This photo is used with permission of the State Library of Victoria. It shows Australian troops in Borneo 1945. Nothing to do with Christmas at all really, but a great picture that suggests that this uke and its owner survived some hard times. The description says that this is Dvr RT Wilson (Vic) who took his ukulele for the Seventh Division landing at Balik Papan.

Always look on the bright side of life; Honolulu rock-a-roll-a; Love me do; All I want for Christmas; Pay me my money down; Happy Christmas (war is over)

Not only is it the first Tuesday of the month – it’s the first day of summer! Well officially, if not meteorologically.

What is indisputable is that Richard T is leading a session for beginners, novices and people who want to be better players at The Gov at about 7pm, 1 December.

You can ask Santa for the hammock and plastic palm tree later – right now, you should dust off the uke and learn some new chords and songs for summer.

A change of plan for our December Friday night Christmas session – now 18 December from 8pm. It has still got eggnog, still got carols, still got frivolity and festive conviviality and still got room for all of us and our friends and families: just changed to bring it to the Friday before Christmas!

Dress: Tropical Christmas????

Well, it’s been in our diary for a long time and at last we have a performance time.  Thank you Richard Gibson for your persistence.  We’re on the Buskers’ Stage from 12.15pm to 1pm.

It’s quite a big fair this year, on Sunday 29 November from 11am-5pm,  with several stages, a Christmas market, food stalls, lots of open shops and community events.  The main stretch of Semaphore Road has been rebuilt and re-landscaped, and this event marks the completion, much to the relief of residents. Find out more here and here.

Please send an email if you can be part of this so we can send out details of parking, meeting,  final song lists etc to participants.

Here’s the draft song list – feedback and suggestions welcome – all these are up on Richard G’s songbook

• Is this the way to Amarillo?
• Ring of fire
• Bye bye love
• Flowers on the wall
• Under the boardwalk
• I’m Yours  (in C)
• Jingle Bell Rock
• Silver Bells
• Mele Kalikimaka
• Santa Baby
• Ukulele baby
• Eight days a week

And maybe a couple of other Christmas ones to be decided and learned on 24 November!

Great work from the band and thanks James for coool video!

• Tuesday 24 November – think about some Christmas songs for Semaphore Street party
• Friday 27 November – pretty normal white board number in front bar
• Sunday 29 November – Semaphore Road – mix of things we know by heart and may be something festive (but not twee)
• Tuesday 1 December – Richard Tonkin’s class – some of the easier Chrissie songs
• Tuesday 8 December – the Chrissie song learning binge
• Friday 11 December – SPECIAL Front bar gig – with much seasonal festivity including eggnog, carols and frivolity
• Tuesday 22 December – oh, whatever

Here’s a clip of us at rehearsal on 27 October, thanks James!

Have a look at some great pix, taken by Ian Fisk, at the Fleurieu Folk Festival a few weeks back.

With everyone’s diaries filling fast, here’s an AUAS diary update for the next three months.  Of course, there might be extra gigs, royal command performances and surprise record deals to add, but  the bones of it are below.  We’ll basically take a break from 22 December to 12 January.

Concert request
Brendan Moore’s school, St Michaels (East Avenue, Beverley), is very keen to have AUAS play a concert to the school in the week commencing 23 November.  Karina Moore and Richard Gibson have already done a presentation of ukes and uke music to Brendan’s music class, which was a great success.

This performance is a fab opportunity to promote the uke to a younger audience and the school, which is growing its music program…and be a good performance practice for us!  The catch – it’s in school hours – Wednesday 25 November, 11am-11.45am is the proposed time.

Are there enough of us with flexible time agendas to do this? If you can take part, could you email Richard immediately at rgibson@scorpex.net?  If you can’t do that day but are available at another time during that week, let him know that, too.

First Tuesday Uke Class
Richard T’s classes aren’t just for beginners – if you want some more advice, practice, to learn some different strums or are having trouble with particular chords or songs etc, come along – it’s like a private workshop. Always relaxed, very nice and about an hour or so long, unless we all get carried away.

