‘THAT’S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR’- RAISING FUNDS FOR UKRAINIAN REFUGEE CHILDREN

Základní škola Milady Petřkové, Velký Týnec  near Olomouc Czech Republic

While acknowledgments by this writer normally come at the end of a story, in this instance, it seems so much more fitting to be giving recognition to the many who made this event at the Somerset Civic Centre on Sunday 6^th November both the entertaining and financial success that it became.  The ‘Sweethearts of Song’, Kathleen, Susie, Carolyn, and Maree are grateful beyond measure to the amazing friends who pulled together in an enthusiastic gathering of talent and support for a wonderful cause.

The ranking of those names is inconsequential for to find favour would be a daunting task. Accordingly, we are indebted to Chayne and Jackie Walsh and Jackie’s brother, John Caffin who gave so freely of their time and expertise on this and multiple days to set the stage and direct the sound and lighting.  From the outset, we knew we were in good hands.  To ever willing Ruth Skippen, and Suzanne and Jan, the Choir’s treasured treasurers who so ably managed the front of house ticket sales and raffle selling, a task made more efficient thanks to Suzanne’s husband Paul whose command of all things technological was able to set up a system for eftpos.

To Di Chaplin, who was quick to put up her hand to oversee the raffle of the superb whip, a magnanimous gift by Pat O’Sullivan and along with Di, Judy Seppanen, Jan, Joann, Kerry, Anna, and Caitlin stepped up to undertake the serving of afternoon tea and the following late-hour restoration of the kitchen.  Alexis, thank you too for the array of robust plants assembled by you. While modest in quantity it was prodigious in popularity contributing greatly to the day’s objective…or could it have been the attraction of Eric’s unbridled charm whilst managing the stall?  Could there be anyone as committed as Joann when it comes to following instructions? Thank you, Jo, for being our gun roadie.  

A special thanks to all the donors of raffle prizes including Choir cheerleader, Felice Evans who, though unable to attend the concert, spent a day with Carolyn on the footpath in Toogoolawah selling raffle tickets; to the unwavering support of the Somerset Regional Council and management team at the Somerset Civic Centre; the ever reliable seller of entry tickets, Ann, at Two Galah’s Gallery and the Editors of the Somerset Newspaper who are so good at getting their readers as excited about our events as we are. 

As Master of Ceremonies, Councillor Sean Choat is fast becoming an unofficial member of the Esk Community Choir and again on this day his gift of the gab paved the way from go to whoa - this now a perfect segue to the recounting of the day’s outstanding performances.

How fantastic it is to be surrounded by so many inspiring and talented Choir family and friends.  Often it is that accompanists feel unappreciated but here is public proof, Alexis, that you are not.  As a choir director and, on this day, an accompanist, you are truly gifted, as a friend, unforgettable.  The accumulated hours of practice by the Glen Rock Uke Group, under the polished guidance of Ruth Skippen and Judy Seppanen paid dividends with a wonderfully musical performance.  There was the irrepressible Anna Wheildon’s sassy fun and sparkling stage flamboyance; the swooning crooning Dean Martin doppelganger, Pete ‘the plumber’ Edwards; the euphonious voice of Elaine Coates both in solo and in duet with Kathleen.  Unveiling her versatility, Kathleen turned her tune to Opera, and by the other Sweethearts, Carolyn, Susie, and Maree, duets, and solos.  It was apparent that sound and lighting were not their only strengths when the ‘Chayne Gang’, Chayne, John and Millie Walsh won the rapt attention of the audience with an outstanding vocal and instrumental performance. 

Bookending the day’s entertainment were the harmonious sounds of the ‘Sweethearts of Song’ celebrating, amongst others, the songs of Linda Ronstadt, The Carpenters, Bee Gees, ABBA, Shania Twain, and Maree’s fabulous tribute to the ‘Queen of Soul’, Aretha Franklin. 

