Celebrating 10 years of service and song

Posted Mar  8, 2017 in Culture

The men’s choir at Adelaide West Uniting Church will celebrate a significant milestone at their 10^th anniversary concert to be held this April. Led by Meredith Dowdy, the group estimates that they have raised over $50,000 for a variety of causes and organisations by performing at different locations across South Australia.

“I have been the Director of the choir since its inception in 2007,” Meredith explains. “Sometime during that year I organised a male quintet to sing at a morning service. It soon became evident that some men in the congregation [at Adelaide West] had a long-held desire to sing. A singing group was then started, and it has grown over the years from five to 25!”

The youngest member of the choir, Paul Mesecke is the ‘baby’ of the group. At 46 he still holds this title even after joining the group nine years ago for just “a couple of gigs.”

He can still clearly recall the moment nine years ago when he and the choir knew their mission was much larger than a group of male singers performing here and there.

“I recall our first country trip really brought us together as a group. We sang to support a small rural community that wouldn’t have been able to raise funds without our support. From that time on it was like an unwritten mission statement - we existed to help others.”

The oldest member of the choir, Cecil Faithfull, joined the group about seven years ago when they were looking to expand.

“To be honest, I joined because my wife told Meredith [Dowdy] that I had a fair sort of voice,” Cec chuckles. “But I knew they were looking for more people to join and I decided I’d like to take part.”

Since then, Cec has travelled with the group to visit congregations and communities across the state, often to places that rarely have the opportunity to hear live choir music.

“Travelling to the country to give concerts has been a real highlight,” Cec reflects. “We performed at Pinery, raising funds after the bushfire there, which was a significant event.”

Meredith also recognises the significance of the country concerts.

“Every year the choir makes three visits to country towns where we conduct the morning church service and present a concert in the afternoon,” she says. “These weekends are most enjoyable, and part of our mission as a choir has been to take good quality, inspiring music to country people. It is always a privilege to share time with these wonderful friendly folk.”

This year, the choir will visit Yilki Uniting Church in June, Moonta Uniting Church in October, and Broken Hill on the weekend of 23 April, just prior to Anzac Day. They will also present a concert at Vermont Uniting Church at 2pm on Sunday 25 June to celebrate the Uniting Church in Australia’s 40^th anniversary.

“But our most exciting event this year is the concert celebrating 10 years of singing together,” Meredith enthuses. “This will be held in the Adelaide West Uniting Church on Saturday 1 April at 5pm. A wonderful evening of nostalgia, fun and inspiring music is assured!”

All are invited to attend the Adelaide West Men’s Choir 10^th anniversary celebration. Tickets cost $15 per person, and include a selection of baked slices, cheese platters, tea and coffee. Tickets must be purchased beforehand as they will not be available at the door.

Tickets for the Adelaide West Men’s Choir anniversary concert are available from the Adelaide West Uniting Church Office on 8234 1199.  Those attending from the country can ring and reserve tickets, and pay for them on the evening.

The Adelaide West Men’s Choir has previously raised money for the Grihini School for Girls in India, the Friends of Refugees Fund, Frontier Services, pastoral support workers, various local community causes, and recovery efforts following the Pinery Bushfire.

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