Between 1976 & 2003 I spent many years on & off working at Old Sydney Town at Somersby on the New South Wales Central Coast.  The Town was a recreation of Sydney as it was prior to 1810 & actors & musicians reenacted the life & times of the convicts, soldiers & settlers in those early days.  Over the years the Town became recognised as a valuable educational resource as well as an entertaining day's excursion.   When it closed in January 2003 I was determined that the stories told at the Town, & their educational value, should not be lost.  Ralph Pride & I were already working together, (Ralph had also worked at the Town), & we decided to create a series of shows that could be performed in schools, using music, humour & drama to bring Australian history to life again.  Accordingly, under the name "The Journeymen", we created five shows in all; three for primary schools & two for high schools :

Primary Schools Shows:

 

"The Voyage", telling the story of the journey of the First Fleet.

 

 "Lags, Lambs & Larrikins"  carries the story on,  telling of the growth & development of modern Australia from Sydney Cove settlement onwards to the Gold Rush era.

 

The Colonial Bush Dance",  introduces some of the dances  that were so popular in days gone by.  Participants learn the dances &, at the same time, they learn of  the social importance of dances to the remote bush communities.  The  musical instruments used are also introduced & discussed.

 

All of the songs used in the primary school shows, and the tunes for two of the dances, are recorded on the Journeymen's CD "Time Line", which can be found on the Discology page.

 

High School Shows  :  

 

"Real Folk",  a concert style performance presenting a selection

of folk songs from Australian history.

 

 "The Colonial Bush Dance", in which participants are introduced

to  dances from bygone days.  The background to the dances  

& their  importance to society at the time they were danced 

is discussed.

 

More details of each show, complete with cost structures &

booking details, can be found on the linked pages.