Re: Bundy Mob Memories
Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2016 11:03 am
I certainly covered some country in 1997 and once again I found myself heading to the far North West and this time with Liz Ward and Bill Hay as we ventured out to the Inaugural Camooweal Drover’s Reunion. I had met Kelly Dixon, a great songwriter and poet who had a lot of success with his song, Leave Him Out There in the Longyard, earlier in the year at the Jondaryan Country Music Rush and had asked us to go out for the Festival as he was one of the co-ordinators.
Liz, Bill and I decided that the only way we could afford to go was to do shows along the way and we started at Miles. Then it was Roma, Barcaldine, Longreach, Winton, Cloncurry and Mt Isa. Liz had complained of not being well back at Roma but when we hit Longreach she said she couldn’t see out of eye that well and we began to get a bit worried. We left her in Cloncurry to see the Doctor and come out to Camooweal with friends the following day. Apparently she didn’t see the Doctor but when she hit Camooweal, Kelly’s partner Marion Dixon, being a nurse, sent her packing back to Mt Isa and she was then sent to Townsville to have a pace maker put in as she had heart trouble.
Bill and I camped at the local caravan park and had a great weekend performing and being Emcee for most of the weekend. Met Gus Williams for the first time and what a wonderful old gentleman he was. Ted Egan joined us and was a bit indigent that we could only come up with a soft drink carton for a tapping box the first performance. I got Ted to sign it and we raffled it off and gave it to a charity. I did come up with a beer carton for the next performance and he signed that and we raffled it was well.
It was great to meet up with so many of the old time drovers and song writers like Wally Brummel and my old mate Bluey Bostock. I was fortunate enough to pick up 1st places in the original and humorous sections and 2nd in the traditional section of the poetry.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... e45b1adac4
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... 69fbbd9245
In October Chris and I ducked down to the North Pine Camp Oven Bush Poets Festival and caught up with John and Patty Coutts whom I met out at Winton. It was a good gathering of poets and dad joined us as well. I picked up a 3rd spot in the original verse and did a bit of Emcee work as well.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... be8d5acb49
I was happy to be able to present to Liz Ward a sum of $800 dollars that the folk in Camooweal had donated to help her with her expenses when she was taken to Townsville for a pace maker. I asked Kelly if we could explain what had happened to Liz and take the hat around for her and he was happy to do so and we raised $400.00. Then a young aboriginal lass gave me a painting of hers and asked me to auction it and give the money to Liz also. This fetched another $400.00 and I thought that was a great gesture for a small crowd at Camooweal. Liz was very appreciative.
Liz, Bill and I decided that the only way we could afford to go was to do shows along the way and we started at Miles. Then it was Roma, Barcaldine, Longreach, Winton, Cloncurry and Mt Isa. Liz had complained of not being well back at Roma but when we hit Longreach she said she couldn’t see out of eye that well and we began to get a bit worried. We left her in Cloncurry to see the Doctor and come out to Camooweal with friends the following day. Apparently she didn’t see the Doctor but when she hit Camooweal, Kelly’s partner Marion Dixon, being a nurse, sent her packing back to Mt Isa and she was then sent to Townsville to have a pace maker put in as she had heart trouble.
Bill and I camped at the local caravan park and had a great weekend performing and being Emcee for most of the weekend. Met Gus Williams for the first time and what a wonderful old gentleman he was. Ted Egan joined us and was a bit indigent that we could only come up with a soft drink carton for a tapping box the first performance. I got Ted to sign it and we raffled it off and gave it to a charity. I did come up with a beer carton for the next performance and he signed that and we raffled it was well.
It was great to meet up with so many of the old time drovers and song writers like Wally Brummel and my old mate Bluey Bostock. I was fortunate enough to pick up 1st places in the original and humorous sections and 2nd in the traditional section of the poetry.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... e45b1adac4
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... 69fbbd9245
In October Chris and I ducked down to the North Pine Camp Oven Bush Poets Festival and caught up with John and Patty Coutts whom I met out at Winton. It was a good gathering of poets and dad joined us as well. I picked up a 3rd spot in the original verse and did a bit of Emcee work as well.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... be8d5acb49
I was happy to be able to present to Liz Ward a sum of $800 dollars that the folk in Camooweal had donated to help her with her expenses when she was taken to Townsville for a pace maker. I asked Kelly if we could explain what had happened to Liz and take the hat around for her and he was happy to do so and we raised $400.00. Then a young aboriginal lass gave me a painting of hers and asked me to auction it and give the money to Liz also. This fetched another $400.00 and I thought that was a great gesture for a small crowd at Camooweal. Liz was very appreciative.