A fantastic week and a great way to kick off the second stage of the ‘Dare to Be Different Tour’. My first port of call was Ararat where I performed to a small, intimate and appreciative audience in their Regional Art Gallery. On the way I had to do some emergency work on my front brakes, it was a great feeling to know that I’ve finally developed a basic mechanical knowledge, no calling the RACV this time.

On to Horsham, where I challenged the local String Students to think outside the box. One young student wrote “I never knew you could do those things on the violin”. Thanks to Graeme Russell and the Horsham City Council for helping with the venue.

Liz Trevaskis and the ABC team contacted me for an interview (thanks to Anthony Camm from the Ararat Regional Gallery) on Tuesday the 7th at 10:45am. The ABC have shown great interest and given such support throughout this tour.

I had a couple of days off before the hectic and thoroughly enjoyable Mildura stay. I performed for the VET students at the senior college and then met with Alison MacGregor, local String Enthusiast, and her daughter Caitlin, to discuss the situation for string players in Mildura. Chef Extraordinaire Stefano de Pieri then invited us to his restaurant for a wonderful 5 course meal created from fresh and local ingredients. It was a real treat and totally unexpected. Thanks Stefano!

Saturday was a huge day, starting at Cardross Primary School for a Workshop to the local String Players. The Mildura String Orchestra was started in April of this year with Alison MacGregor at the helm. It’s a great opportunity for the young ones to experience ensemble playing and they are doing a fantastic job. During a break in the workshop I walked over to the Cardross Hall to perform a short set at their Annual Show. After the workshop I headed over to the Mildura City Heart Mall for a performance and later that evening I played in Langtree Ave to the Restaurant Crowd. Richard Morfaw helped to set up both performances and is obviously very proactive in the Mildura community.

I felt so welcome in Mildura thanks to Stefano, Alison, Richard and the local String Players (and parents). I hope to visit again very soon.

From Mildura I headed West to Renmark. A fruit fly inspection at the SA border required that I open the trailer to prove that it wasn’t a giant esky. (It has been suggested to me on a number of occasions that I could fill the trailer with ice and beer.)

At Renmark Primary School I was able to demonstrate the wonders of solar with an outside performance and demonstration. The motorcycle certainly gets the boys interested and at question time they inevitably ask me about pulling monos and top speeds as well as frequent requests for more ‘Scary Music’.

About 35 people turned up to the community performance at Waikerie, a small town struggling with drought and consequent damage to the Murray River. It was a wonderfully intimate performance. Thanks to Maxine Lee-Morath, the new music teacher in this very sports orientated town, for organising the concert.

On Friday I was asked if I’d provide some music for the opening of the new ‘Barossa Regional Library’ in Nuriootpa. I set up outside and once again used the power of the sun to power my equipment. The organisers were most grateful for the music, which added another dimension to the day.

The final performance for the week was at the Barossa Regional Gallery in Tanunda. It is a beautiful gallery with fantastic acoustics that made the performance an absolute pleasure. I was also treated to a tour of the main hall, which houses a grand pipe organ that is currently been restored by volunteers. Thanks Gerlinde for allowing me to play in such a wonderful space.

I arrived in Adelaide Monday afternoon and found some peaceful accommodation at the Belair Caravan Park, right next door to the Belair National Park. I found myself surrounded by native trees and animals and only 12k from the city centre via some nice windy roads (great for motorcycle riding!). I decided to make this quiet oasis my base for the duration of my stay in Adelaide.

It was a busy week with performances in many schools. A wide range of knowledge and abilities were covered from the young grade 3 & 4 students at Trinity Gardens Primary School, who delighted in playing their instruments using guitar picks, to the advanced ‘specialist’ music students at Brighton Secondary School.

The highlight for the week would have to be the Adelaide Youth Strings. Martin Butler, a violist from the Adelaide Symphony orchestra set up this ensemble about seven years ago. Once the students graduate in to year 8 they are forced into the more senior ensembles….. I say forced, because Martin is doing such a fantastic job inspiring these young string players that none of them want to leave. They play an array of styles including heavy metal, jazz and pop (and some classical). When I pulled up to the venue, over the lumpy rumblings of my
V-twin, I heard ‘Smoke on the Water’. As I set up my rig ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’ was being rehearsed and later they thrashed out ‘Black Magic Woman’. They are a great and enthusiastic bunch of young string players, no doubt a tribute to Martins unconventional approach. Thanks AYS.

A huge week with performances and demonstrations every day. I was still in Adelaide at the start of the week with performances in some of the city’s outer regions including Mount Barker and Willunga. Inner City Schools didn’t miss out with performances at Marryatville Primary and High School. I enjoyed my stay in the city, especially with such peaceful accommodation at Belair Caravan Park.

