Town Talk | Collier McCracken: a life of music, farming and community

You are all dependent on the others, and you all have the same goal in mind.

You all want to be good team players.

Forty-nine years ago, Guys and Dolls was my first production, and it was only the second musical under the Shepparton Theatre Arts Group banner.

Collier McCracken played the role of a Salvation Army officer, whose daughter had fallen in love with a professional gambler.

Sitting centre stage, on a stool, Col sang to his daughter (Pat Key).

The lyric begins with this:

Velvet, I can wish you, for the collar of your coat

And fortune smiling all along your way.

But more I cannot wish you than to wish you find your love

Your own true love, this day.

There was more, and with the emotion that Collier injected into the song, it was a showstopper.

Last week, when I was chatting to a member of the Australian Plants Society, Col’s name was mentioned — and my ears pricked up.

“Where is he? Is he well?” “Is he still with the band?” — and then “What’s his phone number?”

I called him and made a date — except it wasn’t quite that simple.

Collier couldn’t hear me, at all, so we communicated with long text messages.

I was concerned because if we met in a coffee place, our conversation — loud by necessity — would be heard by all.

So, I contacted the News office and arranged a meeting where, I hoped, I could speak loud enough for him to hear me.

He is, after all, 91 years of age.

However, I was puzzled.

His text messages told me he was still playing in a band — and how could a deaf man play a trombone?

And all of this was totally unnecessary.

When we met, I soon realised that there was nothing wrong with his hearing, and it was only on the phone that he had difficulties.

In fact, he is quite possibly the fittest 91-year-old I have ever encountered; and, I reckon, one of the happiest.

The music in his life

Col had been involved in eight musical productions — four under the Shepparton Light Music Group’s banner.

I had been involved in 10, with STAG, but it was only in Guys and Dolls that we shared the stage.

That sorted, we talked about his band activity and how it had begun.

He had been given a ukulele, as a child, but it wasn’t until his time at Dookie College that he learned to play it well.

He participated in the college concerts.

It was some years later, when his daughter was at Kialla West school, that he became involved with a band — playing the trombone.

He was very much a novice but enjoyed it a great deal.

In the early 1980s he became second trombone for the Shepparton Brass Band.

He said he still wasn’t very good, but they were kind to him — and he took over the presidency.

That means he has now been playing with the band for more than 40 years.

In those earlier days, the Brass Band ran Carols by Candlelight.

There were fewer rules and regulations, and they sold wax candles.

They also called in the assistance of various groups, and it was a major fund raiser.

Our bands today

We currently have three bands in Shepparton: The Brass and Wind Concert Band, The Goulburn Valley Concert Orchestra and The Splinters.

The latter is a smaller group, which entertains regularly at nursing homes.

Collier plays in the Brass and Wind and The Splinters.

He also performs in the Euroa Citizens Band on a regular basis.

He takes great pleasure in the fact that the Brass and Wind Band contains people from all age groups — including school children.

This, he feels, secures its future.

The family and the real work

Collier was working in soil conservation, in Benalla, when he met and married Jackie (who was named Joan by her parents but preferred the former).

Jackie was a nurse and Col became a local dairy farmer in 1960.

He also became president of the United Dairy Farmers.

These were tough times for dairy farmers.

Col says that in the past, a herd of 40 cattle was sufficient to keep a farmer in business.

However, it soon became necessary to double, or even triple, the size of a herd.

Farmers were mortgaged to the hilt and the problem became one of over-supply.

The Japanese were buying a lot of milk, but only when it suited them.

Milk prices dropped.

Jackie and Col had two sons and two daughters, and Jackie returned to work as soon as the children were old enough.

Her income was most welcome and helped them through the tough times.

In her retirement, Jackie became a part of the Friends of Shepparton Art Gallery and she and Col were made life members.

Sadly, Jackie became ill with a progressive illness and passed away in 2016; at which time, Col sold their property.

Collier’s long-term interest in conservation had led him towards Landcare, way back in 1993, and this — in turn — led him towards Friends of the Botanic Gardens.

He is president of this small, hard-working group today, and emphasised the need for more people.

The propagation of Australian plants, the planting of them — and the administration — is a big job.

They need help, every second Sunday morning.

It isn’t a huge commitment, and you will learn as you go; so, if you are interested, please give Collier a call on 0401 394 361 or send a text message. (Although he maintains my voice was too soft and caused the phone issues. I strongly disagree and recommend a text.)

We have botanic gardens that are beautiful and interesting; but the people doing this work are, quite frankly, ageing.

Please help if you can.

I thank Col for our discussion, for the laughs, for the disagreements about which director took care of which show. (I was right, he wasn’t!)

However, most of all, I thank this very happy nonagenarian for his huge, varied and good-natured contributions to the Shepparton district.

We are fortunate to have Collier McCracken.

My turn

For me, the 49 years disappeared as soon as I saw him and, although I’m usually quite polite to the people with whom I chat, I gave Col a bit of cheek.

I don’t think he’d have recognised me except I was the only woman in the News foyer, and I was grinning a lot.

That bond, formed so long ago, certainly held up.

And, I just remembered, a couple of weeks after the Guys and Dolls season finished, we were all in a bus, travelling to Melbourne to perform at the Town Hall.

Helen Ferguson had been production manager for the show, and she was amazingly good at promotion.

It seemed no-one ever said ‘no’ to her. We had a full house and, for me, that was the end of the beginning.

Now guys, as I write it is still very hot — although Channel 7 told us, some time ago, that it was the end of the Victorian heatwave (by Victoria the reporter meant Melbourne, and it drives me crazy — there are 1,665,800 of us who barely exist).

Anyway, the forecast is for a cooler weekend, which is good because we are having one of our birthday gatherings on Saturday (February 15).

I’m looking forward to some hugs from a couple of grandchildren, and one great-grandchild, who I haven’t seen since Christmas.

And thank you for your beautiful feedback this week.

It encourages me to keep on keeping on.

Take care and may it be easy, my friends.

Marnie

Email: towntalk@sheppnews.com.au

Letter: Town Talk. The News. P.O. Box 204. Shepparton 3631.

Phone: Text or call 0409 317 187