Maidenhead – The End!

Friday 1st October 2010
It was an early start to the day today as we needed to be at Edinburgh Airport for our flight to Heathrow. After having breakfast at the Edinburgh Gorgie Corps we headed off to the airport just after 8am. We thanked Tony for so safely transporting us across the UK and for being a great ‘groupie’ and we sang a rousing rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ to Julia.
After an uneventful trip to the airport and a few anxious moments while checking in luggage that had been weighed down with many purchases, we boarded our aircraft only to be told that we would have to sit on the plane on the tarmac while we waited for the weather to clear at Heathrow Airport. Three hours later with only a snack and a drink to keep us going, we finally departed for Heathrow. Needless to say this wasn’t the best start to the day and we were feeling somewhat weary and hungry by the time we arrived at St Mary’s Church in Maidenhead. A scrumptious lunch was waiting for us when we arrived and we tucked in heartily. It was lovely to see Amanda Parker, a former member of the MSS, and catch up a little on the past 10 years.

After sound checks it was off to the Maidenhead SA for a hot dinner of chicken pastries and apple pie and then back to St Mary’s for our final concert. It was an evening of mixed emotions; sadness that the tour was coming to an end; and excitement at returning home to families or holidaying in the UK and other places.

After the concert in front of a capacity crowd which included our friends Leanne  and Drew Ruthven, we packed up for the last time and met together to wrap up the tour.  Sadly, Wendy Adams announced that this was to be her last performance with the MSS before ‘retiring’ after nearly 18 years of singing with the group. Thanks Wendy for all you have given in service to God through the MSS, we will really miss you.

It was a very tired and emotional group that headed off to their billets at the end of the evening.

All in all it was a very successful tour from our point of view, thanks to the creative efforts of Brian Hogg and Julia Roper. We were really encouraged by the great feedback we received regarding the content of the concert and only God knows the full impact of the tour on the lives of those who were touched by the message presented.
God also touched our lives in many ways over the duration of the tour but none more so than during our time with the students of the Southwick Community School. To see ‘God with flesh on’ in action was a challenge to each of us to count our blessings in Christ and to follow the example of these beautiful people bringing love and hope into the lives of these precious children.

We thank all those people throughout the UK who warmly welcomed us into their lives for just a short time and looked after us so well, we pray God’s blessing on all who shared the journey with us.

Love and God Bless.
The Melbourne Staff Songsters.

 

 

Glasgow, Edinburgh

29th September
Wednesday dawned with birds chirping in the tress, songs in our hearts……and drizzle and fog covering all of Glasgow in hues of grey.

Our morning consisted of visiting and cruising Loch Lomond, and although it was rather misty, we still got to see the beautiful scenery of the Loch….It may also be worth noting, that there is no monster at Loch Lomond (it’s Loch NESS that has the monster, although Brian Hogg may have been mistaken for one once or twice!)

We then had some lunch, followed by a bit of shopping (mainly souvenirs) and there was also the option to purchase a kilt……but perhaps there are some things best left to the imagination.

We then headed off to Govan hall, where a few of the group took the opportunity to catch up on some well needed sleep. After our soundcheck we had an awesome dinner (the meat pies were delicious!) and got ready for the concert.

Although many of the group were tired, and some voices had disappeared, God moved among his people, and both people in the audience and the songsters were blessed.

After another busy day, people were very glad to get back to the billets, and have a good nights sleep (although it did take a while for some to make it home, as there was a ‘football’ (soccer) match on near by. It made Collingwood and Carlton games look like a tea party).

Another day down.

30th September
Thursday morning brought the change of location from Glasgow to Edinburgh. After a day of overcast skies, the sun broke through and we managed to get some vitamin D into our systems.

We were given the opportunity to do some sight-seeing of the picturesque sights of Edinburgh. Many of the group strolled along cobblestone streets to the castle. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time to do a tour, but many of the group enjoyed the thrill of dancing on the location of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Those that didn’t see the castle, enjoyed sight-seeing and shopping…..the bus was much heavier when we left Edinburgh due to all the shopping bags!

A short drive to the hall, for the ever exciting unloading of the bus and soundcheck (we are becoming rather good at this!) but as usual we enjoyed a delicious meal, provided by the lovely folk at Edinburgh-Gorgie.

Before the concert the group took the opportunity to present our amazing, helpful, supportive, encouraging roadie/bus driver Tony, with a MSS momento, as a gift to say thanks, for all he had done to make our trip so enjoyable….John Adams is going to miss Tony’s voice singing in his ear at our last concert.

