The Melbourne Welsh Male Choir, 29th Feb 2020, James Tatoulis Auditorium Methodist Ladies College Kew 

For a man who’s live music experiences growing up were mostly on sticky carpet this was always going to be unique listening to 60 x men with an average age of 70, belt out centuries old choral numbers in a language desperately in need of vowels!

If you know any Welsh people or descendants of, you’ll know how “straight up and down” they are. They are incredibly warm and loyal, but if provoked can rip you apart verbally and if required, physically. The heads and hands on these gentlemen had the hallmarks of a coal miner in South Wales but then suddenly they sang and it was like a force of nature. I have to admit I was reduced to tears a couple of times and it’s why the Welsh consider singing as therapeutic as much as an art form.

The choir was joined throughout the 2 x hour performance by stunning soloists Cloe Harris, Emelia Wawrzon and international guest Erfyl Tomos Jones. The conductor was David Ashton-Smith OAM and the MC was one of the choir whose name I didn’t get, but gee he was great! He had that classic Welsh accent (think Tom Jones, Rob Brydon, Ruth Jones) and gave us some wonderful insights into the history of the songs as well as delivering that dry Welsh humour.

The show finished with a stirring rendition of the Welsh national anthem that had me wiping my eyes yet again! I wish our national anthem had the same effect. I think the only time I’ve got emotional during ours is when I’ve seen an Aussie athlete on top of a dais and that’s because they’ve been balling their eyes out, not because we are girt by sea. Anyway I’m sure in 100 years-time we will have an inclusive, and authentic anthem that we all can belt out with pride. Perhaps something like this?

The Melbourne Welsh Male Choir perform all year round and are an amazing group of men from all walks of life who love to sing. Just don’t pick on one of them in a pub, or it will be “lights out”! Monies raised from last night’s event were donated to the bushfire relief and if you just feel like you want to go and belt out a tune you can contact them at https://melbournewelshchoir.com.au/

So what’s this got to do with my best friend? Well Greg Buck and I met at the Werribee Football Club in 1989 and have been best mates ever since. Greg’s dad Jim past away just over a year ago and was in the Victorian Welsh Male Choir for decades so Greg in his infinite wisdom thought it would be a nice mark of respect to do the same. 

To be accepted into the choir requires not just a great voice but enormous passion and discipline given you have to “play your role” amongst 60 others, focus intently on the conductor and learn another language. It requires rigorous solo examinations in front of people like David Ashton-Smith who Greg describes as the David Parkin of the orchestral world and then there is being able to slot into the choir as coherently as possible. It’s an example of Greg’s ability to cram information, filter it and execute without any apparent stress.

Greg achieved all this in a few months, not long after completing the Melbourne Marathon in under 4 hours. It was also not long after starting a new role at a private university managing their admin department and lecturing PHD and Masters psychology students from around the world. Greg also has a private psychology practice he shares with his partner Katie after both worked in clinical psychology in the western suburbs for 15 years. 

Prior to studying psychology and his Masters, Greg was a high school teacher who for quite a while there drove from his home in Footscray to Assumption College in Kilmore then to Box Hill FC where we both coached, and was in charge of the physical and mental conditioning of the players, many of whom went on to play AFL and win premierships. 

Greg’s interest in clinical psychology was born from working for the education department in the upper Hume area counselling parents and students and seeing the devastating effects of suicide amongst young regional people. After graduating and whilst completing his Masters, Greg worked full time as the psychologist for the North Melbourne FC for 3 years and was their game day runner. He then travelled extensively overseas and returned to dedicate himself to the disadvantaged, working with mostly young people at Eastern Health. He is also still contracted to the AFL Umpires Association, having worked on their mental skills for the past 10 years.

Greg and Katie have 2 x beautiful daughters under 8, Gracie and Lucinda. Gracie came a bit early and Greg was forced to deliver her in their Footscray loungeroom which he did, albeit in an altered state! 

Greg and I have always shared a common love of those who have achieved without necessarily any recognition and it has always been a bug bear of ours when we see or hear footballers, commentators and politicians beating their chests or just demonstrating false modesty. Sometimes we would see someone in the obituary page in the Saturday Age with a list of humanitarian achievements as long as your arm and realise you’ve never heard of them. We would always say, “you won’t see them on the back page of the Herald Sun”. 

Well I guess this is my tribute and edition of the Herald Sun that does highlight an extraordinary individual who has done so much for so many with little acknowledgement. Perhaps there’s a series of these to do one day? Who knows, but as far as Greg goes, I’m forever grateful for the day he walked into the Werribee FC. Oh and I forgot to mention he is a classically trained guitarist who performed in arguably one of the greatest live acts Werribee FC ever produced….well the only one in fact, The False Idols. Sadly we disbanded after 3 shows but I’m sure I could drag Greg out for one more. He’s got nothing else on. Cheers.

The False Idols