This is the last newsletter for 2021, as we gear up for a couple of weeks of busy choral activity! It seems that in the blink of an eye we’re making up for the past inactive year! Without our usual wonderful Carols in the Park involvement for yet another year, we’re now ‘Getting in the Mood for Christmas’ with Bayside’s Community Christmas Programme, starting with “Light the Rock at Black Rock’ this Friday and concluding with the Hampton Cricket Club Christmas party on Sat. 18th December! See below our gig dates.
If any of you would like to join in the fun, who haven’t already committed, please let me know and come along to sing – you’ll know the carols and a songbook will be provided! (37 singers will sing at the various gigs, with 27 coming to Black Rock House and 23 to Landcox Park, etc. so you won’t be singing solo at any of them!) If you can’t commit to any of the dates, but you do happen to hear joyful sounds in the community and see your colourful Vocally Wild choir, wave ‘hello’ and join in anyway!
I assume many of you are now aware that our dear Patrice has resigned from Vocally Wild – I don’t think she will mind me saying that her thumbs and wrists are suffering more with arthritis lately. Knowing Patrice, she always likes to play at her very best and with such painful hands, it must be so difficult. We will be saying farewell to her on Sunday, 12th December at our Social gathering. Details below. Bill is currently searching for a replacement for Patrice, so that we will be ready for 1st February Term 1 start.
DIARY - DECEMBER
| Thur. 2nd |
6.00 pm |
1st Rehearsal (Use Small St. crossing to be safe!!) |
Shelter – opp. Small St. Hampton |
| Fri. 3rd |
5.00 pm |
Black Rock Village - Bluff Road.
Decision on set up space to be made at 4.45 p.m. |
‘Light the Rock at Black Rock’
(Meet near 22A Bluff Road) |
| Mon. 6th |
6.00 pm |
2nd Rehearsal |
Shelter, as 2nd |
| Wed. 8th |
5.45 pm
7.10 pm |
Peg Gill/Sue Hardy’s – Warm up.
Black Rock House, Ebden St.
Near Second Street. |
2 & 3/14 Fourth St.
Under Morton Bay Fig Tre |
| Sat. 11th |
5.00 pm |
Sandringham Foreshore |
Location, time etc. TBA |
| Sun. 12th |
4.00 pm |
End of year Social, Beaumaris Hall |
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| Tue. 14th |
5.00 pm |
Landcox Park, East B’ton Off Milroy |
Location, time etc. TBA |
| Wed.15th |
5.00 pm |
Black Rock Foreshore |
Location, time etc. TBA |
| Sat. 18th |
7.30 pm |
Hampton Cricket Club |
Party commences earlier |
Note:
A Carols songbook to be distributed to singers for their use at each of the gigs. If you wish to bring your music sheets, please do so and if you are missing any, let me know so that I can send an email copy. Maggie will bring a set or two to rehearsals.
At Black Rock House we sing three items – Mary’s Boy Child, Hark the Herald and Rudolph.
At our other performances, the Carols sets are: Set 1 - Joy to the World, We Three Kings, Mary’s Boy Child, Deck the Hall, Rudolph, Away in a Manger, Ding Dong. Set 2 – O Come all ye Faithful, Holly Jolly Christmas, Silent Night, 12 Days of Xmas, The First Nowell, Good King Wenceslas, Santa Clause is coming to Town. Set 3 - Hark the Herald, God Rest You Merry Gentlemen, Once in Royal David’s City, Jingle Bells, While Shepherds Watched, Angels We Have Heard on High, We Wish You a Merry Christmas. Bill will advise which sets we will be doing.
Singers will be advised via email re time-slot and exact location for the Foreshore gigs.
Thanks indeed go to everyone involved in organising these Carols, in particular Bill and his son Jamie, who have put in much preparation and made themselves available for all these events during a very busy time for musicians. May I also mention that Rod Cripps has come to our rescue (again!); this time re the Carols Songbooks? One of the printer’s machines wasn’t able to staple them together, so Rod went to his ‘special place’ where he has an industrial sewing machine and we will see the results tomorrow (Thursday)! Allan Lowry is to be Russel’s ‘roadie’ apprentice for all the gigs, so a big thankyou goes to Allan too!
SOCIAL – SUNDAY, 12TH DECEMBER - 4.00 to 7.00 p.m.
- Beaumaris Community Hall. We will set up under the tree behind the hall - we have access to the hall if weather’s inclement and the kitchen, washrooms etc. are for us to use.
