Some of the largest shearing contracting gangs in Australia came out of the Toodyay area. These gangs of up to fifty folk travelled to the huge shearing sheds of the North West. The Murchison and Gascoyne runs carried up to 100,000 sheep and the sheds held forty stands. Tommy Fleay, gun shearer, from a family of shearers summed up the hardship in one sentence . . 'the sight of burly shearers crawling on hands and knees to the catching pens at the end of the day, to drag themselves upright, was an unedifying sight....'
This Radio Ballad was the result of two extended residencies in Toodyay, covering Moondyne Joe and the Shearing families from the district.
A fierce, bleak comedic tale of a very mad, extremely bad bushranger. Daniel Morgan was an unpleasant lunatic with a prediliction for mayhem.. Couple this with a vengeful streak, half a mile wide and the result was fatal for not a few colonials, especially if you were into the then Law and Ordure. Considered a work of near genius by several superluminaries of the folk scene. I agree.
Written by Tim Lambert & Roger Montgomery
( tune to Prison Hulk by R. Abbott)
Aired on the ABC's FM Songs & Stories Programme.
Re-recorded & improved at the George Street and St Kilda studios by Tim Lambert & Roger Montgomery. (excellent recording)
An overview of one of Australia's last great frontiers. Using traditional and contemporary poetry, the latter collected from the mining communities of Tom Price, Paraburdoo, Newman, Panawonnica and the port towns of Hedland, Dampier and the like, plus songs and a short story or two. Tales from the horses mouth, of and from hardy pioneers, of whom many are still breaking new ground in this incredibly rugged and isolated area.
Script by Roger Montgomery. trad. and original songs and music.(louise bavin)
narration . . Peter Capp, Meredith Higgins and Roger Montgomery
music . . Louise Bavin (vocals-bass) John Reed (vocals- cittern) Ross Bolleter (piano)
Rough recordings available for research purposes.
The barrage of propaganda that Australians faced at the outbreak of the First World War was tremendous. The brutal Hun, pillager, rapist and baby eater was just over the hill and about to invade, there were mobs of spies already living here and if you didn't sign up for battle you were obviously an arrant coward. Our leaders flag-waved, exhorted and threatened us with the end of the World as we knew it, white feathers were handed out, and so away we marched . . 'and why not, it would all be over by Christmas !! '
written by Tim Lambert and Roger Montgomery.
Aired on the ABC's Songs & Stories programme
Re-recorded and improved at the George St and St Kilda studios by Tim Lambert and Roger Montgomery (excellent recordings available)
Down a minor road at the back of the once booming railway town of Midland lies the grave of Western Australia's forgotten poet. A simple headstone bears the inscription...
Jack Sorensen 1906-1947..Weaver of Dreams,Farewell.
So begins the story of the life and times of Jack Sorensen. Poet, orchardist, shearer, wool-classer, boxing champion, journalist and soldier. From the Goldfields to the Murchison to his beloved Foothills of Perth, there is a beautiful Western Australian resonance to his work.
Script by Roger Montgomery. trad & original songs and music.
With Peter Capp.Louise Bavin.
Music from the Pilbara Connection Album
Rough recordings available for research)
With Guns
A hundred year hysterical overview of the travails and trials faced by the more than average Oz colonial woman. Strange days indeedy with the colony's womenfolk either put up on a pedestal or or put up for auction at the Parramatta Women's factory. Those that ended up in the Bush often found themselves alone whilst Bruce and Tommy Cove had to take to the Track, finding work to keep their collective heads above water, leaving Sheila to look after the run, sundry kids and the stock. The only fly in the ointment for the blokes was that many a Sheila insisted that they be able to arm themselves . . 'I says, strewth girl, I don't think so,' Bruce cries to his mates, on a shearers Sunday, one hundred Sundays too far away, ' . . . she could end up shooting me !' Many a true word . .
Script by Roger Montgomery. trad. and original songs and music.
From Myxo to Calisi to ???. Traces the history of the Rabbit in Australia. This project came into being after reading Russel Braddon's horrifying, whimsical novel 'The Year of the Angry Rabbit'. Once the bunnies develop a resistance to Calisi, what next?. Do we emulate the characters in his novel and go nuclear or what ?
written by Dave Ralph, John Angliss and Script by Roger Montgomery.
. . trad. and original songs and music.
The gold rushes in Australia encouraged a plethora of races to descend upon the land of Oz to try their luck. The Americans, Europeans and Poms were just bearable, but not so those Chinese. Extremely industrious, the early Yellow Peril attracted a lot of opprobrium. They worked the creeks and gullies until nothing of value remained, they came in behind the white colonials and found as much gold as the previous miners taken on their drive through, and to compound this, in the main they kept to themselves. This won them little in the colonial popularity stakes. Living in interesting times indeedy !
Script by Roger Montgomery. trad. and original songs and music.
A collection of the Dingoes favourite songs strung together with a brilliantly witty dialogue..an example is this sample from the intro to the song 'The Brisbane Line' . .
'... but no dafter than that half-arsed plan formulated by a gaggle of generals and backed by that dreadful pommie-o-phile, Pig Iron Bob aka Ming the Merciless aka Sir Robert 'I-Did- But-See-her-Standing-There' Menzies . . the dipsticks' plan was to give over half of Australia to the enemy. Whilst most of Oz thought this a barmy idea, Ming and his cohorts thought it a bottler. Fortunately Mad Dog McArthur also thought it a barmy idea.
Script by Roger Montgomery. trad. and original songs and music.
