8th Australian
Folk Music
and Dance Gathering
at Albion Park, New South
Wales, Australia
Wed 4th - Mon 9th June
2003 (long weekend)
Full 2003 programme (Acrobat PDF format)
MEDIA RELEASE, 26 MAY 2003
Further information and bookings contact Bev Murray 02 4236 0701, or David De Santi 0409 57 1788, desanti@bigpond.com
What do Coopers Beer, Old Bush Songs and Colonial Cuisine have in common?
Well they're all part of the 8th Australian Folk Music and Dance Gathering feature Dinner and Concert to be held on Thursday 5th June 2003 at the Albion Park Centenary Hall, NSW presented by Wongawilli Colonial Dance Club.
Our History Comes Alive
Apart from a few buildings (notably churches courthouses and prisons) there are few remnants of Australia’s Pre-Federation colonial times. When a group of people at the Australian Folk Music and Dance Gathering at Albion Park sit down to dinner on Thursday June 5th they will be celebrating this part of our history. Not by looking at old buildings but by drinking eating and singing - it will be history as ‘she was lived’.
It’s the great ‘Coopers, Culture and Colonial Cuisine Night’.
Coopers Brewery is the only major brewery in Australia that is still family owned. In fact it has been so since 1862 when Thomas Cooper turned out a spot of the brew for his neighbours for medicinal reasons. The traditional beers are still brewed the same way which means there is a bit of secondary fermentation in the bottle which gives them their distinctive cloudy look. No preservatives or chemicals; which is a great boon for the health conscious.
Of course for those that like drinking with nonagenarians all that has to be done is to swallow a glass of Coopers. You’ll be drinking something that’s over ninety years old. It’s the yeast and its the same yeast that has been kept alive from batch to batch for over ninety years.
The roisterers on the night will be sampling seven different brews ranging from light lagers to the robust stout.
Colonial food was no where near as diverse as it is today. No refrigeration or freezers meant that great grandma was restricted in what she could serve up. Soups, corned beef, mutton, damper, pies, pumpkins, potatoes and baked puddings were the staple diet and that’s exactly what diners will plough through, when the take on the seven (small) courses that will showcase the food our ancestors ate.
As for culture; well the Wongawilli Band will be on hand and will be joined by Us Not Them, ‘Larrikin Bob McInnes’ and Alan Musgrove who will serve up a traditional lot of songs about food and colonial life. These will be the songs and music that were sung around campfires or in the shanties where people made there own entertainment with singing and dancing.
Bring along your singing voices because most have choruses that need to be sung - no opera here - you’ll just be part of a simple bush choir that any voice is welcome in.
The action kicks off at 7pm for 7.30pm in the annexe of the Centenary Hall in Albion Park. Cost is $35 or $30 with a Season Ticket to the ‘Gathering’. It includes the seven different Coopers Beers, all food and entertainment. Tickets must be pre-booked and numbers are limited. Light beer will be available all night as will non alcoholic drinks for designated drivers.
The ‘Coopers, Culture and Colonial Cuisine’ night is of course sponsered by the last of the great colonial brewers - Coopers.
The menu: Course 1 - Queensland Bush Nuts, roasted and salted. (otherwise known as Macadamias) | Course 2 - Mutton and Barley Broth served with damper | Course 3 - Marsupial Pie served with a Colonial Relish | Course 4 - Corned Beef seved with white sauce, boiled potato, and damper | Course 5 - Baked Lamb served with brown sauce, Boiled Queensland Blue Pumpkin, and peas | Course 6 - Bullocky’s Joy served with custard and cream | Course 7 - Selection of Colonial cheeses served with damper and billy tea | All courses served with a different Coopers ale, beer or stout. Light Beer available all night.
Further information and bookings contact Bev Murray 02 4236 0701, or David De Santi 0409 57 1788, desanti@bigpond.com
Further information on the Gathering is available at http://www.wongawillicolonialdance.org.au/Festival_2003.htm.
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