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The trip to Broken Hill was a great success! We had a warm welcome from the Broken Hill Community Voices, who sang several songs with us at the two concerts. They also taught us three new songs, which we sang with them at the concert on Sunday: Soyilwela, Blowing in the Wind and Maryijana, a Croatian love song. We plan to incorporate them into our repertoire.
The venues for the concerts were excellent, especially the Art Gallery, which was an elegant space with wonderful acoustics. The audiences were appreciative and we sang well, a varied and interesting repertoire, including our new songs and old favourites. Our newly found banner, with added flair by Mairi, and our new Red Flag, were proudly displayed and added a real touch of theatre to the performances!
There were many highlights of the trip: singing “Bandiera Rossa” over Mairi’s mobile phone in her Pakistani friends takeaway café in Dubbo, for the ABC to broadcast with an interview about the choir, was one! Pizzas in Cobar; the road trip through the outback, with stops at bizarre roadhouses, impromptu picnics in the desert, kangaroos, emus and lots of feral goats! The wonderful Trades Hall; the Sculpture Park; the moving memorial to those killed in the mines. And of course the Palace Hotel, which is glorious, and where we became fixtures at the bar!
By Diane

Almost there

Fun at the Palace Hotel

Saturday concert

Zlatko finds heaven

An enthusiastic group of singers will be travelling to Broken Hill on the weekend of 5-6 September 2015, to sing at the anniversary of the pegging out of the first mineral lease by Charles Rasp, on 5 September 1883. The choir was invited to perform at a concert on the Saturday evening with the Broken Hill Community Choir, which also sings about social justice and workers’ rights. Then on Sunday the choir will sing at a concert at the Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery. Quite an impressive line-up! They have been rehearsing with the MD, Zlatko Basic, and have a great repertoire of mining and Union songs, both old favourites and new songs. And they will be singing several songs with the other choir, including Internationale, Red Flag, and Solidarity.

Broken Hill Practice 1

Broken Hill Practice 2

Broken Hill

31st July marks the anniversary of the Mt Kembla Disaster, where 96 men and boys lost their lives in the explosion at the mine. It was one of the worst disasters in Australian history, devastating the community for years to come.
Each year, on the anniversary of the disaster, a commemorative ceremony “96 Candles” is held at the Windy Gully cemetery at Mt Kembla.
This year, the Illawarra Union Singers were privileged to take part in the ceremony, singing two mining songs as part of the event. They performed “Windy Gully”, the song written by Illawarra playwright Wendy Richardson, who sang with the choir, in an arrangement by choir member Florence Rankin. The choir also sang “Working Man”, a song prompted by the stories of miners’ daily hardships, which became the unofficial anthem for coal miners everywhere.

Windy Gully gravestones

May Day 2015
A small but enthusiastic group of singers performed at the May Day Toast at the Portofino Lounge on Friday 1 May 2015, and then again at an Illawarra Folk Club May Day concert at Diggers on Saturday, 2 May. We sang traditional Union and May Day songs at both events: Bandiera Rossa; The Blackleg Miner; Internationale and Solidarity.
Both performances were terrific, with very appreciate audiences and many compliments afterwards! Zlatko Basic, our Musical Director on both nights, was great at getting a truly wonderful performance together at very short notice and kept us focused and singing beautifully! He even joined in the Internationale in Serbian. Many thanks.

Till next year

Illawarra Union Singers end of year practice was held at Gerri’s place this year with lot’s of fine food, *drinks* and nibblies a very enjoyable night. Thanks to Bella we also have some pictures of the event.

Fran and Ainslie sampling the goods

Lindley and Fran were also snapped by our photographer

Diane enjoying the Balgownie evening

Gary slaving over the hot stove

Zlatco returned from holidays in Serbia for the party

Jane making sure we have “greens” to eat

Yasmin was caught by our photographer enjoying herself

Many thanks to Bella for the photos