DIARY UPDATE 2009

• Tuesday 3 November – Richard Tonkin’s class – at the Gov, 7ish – race wear optional
• Tuesday 10 November – second Tuesday of the month – regular session at the Gov
• Tuesday 24 November – fourth Tuesday of the month – regular session at the Gov
• Wednesday 25 November – Concert at St Michaels 11am
• Friday 27 November – Friday front bar gig at the Gov
• Sunday 29 November – Semaphore Road street party – details to follow
• Tuesday 1 December – Richard Tonkin’s class – at the Gov, 7ish – santa hats optional
• Tuesday  8 December – second Tuesday of the month – regular session at the Gov
• Friday 11 December – SPECIAL front bar gig – with much seasonal festivity including eggnog, carols and frivolity
• Tuesday 22 December – fourth Tuesday of the month – regular session at the Gov

Remember – no front bar gig on 25 December!

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN 2010

• Tuesday 12 January – second Tuesday of the month – regular session at the Gov

And lots of pix from the Fleurieu Folk Festival performance here – thanks to Ian Fisk.

Congrats and thanks to everyone involved with Semaphore Music Festival – it all went very well.  About two dozen people came to our workshop – 18 of whom required loan ukuleles – big thank you to everyone who generously lent their instruments. We’ll see some of these workshoppers soon at our Tuesday sessions.

Our Sunday morning performance went well too – we sang away the clouds and the sun shone forth.  Ukulele Baby was the hit.  If you’re a beginner and perhaps felt too shy to perform, ask Robyn, Evie and Elley about it – they nearly stole the show!  And thank you to Richard and Wendy Gibson for their superior green room and breakfast service. See the photos from the festival on our Flickr group.

Fleurieu Folk Festival 24 and 25 October
FFF have asked us to play two 45 minutes sets on Sunday:
Village Marquee 11.45am-12.30pm and Cafe Acoustica 2pm-2.45pm.  And they’ve offered free camping sites to performers.
Please let us know as soon as possible if you can be part of this event (and if you want a camp site), so we can advise the organisers of numbers.  We’ll provide directions, meeting times and details to those who are attending.

For each session, we’ll do eight songs together, and we’re looking for smaller groups to do some songs in the middle. This is the moment to put up your hand if you’ve a burning desire to perform something you’ve done as a small group on a Tuesday or Friday night.  Bring your suggestions on Tuesday 13 October (or email me).

At the moment the draft list is:
First session

1. Bye Bye Love
2. Bad Moon Rising
3. Is this the way to Amarillo?
4. Eight Days a Week
5. (smaller groups)
6. Pay me my money down
7. If I had a Hammer
8. Ring of Fire
9. Ukulele Baby

Second session

1. Brand New Key
2. Sloop John B
3. Walking Down the Line
4. (smaller groups)
5. Under the Boardwalk
6. You ain’t going nowhere
7. Jamaica Farewell
8. Flowers on the Wall
9. Ukulele Baby

These might change with your suggestions and depending on numbers of players for the event.

Playing for WCH on Saturday 24 October
One of our members has asked if some uke players would like to do four tunes at the beginning of the Amazing Race – it’s a mad treasure hunt/competition organised by staff of the  Women’s & Children’s Hospital.
The starting line is at the lovely Pinky Flat (riverbank park in the corner of Montefiore Rd and War Memorial Drive) and you’d need to be there by 9am.
The four tunes are:

1. These Boots Are Made For Walking
2. Bad Moon Rising
3. Is This the Way to Amarillo?
4. Ukulele Baby

Other diary dates

• Friday 23 October at 8pm – our Front Bar gig at The Gov – all welcome, whether you want to play a little or a lot. Or not at all – just be social. if you want to know how it works or what it is, just ask!
• Tuesday 27 October – our regular session at The Gov at 7pm
• Tuesday 3 November – Richard T’s class – and Cup recovery
• Saturday 29 November – Semaphore Street Party gig. Still a possibility – note date in your diaries.