Bedford Heights Retirement Village

On the first day of winter – which also happened to be delightfully sunny – we made a return visit to Bedford Heights Retirement Village in Box Hill. It had been organised by village resident Jewel Matthews who is also the widow of the choir’s past president Mick Matthews. Jewel welcomed the choir and the capacity crowd before the choir launched into the opening number Cwm Rhondda with the audience participating from the very start by joining in with the well-known Songs of Praises chorus.

Compère John White introduced the music team of Mary O’Driscoll on piano and Rushan Hewawasam as Musical Director and gave the background to the first bracket Morte Christe, Rachie and the specially requested Calon Lân (A Pure Heart). The second bracket was Bendigedig based on the Benedictus part of the Latin Mass, followed by Anfonaf Angel (I Will send an Angel) before Rushan’s mellifluous second tenor voice featured on the famous hymn How Great Thou Art.

Choristers then asked the rhetorical question What Would I do Without my Music before the upbeat Every Time I Feel the Spirit which certainly got everybody’s toes tapping.  Before the final number of the first half, Battle Hymn of the Republic (over 160,00 views on YouTube), Rushan rehearsed the audience on the final chorus before the choir’s performance. So enthusiastic were the patrons that this had to be sung several times before everyone was satisfied that a short break was needed.

The second half started with the stirring African Prayer, comprising words from four different languages.  Compère John then explained the image behind the song Y Darlun (The Picture) and the Balkan War setting behind the very emotional Prayer of the Children, which always has a profound effect on all who hear it.

Rushan then took the mic and spoke about the upcoming tour to his homeland and, as a surprise to choristers, he jumped on the keyboard to urge the choir to run through the challenging words of the Sri Lankan song Na Na Ne Na as a taster.

The choir then took patrons back to their youth with the more meaningful lyrics of Always on My Mind which whetted their appetite for a Beatles medley. This featured

I Wanna Hold your Hand and Yesterday followed by John soloing on Let It Be before a bouncy Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da.

Going even further back, Rushan introduced the traditional When the Saints Go Marching In, made famous by Louis Armstrong, but again requiring the audience’s help with the final chorus. He put them through their paces before a successful and enthusiastic combined rendition.

Finally, the choir, with the help of the assembly who clearly knew all the words, moved on to Rushan’s hybrid arrangement of You’ll Never Walk Alone/Climb Every Mountain which elicited huge applause.

On behalf of the village, Robyn Breen stepped up to the mic and gave a fulsome thankyou address to all the helpers, to the choir, to Mary and especially to Rushan.

All that remained was for choristers to move forward to surround the assembled company to chant their farewells for the afternoon with the haunting and sobering Sunset Poem from Under Milk Wood.

And to the sun

We all will bow

And say goodbye

But just for now.

Feedback comments

Well above our expectation. Your choir and conductor are so in tune – as one!!

Excellent selection of songs, beautifully sung. Very moving & emotional at the end.  XO

A wonderful enjoyable afternoon. Would come again.

Wonderful, good for my soul. Loved the hymns. Thank you so much.

Very enjoyable, great afternoon of entertainment.

Wonderful afternoon, ‘Prayer of the Children’ was very moving.

Thank you!!!

I think my favourite was the medley ‘Climb Every Mountain’ and ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’

Fabulous afternoon concert. Very moving. Memories for our age group.