On Friday I loaded my bike, a few last minute checks and I was on the road heading towards Robe via the Coorong National Park. For at least 100k there was a most unpleasant odour of salt, sulphur and rotting vegetation…. only on a motorcycle are you exposed to such smells (Luckily I wasn’t on a push bike!) The weather was wild and windy and I was pretty tired after some 400 kilometres of travelling.

Saturday Night I performed at ‘The Wild Mulberry Café’ in Robe. I played outside under the grape vines and the music drifted into the night air whilst images played on the heavily textured Sandstone walls. The new owners, Paul and Kiri, treated me to some fine wine and food as I conversed with some new friends, a crazy sheep farming artist and his Austrian wife Hamish and Christa.

The next day I rode to the tiny town of Beachport to prepare for a performance at ‘Bompas’. Bompas is a fantastic old building with a restaurant, bar and café downstairs and some beautiful accommodation with beachfront views upstairs. I was treated to a room with a view, fine wine, funky dark ale and some very tasty meals. Hung on the walls in all rooms (upstairs and downstairs) are art works by an array of different artists, many of them locals. Steve and Corren have been managing the venue for about a year now and are dedicated to promoting creativity within their community. A worthy ambition indeed.

I performed my program at Bompas in the afternoon and then jammed late into the night with talented guitarist and singer (and Millicent police officer!) Tommy Newton. Special Thanks to Steve and Corren for making my Beachport Stay so enjoyable.

A truly memorable week.

WEEK 19 & 20
Nov 3 - 18 “Regional SA & VIC”

Homeward bound, my energy levels were high with the end of this mammoth tour in sight. Beachport primary, with only 27 students, was the smallest school I performed at over the whole tour, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I then headed off to Millicent and Mount Gambier where I teamed up with local string teacher Jennie Matthews. Jennie has been teaching violin, viola and cello in the area for about 6 years and her dedication shows with a strong string program in the region. She was also very open and enthusiastic about the techniques I was showing her students.

On Wednesday I was invited to perform and chat on air with Stan Thompson from ABC Mount Gambier. I found him to be a fantastic interviewer with a relaxed and friendly manner. Thanks ABC for yet more support!

The performance at Riddoch Art Gallery has to be a highlight for me. The gallery is stunningly beautiful (along with the acoustics), Carly J was most helpful and enthusiastic, and the audience members were a delight. Approximately 65 community members attended filling up two levels of the gallery. Thanks Carly J and Jennie Matthews for helping to organise this wonderful evening.

The following night at Nelson Hotel was a real contrast but equally enjoyable. The performance was organised by my in-laws, Maureen & Cyril (thanks guys). There were many people drawn out from the bar area to check out my act and there was a bit of friendly banter from some of the locals. One of the comments from the book that best sums up the night…. “Wonderful music, thank you. A real cultural experience for some of us at Nelson”. Money raised from the evening went towards the local Tennis Club for repairs to their court.

On to Portland where I linked up with the CEMA (Council for the Encouragements of Music and Arts). The performance was at ‘The Arts Company’, a warm and inviting exhibition space for local and travelling artists and musicians. There was a fantastic turn out to the concert, including some children who delighted (along with the adults) in the special ‘Scary Music’ segment. A big thanks to Jan Colliver for organising the concert and artists accommodation in the CEMA’s ‘June Hedditch’ apartments. The apartment was greatly positioned, right over the gallery in the heart of Portland.

Whilst parked in Port Fairy, I had a chance meeting with motorcycle riding Tony (whom Andrew and I met in Bega) and his friend John. That trailer is most certainly unmistakeable. Tony and John provided an escort to Apollo Bay, through the twisty bits, needless to say, we had fun.

I was eager to get home to my partner, and after a failed attempt of filming a sunrise at Kennett River (where my fathers ashes were spread), I was back on the bike and in the arms of my love within a couple of hours.

I finished off the tour with some performances at local schools. Special Thanks to Sudents in prep and grade 1 from Talbot Primary School who sent me some wonderful letters!!

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the Australia Council for financially assisting with this ambitious project that has giving me such a wonderful experience.

And to my partner, my love, thank you so much for your support, encouragement, dedication and frequent challenging. You are such a thoughtfully honest person, with an deep understanding and emerging wisdom on life and people that could only have been obtained through insightful observation, continual and open challenge, courage in the face of truth and a great capacity for acceptance. I have grown so much since meeting you. I understand that there is much still to learn about myself and of you. I am enjoying our journey immensely. With much love.