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Maryjean Officer and the O'Connors arrived the next day and, in company with Max Dyer, we had one recording session that day. Next day, January 2nd, the Melbourne visitors had another session with some of the other band members and with Charlie Fardon, a local MC, on the dances and their music. I had to return to Melbourne to my usual job but the others were able to have other sessions in the next few days when more songs and other music were recorded. Maryjean's account of this successful trip, 'Collecting in Northern Victoria' appeared in Gumsuckers Gazette in the issue of February, 1963. After first describing their collecting of songs in Yackandandah, she wrote as follows :- 'In Corryong we met Shirley Andrews and with her recorded dance tunes from many people in the district. Mr and Mrs Con Klippel of Nariel Creek gave us the steps of a dance new to us, "The Berlin Polka" and its air "Ask Old Brown to Tea". Con and his brother, George played us many of the old dance tunes, on piano, concertina and accordion. One of the tunes they used was our "Albury Ram". Con gave us the complete words to that song "Bourke Street on Saturday Night" which Harry Pearce and others have been trying to recall, and recorded "Poor Henry's on the Wine" (or "Ehren on the Rhine"), also the air to "The Death of Alec Robertson"... (this next section was on songs recorded from others in the district)...'More dance tunes were collected from Mr. Tom Edwards of Khancoban, accordion player, and Mr Charlie Ordish of Corryong, who played the concertina. None of our players as yet can "swing" the concertina as some of the musicians in this district do. On Shirley's last evening Mr. George Cadman arranged for us to hear a group of musicians play through a typical old-time dance programme, while Mr Charlie Fardon from Indi Bridge, who has been an MC for many years, gave us a description of the dances. He demonstrated the Varsoviana and Manchester Galop with Shirley, and Mr Jim Harrison taught her an attractive 'new' dance, Princess Polka'.
The musicians of the Upper Murray have such a lot to teach us that we were delighted when it was suggested that we return for a special session of dances and music, and that we bring with us other interested folk from the two societies. Several of these recordings, together with others made in recent weeks, will be played at the FLSV Collectors' Night.'
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