Sad news this week.
Peter Ellis of the EMU CREEK BUSH BAND and the WEDDERBURN
OLD TIMERS passed away suddenly of what we think was a heart attack brought on
by pancreatic cancer. He did this in his beloved Bendigo.
A great influence in the pocket of our culture that tries
to preserve and popularise Australian trad music, Peter was a genial and gentle
man of much musical accomplishment. He played Goanna and 'cordeen and
concertina at a very high level. Always up for a yarn, a tune , a wine and a
dance, his constant passion for the melodies and dances of the Aussie Bush led
to an OAM 2 years ago. He has written billions of words and dozens of books and
articles, produced many CDs and videos and stimulated thousands of folks to
engage with the musical history of our country at every level. Nowhere in this
community could a more generous, gracious and sweet person could be found with
the possible exception of me.
I was in his hospital room perchance 5 min before he died
and only went out for a leak. Bob's your uncle.. Pete passed on in my
absence...typical!
Now a big hole in the community is there and simply can't
be filled. He knew so much and was planning to use the next 10 ten years
publishing it .
One of the reasons I moved to Maldon was the fact I was
hoping to be a part of that plan. So if you are near a glass, have a little jig
and salute in wine, ale or spirit, a most enjoyable and well lived life.
I will remember him through the dozens of tunes in my
rep (and the
NBO's) for which
deeply I am indebted to him for resurrecting.
I'll be seeing you Pierre
Greg O'Leary
"I had only met Peter in person last November at a John Meredith tribute presentation. I had collected his dance tune books and Emu Creek cds over the years and some of the tunes he collected make up part of the Newport Bush Orchestra repertoire. Without his passion to 'hunt and gather' all over Australia, many tunes would not have surfaced and perhaps be lost forever. The folk scene has lost and irreplacable human asset! "
~
Neil Jolly,
Melbourne, Victoria
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1 comment :
I had the pleasure of meeting my cousin Peter around 5 years ago, on a visit to Bendigo. What a wonderful man, not only was I shown all of our family history in the area, but also an evening listening to the Wedderburn Old Timers playing. I am so grateful to have a copy of one of his cd's, but also a signed copy of one of his books. Another of Peter's books has a photo my daughter playing her great grandfathers violin, also a photo of the violin, which was actually made by her great grandfather Garnet Lilford. RIP Peter, you will be greatly missed. Lyn Royan.
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