THE POWER OF THE SONG

I attended many of the folk concerts on campus and was exposed to the songs of protest evolving with the anti-Vietnam War and civil rights movements. The power of a song, sung by one voice accompanied by a single guitar, had an indelible influence on me. Gary Shearston’s Australian Broadside LP introduced me to Australian writers such as Dennis Kevans, Dorothy Hewitt, Kath Walker and Mona Brand, as well as Gary’s own songs. The power that a song could possess in peacefully presenting a certain viewpoint was demonstrated at the rallies, marches and protest concerts concerning Vietnam and the Australian Aborigine.

These were Australian voices responding in song to things that concerned them and were affecting our country. They were singing from an Australian experience, not just rehashing ideas from overseas. The realisation of this, along with the readiness of these writers and performers to confront and challenge the prevailing feeling that anything home grown was either substandard or suspect, had a profound influence on me. Around this time I was writing prose and poetry.

During 1969, when studying for my Diploma of Education at Sydney Teachers’ College, I bowed to an urge that had been building up in me for some time. I bought myself a guitar and, with a few instruction books, began in earnest to teach myself the fundamentals. My practice time was usually late in the evenings, after I had finished my studies.

I found the guitar quite a calming instrument to play and very conducive to reflection. Around this time I started composing my own songs, basing the melodies around chords and finger styles I was learning. One of these early songs was about the Vietnam War and military service.

In January 1970, I was given a teaching appointment to Binnaway and I knew it was the right time to be leaving Sydney.