Leader of The Gang: Jack Linford has taken up the role as lead singer and percussionist with Kyabram-based musical group The Gang. He and his wife Carol were recruited by Heather Parkinson, who formed the band with another friend Garry Gardiner.
Four years ago the only audience Jack Linford had ever performed in front of was in the milking shed of his Girgarre dairy farm and becoming a lead singer in a band was definitely not on his radar.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
The cows that listened to him belting out his favourite tunes from the 60s and 70s were hardly as daunting a prospect as the senior citizens he and his fellow now-band members entertain on a regular basis at the region’s aged care facilities.
At Warramunda Fete on Thursday evening, the return of the event after several years in recess, Jack and his band (The Gang) were one of the key attractions of the fundraising evening.
The Gang is a four-piece band that was inspired by a close friend of Jack and his wife Carol, Heather Parkinson.
Heather, whose husband Ken is a resident at Warramunda, was playing the piano on a regular basis to entertain the residents and approached Carol (who was working at Warramunda) about forming a band.
“Carol was working at Warramunda at the time and I knew she used to play the guitar,” Heather said.
Special visitor: Rain didn’t stop Warramunda Fete from having a special visitor last week, Santa Claus managing to find time in his schedule to say hello to Dorothy Nurse and Jan Beamish.
After convincing Carol to come on board she contacted Garry Gardiner, who had been a member of a Uniting Church-based band at Kyabram with her decades earlier.
“Years ago Garry and I played with a band when Ian Higginbotham was the minister at the church,’’ Heather said.
“I’ve been friends with the Linfords for a long time and once I convinced Carol to get the guitar out of the wardrobe we were on our way.
“We brought Jack on board because he is a really good singer. He plays percussion.”
The Gang has a long list of country music hits, but also belts out a number of tunes from the Seekers, Johnny Cash and a bit of Elvis.
They play not only at Warramunda, but are regulars at Rushworth’s Waranga Hostel and Myola Aged Care at Tatura.
“We’ve also played at Sheridan and it’s gotten a little bit busy lately, because we have done the Probus lunch and the occasional 80th or 90th birthday,” Heather said.
Old school: Hookey wasn’t a totally familiar game to primary schoolers Katie Hehir and Anika Ratcliffe, who were at the Warramunda fundraising event.
Special treats: Homemade delicacies and products were a highlight of the fete, which Indi and Chase Baumann took full advantage of during their shopping spree.
The Gang is always open to appearing at community events, but plans to continue appearing at least once a month at all of its regular aged care venues.
As for the fete they were a shining light on an otherwise bleak evening that was significantly impacted by the rain.
Warramunda chief executive officer John Clark said while disappointed with the rain-impacted event, which had been cancelled due to rain a couple of weeks earlier, the village was happy to have the fete back on the calendar.
“We plan to make it an annual event again,” he said.
Tables filled with homemade items, a book exchange, the spinning wheel, a Lions club barbecue, a Don’t Demention It group stand and a variety of delicacies greeted those who braved the conditions to attend the fete.
Read all about it: The last week has been a busy one for Warramunda Village, with the return of the fete, the staging of the annual general meeting and launch of the new Shipping Container cafe. Manning the book stall were Shirley Pyke and Pat Wheelhouse.
Fund raising: Raffle tickets and the spinning wheel were two of the major initiatives of the Warramunda fete and helping Alana Williams (right) to fill out her raffle tickets was Bing from Warramunda.
