Women find their voices

The Newhaven Primary School hall was filled with song on June 4, when Wendy Stapleton and the Australian Women’s Choir hosted a singing workshop.

Around 30 members of the choir came from Melbourne to sing alongside 30 local women who signed up for a unique singing experience.

The five-hour workshop included breathing and warm-up exercises before learning four songs, including harmonies.

Performances of each song were filmed and will soon grace the Australian Women’s Choir Facebook page.

For Maria who moved to Cape Woolamai four years ago, the workshop was a chance to learn more about singing.

“I wanted to meet people as well, as I feel quite isolated,” she said.

Margie Hill organised a group of friends from Sunset Strip, San Remo, Cape Woolamai, Newhaven and Corinella, to do the workshop.

“Wendy Stapleton is a bit of a legend, and it was an opportunity to learn about how to sing,” she said.

“It’s a rare opportunity that we can go to something so great so close to home.

“It’s also a way to support musicians, who have had it tough the past few years.”

Linda Bayly and her friends have an informal weekly singing group in West Gippsland.

When she saw the workshop on Facebook she called her friends and said “right, I’ll drive” and they travelled across to Phillip Island.

For all the women, it was a chance to sing alongside fellow music lovers and get a taste of performance in a choir.

Choir history

Singer and actress Wendy Stapleton formed the Australian Women’s Choir eight years ago and the weekend workshop at Newhaven was only the fourth in its history.

The visit coincided with Wendy’s Dusty Springfield sold-out performance at the Wooli Tavern that evening.

Many of the choir are regular visitors to Phillip Island, with family holiday homes in the area, while others visited as children.

Trish Simpson said she has fond memories of the family holiday house in Summerlands, while Mary-Anne Larocca said she was staying at a family house in Smiths Beach.

Even those who didn’t have a family connection said they were excited to be visiting the Island and performing that night.

Wendy said starting the group was about providing an opportunity for women to sing, “and it had to be fun”.

The camaraderie amongst the group was apparent and clearly the connection was about more than just singing.

Helen Anderson first joined in 2014 and hasn’t missed a session.

“There are choirs in Melbourne where you have to audition and if you’re not good enough, you can’t join.

“But we’re not like that. Everyone is welcome. And we’ve all become good friends.

“This really is a support group. We help each other out,” she said.

You can find out more about the Australian Women’s Choir on their Facebook page. The group hopes to be able to come back to Phillip Island in the future, for workshops and performances.