rick-p Posted March 23, 2012 Posted March 23, 2012 The Barron river gorge water falls at this time of year when the rivers are overflowing! Taken with my Olympus camera.[ATTACH=full]16855[/ATTACH] Frank. Now that really brings back the memories of when I use to live at Kuranda many years ago, up at Black Mountain. They are spectacular falls when there is enough water going over them. Thanks for the memory 1
rick-p Posted March 23, 2012 Posted March 23, 2012 Hi Steve and thank you! I spent a few years in innisfail and if I remember correctly, it was from 1961 to 1966. In 61 I was 13 years old and if you go back that far, I may know you and you may know these Innisfail boys!That`s me, front right. We called ourselves, The Crew. Frank. You guys weren't the "Motley Crew" were you! Actually who is the guy with the tambourine around his neck, he looks very familiar to me?
farri Posted March 24, 2012 Author Posted March 24, 2012 You guys weren't the "Motley Crew" were you! :roflmao:Actually who is the guy with the tambourine around his neck, he looks very familiar to me? From rear left to right.Bob Harris, base guitar and aspiring pilot! now famous GA CFI at Innisfail, Mundoo aerodeome! Cecil Anderson, rhythm guitar and PMG ( now Telstra ) technician. Gordon Bradley, Keyboard and Babinda sugar mill pay master. Front, left....Jef Yelaska, singer and aspiring Tom Jones impersonator. Yours truely, lead guitar and apprentice motor mechanic. Can`t remember why, Neville Wallace, the Drummer, isn`t in that photo! Motley?............ " To have a great ambition or ultimate goal ".....Absolutely! Frank.
Guest Maj Millard Posted March 24, 2012 Posted March 24, 2012 It's a strange world Frank....about that same time I had a high-school band in Townsville called 'The Gentry'. We were supported and encouraged by a friend of my brothers' down the road, who played in a much bigger group called MI5. We did a few high-school dances and had our following, plus a few weekend gigs at the Hermit-park and Seaview pubs in Townsville. (Our lead singer, a much older gentleman was kegman at the Seaview and resident drunk, but knew all the songs and looked like Elvis) Our biggest claim to fame was opening for Johhny Farman (as he was called then) at the Royal Theater in Townsville. Just after his big hit 'Sadie the cleaning lady' he toured but only had about five songs to his name. Five local groups did the first half, and he the second. I think he sang 'Sadie' about five times....I still remember a guy back stage with a bloody vacume cleaner for chris sake !!. We were the lest experienced of the five local groups, so we were on first. Of course our high-school following were all there so we were a hit...I still remember being pelted with jaffas as we did 'Runaway' by Dell Shannon, followed by some Stones number. Having Jaffas thrown at you in those days was complimentry, and much nicer than meat pies or eggs ! My friend from the MI5 let me use his Ludwig drumkit with twin basses in lue of my Pearl kit, and I was Charlie Watt for the night !...later my older brother who had also been there, asked how much we had paid all the kids to throw those jaffas !!.............................................................Maj...
rick-p Posted March 24, 2012 Posted March 24, 2012 From rear left to right.Bob Harris, base guitar and aspiring pilot! now famous GA CFI at Innisfail, Mundoo aerodeome!Cecil Anderson, rhythm guitar and PMG ( now Telstra ) technician. Gordon Bradley, Keyboard and Babinda sugar mill pay master. Front, left....Jef Yelaska, singer and aspiring Tom Jones impersonator. Yours truely, lead guitar and apprentice motor mechanic. Can`t remember why, Neville Wallace, the Drummer, isn`t in that photo! Motley?............ " To have a great ambition or ultimate goal ".....Absolutely! Frank. Thanks Frank. It was just that his face is quite familiar, maybe I met him up North at some stage when I was involved in refrigeration. We used to do a lot of commissioning of new systems in new larger buildings and quite often at the same time had the telephone guys in doing their thing. If you don't ask you will never know and always keep wondering! Thanks again.
