1979 School Magazine

MUSIC A}tID GULTURAT EXCHANGE TOUR ln the small hours of the morning, we set out on the first leg of our tour, equipped with masses of luggage, great coats and high spirits. Our first concert was a Cherbourg, where the format was set for our other concerts, with plenty of audience involvement through 'singalongs' and audience conduc- ting. Our demonstrations of the various instruments was received with great interest. We were warmly received by the audience, but not by the elements. That night some of us camped in temps, of 2o. The next day we travelled through Monto, and played a concert at Biloela Town Hall that night. We were on the road again the next day, swallowing much dust, en roule to Worrabinda Aboriginal Mission. Then on to Blackwater, where our performance that night met with an enthusiastic reception. Emerald, Alpha, and Bar- caldine and Mt. lsa, spending I3 hours on the road. We stopped briefly at Winton, where Banjo Paterson reputedly wrote "Waltzing Matilda". We lunched en route at Kynoona, a little country town which literally consisted of a pub! We arrived at Cloncurry at 7 p.m. and spent an hour by the road, hemmed in by a rodeo procession, finally arriv- ed, stiff and exhausted, at Mt. lsa at 9 p.m. that night. Saturday passed enjoyably in a workshop with the Mt. lsa Youth Orchestra. Sunday saw us on the road again. After stopping for lunch at the Burke and Wills cafe in Burketown, we headed for Doomadgee arriving so late, that our "matinee" became an B p.m. concert, with our biggest audience yet of over 400 people. That night we camped in the school, and from then on we were 'roughing it' with a vengeance. On Monday we left for Normanton where we gave yet another concert. Tuesday saw us on the road to Ravenshoe, travelling now through the lush, rainforest country of the Far North. On the Tableland, we gave concerts at the Ather- ton and Mareeba State Schools, and camped out again before a dawn departure for Cooktown. We passed many scenic spots before arriving in Cooktown for lunch. We gave a concert at Hopevale Mission that afternoon, and camped at Cooktown State School that night, enjoy- ing the lucury of 'bush showers' which have to be ex- perienced to be appreciated! Friday saw us rise with the sun again, and soon after dawn we were on the road again. We lunched on a secluded beach north of Cairns and arrived at Yarrabah Mission on the last day of term, where we livened up local life with lots ol jazz, and where some of us became marooned in the mudflats! We departed Yarrabah the next morning for Bowen where we gave our last concert of the tour. The bus journey was enlivened with songs, limericks, card play- ing and other activities. We returned home travel-stained and weary, but happy with the knowledge that our tour had been a great suc- CESS.

TEACHERS'QUOTES Britain needs a good war to stimulate their economy. Teacher: Girls, you must answer the question. Studenf; You mean we really have to answer the ques- tion!! Can't you pick the topic on New York and write about French noodles or something? It always amazes me how the Romans couldn't spring Hannibal's army of {ifty thousand men and X number of elephants" By now the senate were really shocked out of their togas. Concentratel Think! How do plants go to the toilet? Teacher: Give me words to express your feelings of happiness. Sfudents: Ecstatic! Happy! lncredible! Over-joyed! Carefree! Yeh, super! Teacher in-first lesson of year: "You are really working hard this year." But overall, Brisbane has a good figure. I don't care if you think you're Harr:y Butler. To me all snakes bite. Teacher: Let's make a marine food chain. We'll start with phytoplankton then zoo plankton. What next? Student: Whales

Margaret Pestorius, 1 0E

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