PERFORMANCE OUTCOMES CONTENTS

Folklore of Sydney Some personal notes (from Warren Fahey) on the performance outcomes related to the project. I believe I am in a unique position as a folklore collector in as much as I am also a performer. This allows me to collect and develop and, eventually, reintroduce songs back to the communities that created them. I have often said I am a ‘folklore recycling unit’ and if I have have a ‘mission’ in life then it is the popularisation of Australia’s folklore – both past and present. The passion has been to make our people feel ‘more Australian’ by understanding where we have come from and folklore can certainly help in that direction. In collecting I am also the performer and this has always been part of my success in the field. If I am taping or video-recording I usually sing a few songs to set the scene and establish the type of material I am seeking. Part of this program will be undertaken in cooperation with the Library Council of New South Wales and I will be presenting at various libraries. The aim, of course, is to encourage members of the community to perform and contribute to the project – be they seniors or children. I have found this particularly effective in working with ethnic communities. It is my intention to establish a performance group – The Sydney Bush Orchestra – which will interpret parts of the collection. Hopefully this will be an on-going group much the same as my pioneering group The Larrikins who worked with me for over twenty five years.