Bush recollections from old rockers

Not so well known is the one that emerged in Queensland’s central west at the same time, when bands such as Russ Head and the Impacts, the Rubber Band, Factory Fleece and the In Crowd were in demand every weekend.

“It was a magic that didn’t happen anywhere else in Australia at that time, as far as I know,” says Will Fraser, one of the men behind a recording project that has documented this slice of bush history.

“There are pockets round the world where things like this happened and the central west was one of them.

“We were flat out for all three nights of each weekend – on Sundays we couldn’t start playing until 8pm when the church services were finished – and young people were spoilt for choice, trying to work out who they’d go and see, and in which town.”

Will, who gives himself the pseudonym of Roy the Boy from Yalleroi, has collaborated with fellow ex-Barcaldine resident Mark Walsh to compile a book and CD of songs and ‘true’ stories of life from that time.

It contains 20 songs, 19 original tracks written by the pair and others from the music scene in the west over 40 years ago, and a cover version of You Don’t Know Me played by The Impacts.

Two of The Impacts songs are recordings made at Longreach radio station 4LG, while the other comes from a tape recorder placed on the floor during a Thursday afternoon practice session in Blackall.

Dubbed the Bullring Project, it was launched at the Tree of Knowledge Festival in Barcaldine earlier this year when a number of the “old rockers” got together to play.

So far, 300 books and CDs have been sold and Will said there had been lots of good feedback from people who said the songs brought back lots of memories.

They pay homage to many of the things that made small town life special – cuddling in the back row at the movies, claypan boogies, meeting girls at the local café, and football altercations.

Will said it all started when Blackall’s Mark Abbott wrote up some of his memories and sent them to him.

“I put it to music and it started a whole other train of thought.

“We contacted some of the others and asked for their stories, and we ended up with plenty of material.

“Some of it didn’t get past the final censor!”

Will said the old rockers had been excited to know that people were interested in their stories.

“They’ve all got children and grandchildren now – some of them didn’t even know their fathers had a past life in a band,” he said.

He remembers the lengths band members went to, to be part of the worldwide music scene at a time when there was no TV reception in the bush.

“Radio wasn’t playing the sort of music we wanted to listen to, so we used to order Rolling Stone magazine and read record reviews, then we’d go into the Barcy electrical shop and order the LP.

“It would take another three months to come, when there was great excitement – we’d all get out our guitars and work out how to play the songs.”

A faster way was to sit on a small rise outside of town at night and twiddle the knobs on the car radio to tune into stations such as Sydney’s 2UE.

The book is full of similar stories – flying a light plane to Windorah to play at the annual Race Day ball, gluing egg cartons to shed walls to reduce sound emissions – and has plenty of original photos of people in their youth.

Some show Queensland’s current Assistant Police Commissioner Paul Stewart as the front man for Longreach band Factory Fleece.

All profits from the project will go towards aged care facilities in the central west, which is perhaps fitting.

Giveaway

Queensland Country Life has one special copy of the Recollections CD and book to giveaway next week to our best letter to the editor. To submit a letter to our editor, email lettersqcl@fairfaxmedia.com.au.