page_title: The Bushwhackers (band)
section_title: Reunions
hierarchical_section_title: The Bushwhackers (band) / Reunions
caption_attribution_description: English: The Rambleers formed in 1957 after the breakup of The Bushwhackers (1952-1957)
context_page_description: Australia's first bush band The Bushwhackers, initially named "The Heathcote Bushwhackers", were arguably the catalyst for Australia's folk revival of the 1950s. They performed from 1952 to 1957, when founder John Meredith disbanded the group and its members dispersed into other activities. Over its relatively brief existence, the group evolved from an initial novelty act to one with a more serious mission of presenting and promoting to Australia its neglected bush song heritage, and laid the foundation for similar groups to follow through the 1960s and to the present. Its members also operated⁠—at least initially⁠—from a Marxist / Australian Communist Party ideology, attempting to embody the struggle of the working class against the ruling classes, although this may have been less than obvious to their audiences under the guise of popular entertainment.
context_section_description: There were no reunions of the group during Meredith's lifetime; while he remained good friends with Loughlin and the latter's family, and also subsequently occasionally happily performed with Alan Scott, Meredith reportedly never forgave Kempster, Kay and particularly Hood for their attitudes which in his mind precipitated the demise of the Bushwhackers, as well as their later performing careers which included songs learned during their tenure with the Bushwhackers but uncredited as such on later recordings. Nevertheless, the surviving band members - apart from Cec Grivas, who was not in attendance - were present at a celebration of Meredith's life held at Gay Scott's Balmoral property in March 2001, a month after his death, and were persuaded to give a brief impromptu performance. The following year, members of the band played two 50th anniversary reunion concerts at the 2002 Australian National Folk Festival and the National Library in Canberra, plus there was an anniversary performance of Reedy River. Original members Cecil Grivas, Alex Hood, Harry Kay and Chris Kempster all took part, together with Meredith's long time friend and collecting associate Rob Willis who took the musical part of Meredith; Jack Barrie was unable to attend but sent his best wishes, Brian Loughlin having passed away earlier, in 1974. Kempster, Hood and Kay also took part in a Rambleers reunion the same year, along with their later musical associate Barbara Lisyak. Subsequently, Kempster died in January 2004 aged 70, Barrie in August 2015 (two years short of his one-hundredth birthday), and Grivas in August 2019 aged 88.
caption: Three former members of the original Bushwhackers with their later associate Barbara Lisyak at the Ilawarra Folk Festival at Jamberoo, 2002. L-R: Barbara Lisyak, Chris Kempster, Alex Hood and Harry Kay.
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