The Sweethearts of Song - Kathleen, Susie, Carolyn & Maree

The starting point for this event was the belabouring requests by many Sweethearts’ followers for yet another concert.  Not such a difficult ask for we love what we do.  The motivation to move on this was the idea of making it a fundraiser for a little school in the Czech Republic which has accommodated the needs of numbers of Ukrainian refugee children, then rallying a variety of willing performers and giving it the appropriate title ‘That’s What Friends Are For’. 

The stoic philosopher, Marcus Aurelius once said ‘What stands in the way becomes the way’.  That this event became the success that it did, overcoming hurdles with the support of so many good people is testament to his assertions. To our friends and supporters both on and off stage who have reminded us how great it feels to have good people by our sides we, the Sweethearts of Song, give our sincere thanks.

For the generous support of so many, we will be gifting $4080 to the Základní škola Milady Petřkové Velký Týnec in the Czech Republic. 

By: Sue Walker  

The Sweethearts of Song - Kathleen, Susie, Carolyn & Maree

"That's What Friends are For"  finale 
Kathie, Jo, Greg, Elaine, Ruth 

Elaine Coates - Skylark 

Chayne Caffin

Millie Walsh

Maree Lansdown - At Last & Crazy

Sue and Carolyn - Tell Him 

Kathleen - O Mio Babbino Caro (Puccini)

Anna Fiorina Wheildon -
All that Jazz & The Lady is a Tramp

The one and only - Sean Choat

Ukulele group

Di, Alexis (behind), Kathie, Elaine, Jo, Susie, Ruth, Carolyn, Greg (behind), Maree,
Anna Fiorina & Judy
THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR

Thank you, Pat O'Sullivan, Whip Maker from Toowoomba, 
for helping us to raise much needed funds for this 
very worthy cause. 

‘THANK YOU’ WILL NEVER SEEM ENOUGH FROM THE ‘VOICES FOR UKRAINE’

 It may be considered erroneous to be writing this report in the first person, however, since my first weeks as a member of the Esk Community Choir some 14 years ago, few events have been more memorable for the sheer force of the community support which surrounded it than ‘Voices for Ukraine’, the Esk Community Choir’s tireless efforts to hold a musical event as a fundraiser for the people of Ukraine.

To step into the foyer of the Somerset Civic Centre, Esk on that frosty afternoon of July 10^th was to enter the hive of activity around a kaleidoscope of colourful gifts, raffle prizes, ticket sellers, an abundance of warm handshakes, hugs and a whole lot of optimism and expectation of what lay in store that afternoon.  In a world that is quickly becoming divisive on so many fronts, this day was a reminder of how good and solid humanity could be if people were open to being connected with a common cause.

Inside the auditorium, the stage had been transformed with the colours of Ukraine bookended by a PowerPoint, potent in its presentation of scenes from the devastated towns, cities, and people of Ukraine, a poignant reminder of what this day was all about.

The warmth of the welcomes by Choir President, Marina and Mayor Graeme Lehmann were almost superfluous as each one present had to have known that they were, many already having given so willingly their support and encouragement for our cause.

Pat Stanley and Maria Pool whose beautiful butterfly dance was the metaphor for transformation and hope followed by my performance of the emotive song ‘To Believe’ were each performed ‘as if no one was watching’ which was patently not the case since the auditorium was filled to its capacity.  These then opened the door to the repertoire of some of the most harmonious soul-stirring songs by soloists, duos, trios, quartets, choruses and ensembles, all Esk Choir Members and all, save for the backing music for the Sweethearts of Song, to the accompaniment by our gifted Choir Director Alexis. 

To Believe - Sue Walker

Vilia - Christine Caldwell with backing group

It was also very clear that there is a bunch of primary and secondary school students in Esk and the Somerset Region whose musical talents are only exceeded by their enthusiasm for their places in the Combined School Band and equally on song with their bandmaster, Mr Adam Smith, their trio of upbeat items giving rise to a delighted audience’s participation and acclamation.

