RooRythmics Bios: Dwight Walker

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Dwight Walker 0412-405727, dwight at wwwalker.com.au

Sydney

I gave music away for a few years while I was studying at university only playing at church but when I moved to Sydney in 1988 I contacted Ross Hansen at St Matthias Anglican. When the RooRythmics Bush Band needed a violinist they contacted me.

I also played violin and sang in the Waverley Randwick Philharmonic Society Inc. - a community orchestra and choir in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs, of which I was President from 1996 to 1998. I am now Life Member and Friend and maintain their Web site.

From 1989-2000, I was a member of the Amateur Chamber Music Society Inc in Sydney and played in string quartets and trios on their playing days. In 1999, I helped start a regional part of this group in Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains meeting in Glenbrook.

I used to play violin in the 7pm congregation in two congregations: Wesley Mission for Gordon Moyes and St Johns Anglican Parramatta.

In December 1997, I played as guest violinist in the Dirranbandi Bush Band in Sydney.

Macarthur Sounds

From 1998-2001, I played with the Macarthur Sounds folk band based in Campbelltown then Canowindra (61-412702842). With them I have played at St Marys Leagues Club for a big gala day and at Green Valley Plaza, Liverpool for Australia Day. Early in 2000 at Tribal Records, we produced MP3 demo tracks which will be launched on CD in February 2006 with APRA certification.

CD Launch

Macarthur Sounds launched its CD on 15/4/06 in Campbelltown. I played on this CD in 2000.

We also played at the Olympic Torch Relay in 2000 and a Westmead Children's Hospital fund-raiser in 2001.

Macarthur Sounds put on a musical called "The Colonial Minstrel" in The Independent Theatre, North Sydney end of 2001. They wrote the script themselves. It was quite a success. It was about a travelling minstrel in the Australian colonies in the 1800s before Federation - it included quite a few stories and yarns from long ago that had not been heard before. I didn't perform in the Colonial Minstrel.

Since 2003, Macarthur Sounds has run a small sheep station in Canowindra 30km southwest of Orange (100km by road) with plans for tours and folk dancing out on the farm. Melvyn Shreeve, the operator of Macarthur Sounds, also gives violin lessons in Sydney and Central West NSW.

We played in a Ben Hall bushranger event at the Royal Hotel, Canowindra, NSW on 14/10/06 as part of Canowindra Spring Fest. Many came up from Sydney and I came over via Countrylink from Orange and stayed the night and enjoyed the local scene. Canowindra is a very friendly little town 1 hour west of Orange NSW, part of the Central West's rolling hills. Canowindra also has the Age of Fishes Museum with fossil fish on display found nearby at Goolagong! As of October 2006, Macarthur Sounds now has a new drummer and lead singer.

In September 2008, Melvyn had a video commissioned by a UWS student to market Macarthur Sounds. Unfortunately I could not make the shoot near Central Station, Sydney.

Holroyd Arts Advisory Committee

In 1999, I joined the Holroyd City Council Arts Advisory Committee to promote the arts in the Western Suburbs of Sydney. Already I have played in several gigs as a solo bush fiddler or with Mick Gallagher's band the Bushrockers including several gigs on Australia Day 2000.

In about 2002, I was listed in Artfiles, a directory of artists in the Western Suburubs sponsored by all Western Sydney councils including Parramatta and Holroyd City Councils. Copies of Artfiles are free from any of the Western Sydney councils including Parramatta and Holroyd.

In 1999, I played violin in the pit orchestra for Holroyd Musical and Dramatic Society production of Rodger and Hammerstein's Carousel at Merrylands High School Hall. This was the first musical I've played in.

Roving

In July 2002, I moved to Orange (250km west of Sydney) where I have played in the Orange Town and Country Music Club and Ten Penny Bit Bush Band.

In May 2003, I moved to Brisbane Qld, spent 6 mths in North Qld picking fruit, then returned to Sydney from March to December 2004. We then travelled back to Qld in January 2005 then returned to Sydney in March 2005 then Orange in July where I settled again in October 2005 til January 2008.

From April 2008 onwards, I am travelling around NSW, ACT and Queensland with Orange as a base. This is due to the credit crunch drying up all work for small businesses like mine.

Ten Penny Bit, Orange NSW

Starting in February 2007, I have started doing gigs again in the Orange area with Ten Penny Bit including Oberon and Lake Burrendong via Wellington NSW. This is welcome relief after a long dry spell in Orange where no music was played due to work commitments. The last time was back in early 2003.

I got a copy of the Ridgecrest newsletter - it has a reference to our Young Farmers gig back in Feb!

'Congratulations to NSW Young Farmer of the Year - Stuart Blake of Walcha - from the Ridgecrest Young Farmers Camp' - which I was at for the bush dance with Ten Penny Bit.

Ridgecrest is run by the Western District Baptist Association of Churches (Western NSW).

2 students from CSU Bathurst came around to my house in July 2007 and interviewed me re Ten Penny Bit and bush bands in general. Their interview will be broadcast in December 2007 on Community Radio 2MCE (Bathurst and Orange).

I left the band in October 2007 because I guess I am from a big city and country life can be very hard to bear at times - the slow pace of change.

This leaving of the band in Orange was unfortunate for me as a friend in Wellington NSW was planning on a community gig in 2008 but because I left it fell through. Sometimes drastic moves stuff things up!

Bush dance at Ridgecrest, Lake Burrendong Feb 2007 by Ten Penny Bit for Young Farmers Camp

Brisbane

In January 2008, I move back to Brisbane for 3 months then travel around NSW and Canberra for 6 months doing research on aboriginal missions for a book by my father

Busking and Teaching Violin, Orange NSW

In January 2009, I go solo and get a permit from Orange City Council and start busking violin outside Scottys on Summer near the National Australia Bank and find a violin student and start teaching violin in April-June 2009.

Busking in Victoria

In June/July 2009, I busked in Castlemaine and Melbourne CBD and did very well! It is free to busk in these cities. Melbourne had a free permit.

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