- Please bring a plate for the share table/drink/glasses/nibbles. Tea/coffee, etc. will be available, plus a few nibbles to start with. I will bring some cups, but if you have a keep cup handy, please bring! (If you prefer not to bring a share plate, due to health concerns, that’s fine – just bring something to nibble anyway for yourselves.)
- We will use the white chairs belonging to Bayside (from small hall) so you don’t need to bring chairs. We should be able to carry out some of the larger tables, but if you want to bring your own collapsible table, please do so. There will be plenty of room.
- Farewell to Patrice. We’ll have a card for you to sign when you arrive, if you wish to. Patrice’s twin sister, Joan, will be joining us too.
- As per Cherry’s flyer, we will need to safely check in, and follow Covid safety guidelines. All attending will be double vaxxed, as per regulations.
PATTY CHAPLIN’S UKULELE BAND
Last week four of us sang with Patty’s Ukulele band (led by wonderful Ron Leigh playing brilliantly on his own melodic uke) at Mayflower Aged Care Home’s independent living residents. It was a happy and exhilarating experience to be singing once again, and by all accounts, the residents thoroughly enjoyed themselves. They loved all the ‘golden oldies’ and I still can’t get “Pearly Shells” and “Maggie” out of my head! Thank you indeed Ron, Patty, Pat and June – the ‘best band in the land’, together with singers Carolyn, Sue B, and John B – I feel we did a good job, and oh boy, was it fun to be singing again!
FAMILY LIFE HAMPERS
Christmas is certainly a time for giving, and Family Life were delighted at your generosity! Maggie and were able to thank most of you, but there was one ‘mystery’ donor who left very yummy looking goodies at my place and I didn’t get chance to see who it was! Please identify yourself to me, as I would love to say thank you, personally, for your thoughtfulness. Eight rather large bags were delivered to Family Life for their Hamper campaign.
Zoe from Family Life sent a huge thank you … “for Vocally Wild’s generosity toward our Community Christmas Drive”.
GIVING DAY FOR PETS OF THE HOMELESS
Lesley says a big ‘thank you’ on behalf of the Pets of the Homeless charity to those of you who donated to this very worthy cause.
MESSAGE FROM SUE BEAZLEY
Our past Alto member of many years Nell
Jackson has just been awarded has just been 
awarded 1st Prize in the Craft Section at the Ballarat Show for her Christmas Tree teapot Class 17000 - Craftwork - Any Article. Sure still many in choir would remember Nell and would be interested in knowing of her success. Nell and Ross now live in Ballarat and she is heavily involved in the wonderful Adam Lindsay Gordon Craft Cottage located in the Ballarat Botanical Gardens and the Crafts Council of Ballarat. Nell now has a whole room set up for her craft work at her house, filled with bits of material, ribbons, buttons, dressmaker’s models, etc. and markets her creations via her business called The Rats Pyjamas. Very excited for her, she is such a lovely lady.
PLANNING FOR 2022
Term 1 commences Tuesday, 1st February. It seems a fair way away, but time will fly of course! We are looking forward to starting off with many of our well-known songs for the first six weeks, so we can sing with fun and joy whilst getting back into the swing of things after such a long break. So if you want to dig out your sheet music for any of the following titles during the break, please do so. Songs will be selected from these and we’ll advise during January which ones we’ll need for our folders.
Goodnight Sweetheart
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Jerusalem Morning
Long and Winding Road
A Place in the Choir
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
May the Road Rise (Irish Blessing)
Life in a Northern Town
House of the Rising Sun |
Thank you for the Music
Rolling in the Deep
People Get Ready
All You Need is Love
We Built this City
This Little Light of Mine
Skyfall
I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing |
It will be a busy month ahead for everyone, so enjoy the Christmas festivities and the carol singing if you’re taking part. Thinking of you all over the festive season, especially some who are coping with health concerns; may the next couple of months be good to you all. A Very Happy Christmas and let’s hope there is much:
Very best wishes, Pat, Bill and Vocally Wild Committee
Bill Miles (Music Director)
Patrice Marshall - (Accompanist)
Russel Barnes (President)
Julie Sergienko (Treasurer) j
Pat Lowry (Secretary)
Cherry Tunnock (Membership Secretary
Maggie Cripps (Music Production & Management)
Sylvia Ring
Kerry Holmquest h
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