A highlight of tonight’s concert was the spectacular bass solo performed by Len Wishart, at the end of the night……Our Lenny never holds back!

Home to billets for a good nights sleep, ready for an early start on Friday morning, for the flight back to London.

Carlisle, Glasgow West

Monday 27^th September

After farewelling our friendly billets from the Sunderland Monkwearmouth corps we headed back to Austin House for a quick  breakfast before hopping on the bus for our trip to Carlisle.  We had  a visit from the some of the young boys from the school who were keen to know what we had been up to on the weekend!

Our journey started after the late deliveries were made from the billets’ homes (items left by Tim Lynn and Ruth Kroenert – again!).  We stopped for a bite to eat at Hexham and for those that were quick a bit of shopping before heading  off to Carlisle with a brief stop off at Hadrians Wall.

Our Leader 'In the Stocks' at Hexham - just where he belongs

After taking a few wrong turns we finally navigated our way around the one-way road system into the city centre and were impressed by bus driver Tony’s driving skills as he reversed up the little lane way to get us to our hotel for the evening stay.  With not a moment to spare we unloaded the bags from the coach, checked into our rooms and changed in preparation for a reception with Mayor.

We were received warmly by the Mayor who provided the group with an excellent typical English afternoon tea complete with scones, jam and cream.  After a couple of vocal numbers by the MSS the reciprocal presentations were made by Maj Judith Soeters and the Mayor respectively.  The Mayor then showed the group around the beautiful council chambers, including the very interesting law library.

We were made to feel right at home when we arrived at the Carlisle corps.  Dinner was served with the table centre pieces featuring the Australian flag.

A capacity crowd was receptive to the evening programme with the only hiccup being Edith Jones forgetting her props for her drama and managed to “borrow” Mel Kaus’ prop seconds before taking to the stage!  The Divisional Commanders were invited to join in the reprise of Great is Our God as we thought that as it was their third time to the programme they should know our repertoire by now!

After a quick bite of supper it was time to retire back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep.

Tuesday 28^th September 2010

After a lovely breakfast with the local Carlisle Corps Officers at our hotel (Crown & Mitre Carlisle) we ventured into the Carlisle town centre for some retail therapy, which was needed for most of the female members in the group, this seems to be a frequently occurring requirement amongst the MSSetts. The opportunity was also there for some local sightseeing.

Once the local shopping and sightseeing had finished we were all to meet at the coach at 10.30am for an 11am departure to Glasgow West (approximately 2.5hour drive north of Carlisle). However there was one small problem, we had no Bass player accounted for?? (Nathan Radford where are you)?  Well Nathan was spotted enjoying his breakfast in an adjacent dining room to the MSS he was busily chatting to members of a seniors club who were on their midyear break.  Fortunately for us Nathan did arrive at the coach at 11.01am and subsequently will receive a 50p fine on the coach for this.

Glasgow West here we come and our journey into Scotland has commenced. Bump bump we have now crossed the border into Scotland.

After driving for 1 hour we stopped in Hamilton at a roadhouse for a quick bite to eat, drink of tea & coffee, rest stop and of course a facebook update here and there which was able to be achieved by the use of the free wi-fi access. The group disembarked the coach ready to eat & drink and upon receipt of their food and drink members needing the facebook fix quickly set up their laptops and away they went being totally unsociable to the rest of their fellow members, however all is well as we have already been together for over 1 week so need our 30min space.

The journey then continued into Glasgow city centre where again the females were granted some retail therapy (at St Enoch Shopping Complex) much to Harvey Spikin’s delight.  We managed to meet up with Harvey inside the shopping centre totally bored out of his mind, unfortunately he then helped Natalie Franks with some shopping at the GAP store, Natalie disappeared into the abyss for 45mins and with Harveys assistance left the store with a few bags of goodies.

With the retail therapy fixed for the females we were now on the way to Glasgow West Corps.

7.30pm, let the Ceilidh begin…

Haggis, Neeps (turnips) & Tatties (mashed potato) was served as our entrée to the dislike of Judith Soeters taste buds. This was then promptly followed by buffet style hot and cold food and desert. Scottish dancing and singing helped to digest the mass of food that was consumed. Special mention must be given to Judi Agnew who participated in every dance we think only to have the services of seven different males for seven different dances. The main highlight of the night goes to Mr. Ian Jones (who has recently gate crashed the MSS tour) who was spotted wearing black and blue striped undergarments.

We then were whisked away for some shut eye at our billets’ residences.