farri Posted March 25, 2012 Author Posted March 25, 2012 It's a strange world Frank....about that same time I had a high-school band in Townsville called 'The Gentry'. Maj... Ross, I`m glad to know that! Thanks for posting it! Back then, in the Cairns/Innisfail area, the four most popular bands, were, The Crew...Fireflies...Mustangs and the Jaguars...We (The Crew) got heaps of bookings because we did weddings, formal balls and the big dancers that were held on a Saturday night in the Innisfail Shire Hall. Then, night clubs were few and far between and so the Saturday night dance was a big event and drew a large crowd. We`d be booked, months in advance. I was with four different bands before I gave it up... This old photo is of one of those bands on practice night and that`s me on the left playing Bass. With this band, we had a permanent booking every Saturday night, for 1 1/2 years at the Innisfail, Queens hotel, then every Saturday night for a year in the Innisfail, Cane Cutter hotel. When this photo was taken, Fran and I were married and we already had our three children ( Yes! We started young ). I`d purchased a cane harvester with it`s harvesting contract and while the harvesting season was on, this was one of my typical days...Drive the harvester then if there was time left when I finished harvesting, race down to the block where my farther and I were clearing scrub to start a cane farm, work until almost dark and when we had a booking, race home, get cleaned up, load the gear into the car, drive to the venue we were playing at, set the gear up and be ready to start at 8pm, quite often, not getting back home until 3 am. In the end it just got too much for me and when we purchased this farm and moved here to Deeral,I put the guitar away and never touched it again for 25 years, until one day, I got phone call from Cecil Anderson,(original Crew, rhythm guitarist) asking if I was interested in a reunion. The other guys in The Crew had decided to get together and try to raise some money for the Cancer Foundation, but we would be playing for free. I couldn`t say no could I?..I was concerned though, that it might be a flop! It was a long time since I`d picked up a guitar, we and our followers of the past had grown older and the younger generation didn`t even know who The Crew was. The night would be a formal dinner/dance, so we chose the Innisfail Shire Hall because it could hold seven hundred people..I didn`t need to have worried, the hall was booked out and at 2 am we had to pull the plug on the gear because they weren`t going home...The best compliment of the night was when I went to get a drink and a young guy in his late teens came up to me, shook my hand and told me what a great time he was having and how good the music was...I was very impressed and happy....The night was a sucess and thousands of $$$$$$ were raised. I went home, put the guitar away and didn`t touch it again for ten years, then fate intervened again! A guy turned up wanting to learn to fly the Drifter! As we were talking I told him I`d played guitar when I was younger. He told me he was a computer programer, wrote software and played electric Bass guitar. He invited me to his place to take a look at what he was doing, I was amazed! he had music computer programs that I wasn`t even aware existed! I had never touched a computer! I had been wanting to buy one and learn for quite a while, but I just didn`t know where to start or how to go about it, now I knew! I purchased a computer and eveything else that I needed, Learnt to use both the computer and the music programs, Picked up the guitar, started playing again and now play something every single day!....These days, I only play for my own enjoyment but who knows what`s around the corner Strange world??????? Frank. 2
Bryon Posted March 25, 2012 Posted March 25, 2012 At least you have got a drummer in that piccie Frank. What I want to know is......... How many old drummers are there in this forum??????
Guest Maj Millard Posted March 25, 2012 Posted March 25, 2012 I'm an old drummer....actually hopped on a set at a jam recently, (hadn't touched a stick since the 60s !) just to give a guy a break. He didn't come back asking for his drumkit, and I ended up backing several musicians all night. Like riding a bike apparantly !!!...it all came back including the seat adjustments. Frank, Those photos you have of your bands are gold !...I wish I had some of the Gentry, but I don't........................................Maj...
farri Posted March 25, 2012 Author Posted March 25, 2012 What I want to know is.........How many old drummers are there in this forum?????? Bryon, all you have to do is start a thread on it. I'm an old drummer.... Frank, Those photos you have of your bands are gold !...I wish I had some of the Gentry, but I don't.Maj... Ross, I love yuh, been wondering what part you had in the band, you`re a champion!.....I should have a couple more more somewhere! gunna take a bit of looking, but if I find,I`ll post. Frank.
corvairkr Posted March 25, 2012 Posted March 25, 2012 Geeez i can see a northern hangar party jam session coming up , im an ex drummer i havent played for a about 7 years though , i was a founding member of a local band called "Dr Jack" which are still going strong .