In which we dissect the many forms of being in 'Lurve'. It can come in many guises and is a very serious business. Dark Love, Unrequited Love, Love of Self, Utterly Hopeless Love, Love of Money, Sex, Drugs or Rock'n'Roll. All is explained, in a not very explicit fashion.
Script by Roger Montgomery. trad. and original songs and music.
Like that flame too hot to handle . .
Yet I know that I must take a chance.
Kissing lips that make me stammer,
Reason drowns in my heart's clamour
As I sweep along the floor of ..
Love's wild dance . .
A series of songs of the sea with potted history (mostly true) Jolly Jack tar my elbow . . or is it . . Up and down, up and drown goes the no longer jolly sailor . . Drowning down through the stygian depths . . because he didn't bother to learn to swim. His second big mistake. The first was to go to sea in the first place. A cruel forbidding . . you've heard it all before but not like this . .
Found in the chest cavity of an odd sea dog of the Mulligan family was a manuscript. It told the real true blue dinkum story behind Capatain Governor Bligh and his feud with John McCarthur. Of three bold comrades-in-chains (guess who folks) who join forces with jovial Capatain Governor Bligh to rout that capitalist running dog of a pommie sea cook, the aforementioned McCarfur, who is actually a pawn in the game hosted by the evil Honourable Stilson-Slim and his ferociously accented henchman, that Right Count Camembert Moronarty MC & IQ79, and their cunning plan to flog off Oz to the Russians, or the French . . or anyone.
G’dye . . I grew up on the Goons. During my stint in Pommieland I was there alongside millions of other Poms, blown away by this huge anarchic departure from the wireless norm . . . . as it did generations of Australians
This series . . the six ‘ Very First Goons Shows of them All’ are a tribute to an extra-ordinary man . . Spike Milligan, comic genius in a class all of his own, and his gang . .
. . and these shows are bloody good fun . . original material of mine, mixed with stuff shamelessly stolen from various Goon shows plus sundry other comic influences . .
Incidentally, these scripts were written in ancient times and Noddy Seas-green was a large man and 'political correctness' was a figment of Nanny's imagination and thankfully, wasn’t allowed to forget it in the script. Anyone who takes on Noddy's roll automatically triples his weight.At least.
We have performed the First Goon Show of Them All with various Special Guests, Martin Pearson and Eric Bogle to name a couple. These worthies did an excellent fist when playing Neddy Siezed-Groin (who is unhappily married of course )
BOOKINGS FOR THIS SHOW AVAILABLE . .
Berk .
Ladies and Gentlemen . . The Very Second Goon Show . .of them All !!
FX . .WIERD PIANO . .
Good evening, my name is Berk Vertmont, Colonial Commentator on your very own Radio Rubber Band . . The story you are about to hear came from the 1727-1999 diaries of the Scots-Irish Clan, Mad Milligan.
These stories passed right through the Mad Milligans Clan’s Families for generations. They were made of rice-paper and in-edible ink, but, with straining could be washed through with hot golden syrup and warm boar water . .
FX . . PIGS
They wasted nothing at the Milligan Fremantle Piggery
NOD
G’dy and G’d’evening Folkies . . Tonight we have a chilling tale of Corruption and Theft and Pillage and rogues in High Office, all in the direction of Down-Under . . Sit down and I’ll tell you a story . . are you sitting comfortably . . then . .
With America forever going her own sweet way a new dumping ground for the disaffected, the un-dis-infected , the unreasonably high-spirited and as many rebellion prone paddies and Jocks as those Upper Class Pommie bastards were able to divest themselves of ! First the Hulks . . Sarah Island . . Moreton Bay . .and now that darkest of dumpling grounds . . Western Australia . . the Swan River Con-Colony . . Run by a corrupt and theiving mob of pillagers, roguery in High Offices . . unstoppable . . until a Hero of gigantic proportions happens along. This brave, weight challenged fool and his two comrades, Blofliable and Lamingtons take on the might of the Establishment and . . .
. . . tells the real story behind Noddy Seize-Groin, alias ‘Goondyne Joe’, a big girls blouse of a bushranger and his two bold comrades -in -chains (guess who folks) who join forces with our Hero as they battle against Corruption, Nepotism and Knee Rust. Affrayed against him towers Guv ‘Big’ Hampton and his wet son ‘littlehampton’. These tossers are actually pawns in a game, hosted by the evil Honourable Stilson-Slim and his ferociously accented Frenchman henchman, the right Count Camenbert Moronarty, MC. and I.Q 79, and their cunning plan to flog Western Australia to the Russians . . or anyone. The Stilson and Moronarti Clans are persistent in this un-savoury endeavour down many of the ages.
Another pawn who bares his mention is Major Ennis Bloodclot of the Fifth Welsh Light Bleeders, M.C., Idiot and Bar.. any bar and of course Fred Mate and the Crunts will be there too . .
written by Tim Lambert and Roger Montgomery.
Aired on the ABC's Songs & Stories programme
Recorded and improved at the George St studios by Tim Lambert / Roger Montgomery (very rough recording available for research)
What happens when a couple of Indonesian gods come over to Australia in the eighteen hundreds to find out who the great heroes of our young nation are. They meet up with the Kelly Gang and share stories and experiences. They also share traditional songs.
Written by Mike Burns and Roger Montgomery. Performed at various Oz venues and in Surabaya with a full gamelan orchestra and a scratch Aussie Bush Band. Very interesting. Also at the Canberra National Folk Festival (2010) Two Shows . . Two standing ovations . . beauty!