Making music at Morrisons

AS the mist came up the Moorabool River valley with the rain dripping from the trees, you could have been mistaken for believing you were in Ireland.

Or perhaps it was the sounds of Irish folk music coming from St James’ Anglican Church at Morrisons that awoke my Celtic heart?

The four young musicians who make up the Gordon Gypsies only came together in January.

They are Charlie Farrell on tin whistle and harmonica, Tomas Hughes on guitar and sisters Quilby Nelson on bodhran drum and vocals, and Shafiah Nelson on fiddle.

Their love of playing traditional Irish folk songs and exotic tunes based on eastern music was thrilling and mesmerising.

The concept for opening up the church to become a multi-faceted venue was instigated by Kevin Harper, president of the Ballan Autumn Festival and Megan Waddington, music coordinator at Ballan Anglican Church and founding member of Claritude, a clarinet quartet, who also played on Easter Saturday.

“We wanted to make sure that this forgotten church at Morrisons should live on for the local community so that it is neither forgotten nor neglected,” Mr Harper said.

It’s been two years since a service was held in this small parish church, which opened on 30 December 1924.

The congregation might once have been small, but on Easter Saturday the church was filled with people wanting to see the beautiful stained-glass windows, listen to some very special performances and take part in the Easter Vigil service presided over by The Bishop of Ballarat The Right Reverend Garry Weatherill.