GALAH NIGHT
 
The 2013 STARS Gala Fundraiser Concert held at Waverley House, on Saturday November 16th was once again a huge success, and once again a mixture of sublime music leavened with poetry and comedy.
 
With the swami of suave Peter Colling himself as MC...
 
 
....the program started with Greg John at the piano and Lee Thompson on violin.
 
 
This was followed by Emma Hills giving a beautiful rendition of "Remember Me", accompanied by her partner Lee Thompson on piano.
 
 
The ageless Nancy Weisbrodt next took the stage, costumed in her full fishing gear, to render her latest poem, which concerned the fact that when she once went to a fishing shop to buy some bait she was conned into buying almost half the contents of the shop.
 
 
The Willunga Market choir, under the direction of their choirmaster Jonathon Watford then sang a bracket of delightful songs.
 
 
Peter next introduced Meredith Bowman who explained the procedure for deciding upon a Stars of Waverley winner, after which she asked Onkaparinga Councillor Jason Haskett to present the winner's cheque to Indigo Rose Redding, who had created a beautiful fox costume. An unusual choice, but it was well deserved.
 
 
Indigo Rose bounded on wearing her art work...
 
 
...was presented with her prize....
 
 
...took her head off and spoke about how she had accomplished it.
 
 
Greg John returned to the stage with Peter Vetan and they sang the duet from The Pearl Fishers.
 
 
It was now time to lower the tone of the evening and as always this was the responsibility of Wayne Anthoney, who with Peter Colling performed an hillarious sketch written by Peter on the subject of the endless choices available in restaurants these days.
A little bit of trouble with the furniture...
 
 
...and a little bit of trouble with the ordering.
 
 
INTERVAL
 
After interval the delightful Lucinda Moon resumed proceedings with her delightful baroque violin.
 
 
Johnathon Watford's quartet from the Waldorf School sang four beautiful songs...
 
 
...and then Wayne Anthoney returned to read another of Peter Colling's very funny poems, this time about the unfortunate proceedings at a country wedding. Peter writes beautifully in the style of Banjo Patterson, or Henry Lawson perhaps, but he cannot read it himself because he cannot master the required country Aussie accent, which of course falls naturally from Wayne's mouth.
 
 
Wayne brought Peter to the stage for some well-deserved applause....
 
 
...and then, in his persona of a magician, and aided by his assistant beautiful Meredith Bowman, proceeded to levitate him several feet into the air...
 
 
 
 
...until at at a certain point he dropped like a stone and disappeared completely through the floor.
 
 
At this point his wife Carolyn was heard to call out loudly, "You Beauty!" But it turned out that he was safe and sound.
 
 
Returning to sanity and raising the tone again, Samantha Rubenhold sang four our pleasure "Summertime" from "Porgy and Bess", followed by the Laughing Song from "Die Fledermaus"
 
 
A young jazz guitarist Aiden Ryan performed two excellent pieces, accompanied by his father on double bass...
 
 
 
Chairman Carolyn wrapped up the proceedings...
 
 
...and led the audience into some carol singing, accompanied by Greg John at the piano and Aiden's dad on bass.
 
 
And finally  a photograph of STARS committee member Joan, resplendent in an extremely silly battery operated Christmas hat.