1996, History and other events

Die Fledermaus (The Bat, by Johann Strauss) was our first move away from G&S. Elijah was also performed for the second time, this time conducted by Ian with the Eltham Orchestra. We donated $3500 to charity, $49,400 up to now.

Rehearsals for Die Fledermaus stopped for a short preparation period and one performance of a Sing-it-Yourself Messiah with Ken on the organ. This proved very popular, with one hundred attending, though not all sang. There were twelve soloists! People have often been amazed and impressed at the depth of talent in our choir, and the various singers were much appreciated.

On April 6, a number of DVS members headed for the Sorrento Yacht Club where Norma Turnbull-Smith had invited them to perform HMS Pinafore, a most appropriate piece. Some of the yachtsmen helped with the chorus. Michael Try was sick, so Darren Rosenfeld took over the tenor lead, while Graham Ford sang Sir Joseph, Dick Deadeye and the Bosun! An interesting experience especially for the audience.

A number of members went up to the Bendigo Competitions, and Diane Morgan distinguished herself by winning the Folk Song section. In the Australian section, she managed to sing no more than the one word title before drying up! Michael Try made his first Aria final, while Judith O'Shea, Colin Chapman, Ed Carter and Tim Warren all picked up various minor awards. Michael and Judith won the duet section from Diane and Colin. At times like this we are very proud of our members.

Early September Bob Tuttleby organized a music hall night at Eltham Uniting Church, which turned out to be a well kept secret! We had hoped for a larger attendance. Those who attended certainly enjoyed themselves, though during Fruity Melodrama the peanuts thrown managed to hit everyone except the villain (Graham). Many of the audience were moved by Diane Morgan's touching rendition of "Nobody loves a Fairy when she's Forty".

Again, sadly we lost another member. Later in the month many members attended a funeral for the much-loved Peter Thomas, who fell through a garage roof helping one of his mates. Due to his difficulty in learning music, Peter's magnificent tenor voice was not heard as much as many would have liked.