The Shiny Bum Singers

 
 


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As innovators, they are an example to the country at large. - The Australian

The Shiny Bum Singers are:

Chris Clarke, Claire Stoneman, Frankie Seymour, Jenna Gray, Jillian Carson-Jackson, Jim Street, Kerry Kennedy, Maria Greene, Donna O'Brien, Donna Dufty, Mark Gaukroger

The Shiny Bum Singers are a vocally inspiring and visually entertaining group of mostly public servants who sing their own wicked parodies about the working life of the Australian Public Service.   They also stray into political satire but never sedition ...

Founded in the a cappella tradition - guitars, keyboards, bouzoukis, ukuleles, shakers,  and even guitar cases, are now strummed, picked, plucked, beaten and stroked to accompany inspired lyrics, brilliant humour and shambolic choreography.

Based in Canberra, the Australian bush capital, they have performed to packed houses at the Australian National Folk Festival for most of the last 11 years, featuring this year with a number of performances, workshops and guest spots in packed venues. They have toured extensively around the ACT, regional New South Wales and Victoria, and played to enthusiastic audiences in Sydney's top folk venues.  Five of the twelve or so Bums toured the UK in May 2007.

They are regularly invited to entertain at Government and Public Service conferences and dinners, including the prestigious Prime Minister's awards. The Group was happy to present a complimentary copy of our CD to Dr Peter Shergold, the then Head of the Australian Public Service - although the content isn't always complimentary about the organisation over which he presided. More recently in February 2008 the Bums performed at Dr. Shergold's farewell as head of the Prime Minister's Department.  In June 2009, the Bums helped to farewell Jeff Whalan, a self described folk-tragic, from his position as CEO at Centrelink.

They launched their best-selling OmniBum collection at the National Folk Festival in 2009, and have just finished there in 2010 with a brace of new songs.

No subject in the workplace is safe from the finely honed fingers of the group's talented writers, nor is any folk song (or any other song for that matter) immune to their unique style of parody.

Emeritus members are:  Susie Gill, Therese Smith, Arminel Ryan, Pat Ryan, Julie Barnes, Tony Crivelli, Karen Downey, Janet Gibson, David Harman, Ray Loft, Wendy Low, Jon Millard, Greg Moores, Shane Redfern, Jane Virgo, David Walker and Rocco Weglarz, Julianne Patterson, Carol Moon, Carmel McDonell

We cannot forget our worthy Roadies - manning the overhead projector is not an easy task but these worthies made it look good:

Floyd Patterson, Richard Greene, Annette Street, Sandy Gibney, Meredith and Tegan Kennedy, Maxwell and Monty Keeble plus other Bums' offspring.

Related site:   Boris Books Home

Updated 28th April 2012