Men in kilts

"The Drummonds"

Nat and Tish

Sunderland Monkwearmouth

As the Melbourne Staff Songsters head further north, the weather becomes cooler and the accents become thicker. Despite this, the warmth of the hospitality extended to us and the positive reception of our ministry remains unchanged. We are certainly blessed to have met such great people and had such great experiences.

“A draw?! You’re kidding, right?!”
We awoke to an all-you-can-eat buffet breakfast at our hotel, the Premier Inn, on Saturday morning. Not that we really needed to load up on food. Many have forgotten what hunger feels like, with 3 meals per day plus a big feed from our billets after the evening concert being the norm on most days. Some have reported significantly more tightness around the abdominal region whilst squeezing into their uniforms. The breakfast chit-chat centred around the news of the AFL grand final draw, which a few had woken at 4:30 AM to follow live online, as the live telecast here was only available sports channel ESPN at a premium.

Shopping or sightseeing?
Most of Saturday until evening was free time. Apparently it is obligatory when visiting Newcastle to visit the giant statue “Angel of the North” and marvel at her perfectly chiselled bronze calf muscles. We fulfilled this duty, though many songsters chose to remain on the bus. One option for the day was to visit the city in Newcastle and browse the attractions including the Sage concert venue, St James’ park football stadium, and the many bridges, which connect both sides of the city along the Tyne River. The other (perhaps more dangerous) choice was to spend the day shopping at the huge retail venue, the Metro Centre. Many songsters, feeling starved of opportunities to part with their cash, proceeded to unleash their purses and wallets in an uninhibited consumeristic frenzy, in a display which could arguably have been better spent settling the foreign debts of many a developing nation. To be fair, there were quite a few bargains on offer, with many reporting 50%+ discounts on some items. Other folk were content with a movie and popcorn, or just a real espresso coffee from a proper café.

Sunderland Monkwearmouth
Next up was the evening concert at Sunderland Monkwearmouth. We arrived mid-afternoon to discover (as with North Shields corps) that all the sound equipment would once again need to be lifted up a big, narrow flight of stairs. The blokes responsible achieved this task like a well-oiled machine, and after a lovely dinner prepared by corps folk, there was plenty of time for sound checking and changing into uniforms before a relatively early 7:00 p.m. start. It has become apparent that people over here will arrive up to an hour before the beginning of a program to get a good seat and tonight was no exception. The worship hall filled nicely and even from our opening song it was clear the crowd were enthusiastic, with many joining in the clapping in the upbeat numbers. The songsters delivered the usual program, although a few people attempted to save some voice in the more vocally demanding charts, as some had been developing sore throats.

Magor vs Hogg
One item of note from the concert was the continuing feud between young soprano Cassie Magor and Songster Leader Brian Hogg.  During the song, “Inhabit Our Praise” there is a section where each songster briefly introduces his/herself. Cassie’s usual line for the tour had included a reference to the reality that Brian was over thrice her age, and Brian would then retort by bringing Cassie’s future in the group into question!  However, tonight, Letitia Rowe stole Cassie’s line unexpectedly. Without missing a beat, Cassie recovered and quickly came up with another jibe at Brian – this time comparing his appearance to that of a garden gnome missing his hat!  Uproarious laughter ensued.  Many positive comments followed the evening, which confirmed that God is using our efforts to bless souls and achieve the group’s mission to connect with others through music. It was then home to billets, and many rejoiced, as no pack-up was required.

Sunday Worship
Sunday involved a morning and evening meeting with a healthy period of rest time in between for lunch and socialising with billets.  Some even chose to have a lazy Sunday “nanna-nap”.  Highlights from the morning meeting included the Sunderland Monkwearmouth YP band and Singing Company, whose item “Give It All You’ve Got” blended rap elements with traditional singing.  Major Judith Soeters presented the bible message and Nathan Radford gave a short talk with the title “My Life, My Journey”. Local Officer Eric Skipsey also demonstrated his best kangaroo impersonation during the children’s story, brought to us by Wendy Adams, along with some helpers.

The evening meeting included participation from the Senior Band and Songsters from the Corps, whose message set the scene perfectly for Major Carelle Begley’s bible message. Tim Lynn gave a rousing children’s story, showcasing his upper vocal register, and Major Phia Gibb shared experiences from her life and journey.  Another standout moment was witnessing drummer Trent Franks watching in awe as the local band’s all-female percussion section upstaged him with significant skill and showmanship?

Hard to say goodbye…..
We extend heartfelt thanks to the Sunderland Monkwearmouth corps for their hospitality and friendship over this successful weekend. We also say farewell to our mascot, a life-sized stuffed kangaroo loaned to us by Southwick Primary School for our visit.  God is using us in a special way on this tour and we look forward to what He has in store this coming week!

