ray Brown and the Whispers), the John Curry Folk Review and many more.
During 1975 Donga Dan's Derelict Band were a regular Friday night act at Cellar Folk. Like all other performers at the venue the band was paid the generous performers' fee of $10.00. I guess that was OK given that admission was $2.00 per head and the place could only fit about 50 people!
We actually made it into Rolling Stone Magazine! 17 July 1975. Peter Combe is in the same ad!
Performances at the Cellar were always publicised in the Sydney Morning Herald and on Radio Station 2JJ. Donga Dan's performances attracted a regular crowd of devotees. One Friday Bob Hudson (of Newcastle Song fame), who was an announcer on 2JJ at the time, was announcing the weekend's music offerings in Sydney. When reading the performance list for Cellar Folk he stopped and raved for about 10 minutes about how impressed he was with the name 'Donga Dan's Derelict Band'.
Sydney Morning Herald 12 July 1975.
That night the Cellar was packed with customers who had come to see this great new band. Unfortunately for Cellar Folk and Donga Dan's Derelict Band we had cancelled our booking for the evening. Cliff Atkinson, Cellar Folk's operator, had forgotten this and not removed us from the performers' list. Red faces all around.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Fatty Bacon and His Band of Rind
One Saturday afternoon in 1975 Allan Chard, Ray Christison and Ross McLachlan travelled to Coogee to jam with Fatty Bacon and His Band of Rind. Fatty Bacon were a regular act at a winebar there. It was a lively scene and an extra three bodies really crowded the very small stage.
The memorable moment from that afternoon was a washboard jam between Ross 'Flashing Thimbles' McLachlan and the regular Fatty Bacon washboard player. As the tension rose and tempo increased washboards heated and thimbles went flying. With no sign on his face of his inner struggle on the path to washboard zen Ross held his own against the other guy, thereby upholding the dignity of the band and cementing a place forever in the annals of Donga Dan history.
A great moment in the history of jugbands!!
The only working jug band in Sydney
In the 1970s Sydney had a very active folk music scene. The churches had regular coffee shops and concerts and folk music was being promoted in pubs and in specialist music venues. Donga Dan's Derelict Band quickly developed a reputation as a novelty act in the church scene. Our success in the 2SM Pepsi Poll provided us a with some notoriety and helped to achieve one of our goals of becoming known outside church circles.
The band quickly linked into the Sydney folk scene and became a regular act at Cellar Folk. This was the era when popular jug bands such as the Melbourne-based Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band were featuring in movies like Stork and releasing Top 40 hits like 'My Canary Has Circles Under His Eyes'.
At one time Donga Dan's Derelict Band was the only working jug band in Sydney. We played at some unlikely places. One such was the Bluegrass and Traditional Country Music Society, which met in the Tin Sheds at Sydney University. What a blast that was. We were absolutely flabbergasted when Ray's jug solo in 'Botabolar Boogie' received an ovation. That was a first and a last.
The 1970s were a weird time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