 So fervent was the demand for raffle tickets for some extraordinarily beautiful prizes, many gifted by local businesses and members of the community, that tickets sold out, thwarted purchases becoming magnanimous donations. By interval, raffle prizes drawn and won, it was time for the auctioning of three exquisite Michael Keller paintings.  Auctioneer, Vince O’Brien, conceding that he was more at home dealing with items of ‘a more rustic nature’ aka bulls and cows, was brilliant as he elicited some very competitive bidding, negotiating with potential, soon-to-be eventual purchasers, sales which raised close to $1000.00 for the cause. 

It has been said that ‘when you give of yourself you truly give’ which is what all our guest choirs were able to do in spades.  The Lockyer Valley’s ‘Something to Sing About Choir’ brought together by their experiences with cancer were truly inspiring.  The repertoire by Toowoomba’s ‘Women in Harmony’, a choir which embraces women of many diverse cultural backgrounds, included a beautiful piece ‘Our Hearts Are Really There’ composed by their accompanist, Helen Morris, the lyrics reflective of the plight of victims of natural disasters but no less relevant to the devastation in Ukraine. The sublime harmonies by ‘VoiceMale’ comprised of well…males…with their blend of tenor and bass voices added another level of loveliness to the already beautiful choral singing.  Thank you all…forever and sincerely from the Esk Community Choir.

Women in Harmony from Toowoomba

As the afternoon was nearing its conclusion, our always eloquent emcee Sean Choat shepherded the Esk Community Choir members to the stage for the concert finale.  With Alexis at the ready, hands poised, her choir oozing her confidence in a well-practised repertoire of uplifting songs, it seemed we had lost our accompanist.  Now while Margaret may be as tiny as she is talented at the keyboard, it appeared that she had disappeared behind our rather grand piano.  In a flash, with her reading light in place, it was on with the show…until the second piano lost its sound, and we, our conductor as she sashayed stage left to attend to the problem.  On cue the choir picked up where we needed to, completing this impassioned trio of songs, an audience possibly completely unaware of the musical misadventures on stage.  It was with the choir’s stirring performance of ‘Ukrainian Prayer’, a most beautifully poignant piece by the esteemed English composer, John Rutter, that left no one in doubt of the beauty of choral singing and the impetus for this event.   

Following presentations of gifts to our visiting Choir Directors, it was a call to choirs to merge as one for the massed choral singing of Mozart’s beautiful prayer for peace, ‘Dona Nobis Pacem’.

An event such as this does not happen without the support and generosity of so many people.  Large donations came from some unexpected places and, as always, from our friends and followers from the Somerset Community, many of whom went above and beyond to lend their support.   It is to all these that we of the Esk Community give our thanks.

We are also indebted to an extremely hard-working choir committee for their diligent performances within their roles, and the choir volunteers who never fail to put up their hands to sell tickets, construct and deconstruct the staging and hall seating, help with catering and any number of other necessary tasks; to John and Chane, our lighting and sound gurus, and to the editors of the Somerset Newspaper for their unquestioned support of all things ’choir’.

Finally, but never least to Alexis, the beating heart of our Choir who had this dream and turned it into reality; who never loses sight of the fact that together we make an incredible team; who has a gift and has lived her life giving it away; we give our heartfelt thanks.

For everyone’s kind support and generosity we will be gifting the people of Ukraine through distributions by the Red Cross Ukrainian Crisis Appeal the sum of $15,500.00.

By: Sue Walker

Mayor Tanya Milligan and Cr Sean Choat 

Roland, Eric, Maree and Ruth

'The Sweethearts of Song' - Kathie, Sue, Carolyn & Maree

VoiceMale from Toowoomba

Esk Community Choir

Something to Sing About Choir from Laidley

Gary Young Laidley

The Gasman Cometh

Tony Groom with his latest book

Our amazing audience