Cradley Heath, North Shields, Southwick Primary School

Wednesday 22nd September

It was really difficult leaving Peterborough this morning.  From the moment we arrived, their warm welcome made us feel right at home.

After a short bus ride we arrived at Coventry Cathedral.  As we wandered through the ruins of the old cathedral that was bombed in 1940, it gave us a sobering reminder of past atrocities.  After lunch at Benedict’s (cathedral cafe) we were back on the bus for the trip to Cradley Heath.

After an exceptionally smooth unloading of the bus and change into our uniforms, we got back on the bus in order to travel to a mayoral reception at Sandwell council chambers.  The MSS enjoyed a magnificent afternoon tea. During a very informative talk about Mayoral chains and Maces (a symbol of power) Wendy Adams was seen wearing $500,000 worth of jewellery. (What would they go for on eBay?!).

A delightful evening meal was interrupted by a presentation to Brian Hogg of an official MSS Mace.  Just remember Brian; with great power comes great responsibility.

The MSS were enthusiastically welcomed by the folks at Cradley Heath. The audience responded enthusiastically to the new program format and really entered into the spirit of the evening

Home to Billets. YEAH.

Thursday 23^rd September

After a slight delay due to mechanical difficulties on the bus, again we were very sorry to leave our new found friends at Cradley Heath. We drove through beautiful countryside and ate our very appetizing lunch (prepared by our friends at Cradley Heath) on the bus.  On the way to North Shields (N.S) we were greeted by our first rainstorm in the U.K.

The Officer of North Shields (Captain Donald Montgomery – not Colin Judith!!!) warmly greeted us.   The quaint Army hall we were to perform in enchanted us.  An intimate atmosphere was created in the Hall when the lights were dimmed during the singing of “The Great Southland” and the slide show depicting Australian landmarks.

Very pleased to meet our Billets and head home for a good night’s sleep.

Friday 24^th September
You wake up some days having no idea of the life-changing experience you are about to encounter. Today was certainly one of those days.

It was off to Southwick Community School (a learning centre for some of the UK’s most highly disadvantaged children) for a workshop with a few grades of the school and participation in an Appreciation Assembly for those who volunteer at the Salvation Army sponsored Austin House.

We were thrilled to see the Australian flag flying high on the school flagpole. A well organised gym fitted out with a boxing kangaroo flag and a life-size kangaroo with a Joey in her pouch made us feel immediately at home.

The children arrived in the gym and were extremely quiet and subdued. Deputy leader Merryn Steel introduced the group and taught the children Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi, oi, oi.

Alison Drummond told the story Koala Lou and had the children enchanted by her story telling.  Karen Webb taught the children a song and soon the room was rocking to Jesus Rocks the World.  Not a single sign of the shyness of the children was now evident.

It was a unique opportunity to mix with the children during their lunchtime in the school cafeteria; a meal Jamie Oliver would be proud of was enjoyed by all.

A real bond had been established between the children and the MSS and even though we were quite tired, a number of the MSS were to be found out in the schoolyard playing tiggy, skipping rope and soccer.  The Head Teacher provided those tragic teachers within our group a tour into the classrooms of the school.

The staff and students of this special school will never know the impact they have made on the MSS.  They shared with us in the Appreciation Assembly singing three beautiful songs and actively participated in the MSS presentation.  There was barely a dry eye in the gym when these beautiful, precious gifts from God returned to their classrooms.

Graham, thank you so much for this truly amazing experience we had at Southwick Community School.

 

MSS UK TOUR – Norwich, Sheringham, Peterborough

Farewelling Felixstowe, we coached to Norwich for a brief stopover.

On arrival we went our separate ways exploring the town and boosting the local economy! Some found the best caffe in town (yes, it was spelt with two ‘f’s), some took in the splendid churches, and others weaved in and out of the tiny market stalls.

MSS performing at Norwich Citadel for Daycare residents

Following lunch back at Norwich Citadel, the MSS treated elderly day care residents to an Australian themed concert/sing along. Major Carelle Begley broke all Australian records, leading the audience in singing “Waltzing Matilda” at a lightning pace, followed by the Rolf Harris classics: “Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport” and “Two Little Boys”.  Ironically, the ‘Poms’ knew the latter song better than we did!

MSS at St Peters Sheringham

Back on the coach, we headed for the seaside town of Sheringham (no John Adams – the footy is Sherrin, not Sheringham!) We were treated to a local culinary treat for tea: a fish’n'chip supper.  Sheringham is well known for its top notch fish!