sfGnome Posted March 25, 2012 Posted March 25, 2012 Does this mean that we can start with the drummer jokes? Can we? Huh? Can we?? 2
rick-p Posted March 25, 2012 Posted March 25, 2012 Ok a drummer joke! What do you call a person who hangs around with a band? No not a groupie, a drummer of course. That was a joke told to Ringo Star by a Royal at Royal Gala Concert when the boys were at their best, Ringo thought it was funny but not Paul evidently, but alas poor Ringo wasn't the sharpest knife in the draw. 2
winsor68 Posted March 25, 2012 Posted March 25, 2012 How do you tell if the stage is level? The drool comes out of both sides of the drummers mouth evenly. This skill could come in handy in the cockpit for you guys... lol 2
Guest Maj Millard Posted March 26, 2012 Posted March 26, 2012 That drool would be from drinking too many free jugs of beer at those wedding gigs !!....to the point where you can't even hold the sticks anymore let alone play something with them..............................Maj...
sfGnome Posted March 26, 2012 Posted March 26, 2012 Ok, to be fair, perhaps I should head in the other direction. How do you drown a singer? Shine a spotlight on the bottom of a pool!
farri Posted March 27, 2012 Author Posted March 27, 2012 Ok, to be fair, perhaps I should head in the other direction. How do you drown a singer? Shine a spotlight on the bottom of a pool! I love it, I love it, I love it! .......The singer in the photo of "The Crew" fancied himself as a Tom Jones reincarnation. We`ve had so much rain in the last couple of days, especially in the catchment of the Mulgrave river, that the water is flowing over the spillway of the Tinaroo dam...The photo is one that was taken a while back. Yesterday I had to bring the Drifter back up to the house and Ross road, our road out to the highway, is flooded again...For the moment,the rain has stoped and there`s some sun about...Fran has just come back from taking a look at the height of the water over the road and if it doesn`t rain much, it may be open by Thursday... Since last Wednsday I`ve been able to do four flights and have a look around. I spent most of the day yesterday scanning some of our precious old photos so I can save them to disc and usb stick, before we loose them to old age and I found this one... We got all sorts of engagements and I don`t remember where this one was taken but it looks like it could have been one of the local football clubs. I wanted to start a band so I got together with Cecil Anderson ( Guy on the left ) then Bob Harris came next, but we couldn`t find a drummer! eventually we heard about,Nevil Wallace, the guy at the drums. For all you Drummers out there:...At that time, Nevil was 15 years old, had no money, didn`t own a drum kit but was extremely keen to play drums and join us, so he showed us what he could do by playing " Wipeout ", an instrumental by the Surfari`s, with his knuckles, on the kitchen table... I was so impressed that I immediately said, " Your in, if you can get a Drum kit"...His sister who was older and working, bought a Drum kit for him...Now we could be a band. At first we were only a four piece band and Bob Harris was the only one with a car! he owned an FB Holden, so because of Bob,we now had a way of getting our gear around and could start trying to get engagements and engagements we did get...Eventually, we all had our own vehicle. Later on we added Gordon Bradley on Key board, then eventually, Jef Yelaska, the singer. Frank. 1
Ballpoint 246niner Posted March 27, 2012 Posted March 27, 2012 Awesome stuff Frank- the deluge is certainly debilitating to many.... we certainly do live in a country of extremes. Just goot have extreme fun as well when we can! Great photo's!!! 1
sfGnome Posted March 27, 2012 Posted March 27, 2012 What is it about drumless drummers? In my first band, we had a drummer with no drums. Had to get a friendly soul to donate a kit. Sadly after a couple of years the rest of the team decided that he really wasn't a drummer after all, and it fell to me to sack him. Difficult part was that he was my older brother...
Bryon Posted March 27, 2012 Posted March 27, 2012 Q: How can you tell a guitarist is at your door? A: By the Dominos Pizza hat. 3
farri Posted March 28, 2012 Author Posted March 28, 2012 What is it about drumless drummers? In my first band, we had a drummer with no drums. Had to get a friendly soul to donate a kit. Sadly after a couple of years the rest of the team decided that he really wasn't a drummer after all, and it fell to me to sack him. Difficult part was that he was my older brother... Fortunately, Nevil was a good drummer and only got better as time went on. Though our first singer was a top guy and extremely keen, after a few months a couple of the guys decided that he wasn`t what they wanted and so they got Jef Yelaske. I wasn`t too happy but I was outvoted! What`s the difference between a musician and a family size pizza.......The pizza will feed a family. Frank.
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