The local corps is in the process of constructing a new worship complex which meant we were privileged enough to perform our evening concert in the exquisite St Peter’s Cathedral. A capacity crowd of 300 people were suitably impressed with our offering – I’m sure the wonderful acoustics in the church may have given us an extra advantage!

Accompanists at Sheringham - after keyboard collapse

The surprise highlight of the night was the collapsing keyboard routine during our intros. Poor Natalie quickly recovered as the boys propped the keyboard on top of two chairs!

The following morning we met at Sheringham Station and boarded the local steam train to Holt – a perfect time to chill and take in the picturesque surrounds.  The coach then dropped us off at Kings Lynn for lunch. (Major Tim Lynn felt like royalty returning home – keep dreamin’ Tim!)

Eventually we arrived at Peterborough Corps and enjoyed roast beef and Yorkshire puddings for tea.  Yum!  Again, the hall was full with a 300+ crowd.  In attendance was a range of dignitaries including the local Mayor (Karen Webb did her part to foster civic relations by giving the Mayor all the Aussie quiz answers!)

Peterborough Songster Leader Julian Bright shared with us the significant impact the concert had on the audience and we were encouraged to hear that our drama scenarios mirrored current real life situations within the corps – and those people appreciated hearing the message of hope within such difficult times. Hearing such stories makes us realize that God is not only using us to reach people but He is also ministering to each one of us in the process.

In concert at Peterborough

In concert at Peterborough

Felixstowe

Felixstowe – the Melbourne Staff Songsters’ first corps visit in the UK. And what a beginning to our tour! Felixstowe boasts charm and character with quaint architecture and picturesque ocean views – but more than that, the local people demonstrated hospitality in its finest form. They took us into their homes, fed us (a little too well) and treated us like their own. We couldn’t have asked for a better start to our tour.

In local high street at Felixstowe

Our first day commenced with a 2 minute stroll to the local high street. In beautiful autumn sunshine, the MSS sang a series of lively numbers which gave a few of our members a chance to talk to the local crowd that had gathered to enjoy the music. Following a short break, which allowed us a chance to check out the local shops, we were privileged enough to share a cuppa with the Mayor and Councillors of Felixstowe before partaking in a civic reception. Major Judith Soeters presented the local Mayor with a commemorative tour book, CD and clip-on koalas and received a certificate and plaque in return.

The evening concert played to a capacity crowd of almost 300 people. The diggeridoo opening to “Send It On Down” set the mood for the evening and was well received by the audience. Nathan Radford and Darren Fanner extended an Aussie welcome complete with translation into the Queen’s English by Julia Roper which brought about a few laughs. The dramatic presentation in the second half was executed with minimal hitches (ie. Trent and Karen’s ad libbing!). Any fear we may have had about the audience’s reaction to such an alternative presentation was instantly put to rest with the crowd’s prolonged, enthusiastic applause.

Audience feedback was certainly positive:”What a powerful message from beginning to end”"It was wonderful to see the group interact with us – both on and off stage”, “The dramas hit home to many people”

The MSS was joined by Felixstowe Band to lead worship Sunday morning. Songster Alison Drummond entertained the children with a story about Koala Lou and her quest to win gold at the Bush Olympics so her mother would love her more – of course, her mother had never stopped loving Koala Lou and the songsters are still chiming: “Koala Lou – I do love you!” Each of the kids received a clip-on koala before Songster Cassie Magor shared a few things about herself in a “My Life, My Journey” segment. Major Judith spoke on how we are recognised, even categorised by our accents, but in Christ there are no borderlines – we are one people with great variety.

The weekend concluded with a late afternoon concert to another capacity crowd, some of whom were unable to attend the main concert the previous evening. Felixstowe Band provided pre-concert music to get toes tapping before the MSS presented more of its up tempo numbers. The audience were incredibly appreciative calling for an encore.

To the people of Felixstowe: The songsters were truly blessed in their time with the you. Nothing was too much trouble for you and we were looked after incredibly well. We appreciate it was a big ask having us stay in your houses for 3 nights and we are so grateful for everything you did for us. We felt like royalty! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

The customary coach fines were instigated with Phia Gibb leading the way for destruction of church property – she managed to break one of the small tables during the concert. At least she kept her composure and didn’t cackle during Arthur’s drama!

Melbourne Staff Songsters UK Tour Blog

Welcome to the MSS blog.  We will be updating this site as often as possible with reports, images and videos of our current tour of the United Kingdom.