Back

Gallery:

Graham Squance Memorial Award

Part of the ongoing tradition of the FSDSV involves honouring those who have made longstanding and valuable contributions to the folklife of our country. The Society’s annual presentation of the Graham Squance Award aims to do just that.
The Award was initiated by the Port Phillip Folk Festival Committee in 1971 in memory of Graham Squance, a blues musician who was killed in a road accident while travelling to Canberra in 1970 to take part in a Folk Festival. Awards have been given every year but two since 1971. The “Roll of Honour” book which records these awards has become a wonderful historical document and makes great reading.
Graham himself was a very fine performer who also involved himself in many aspects of presenting folk music and folklore to the general public. He was actively involved in the organisation of the earliest Folk Festivals held in Melbourne.
The earlier awards were made “to a deserving person” to enable that person to attend the National Festival for that year. The awards were monetary and were the equivalent of a second class rail fare to wherever the festival was being held. (Performers received little or no payment then.)
Over time the award changed to a scroll, then to the current beautifully framed certificate. The range of areas of service for which the award has been made is enormous – from performance of music, song and the spoken word to involvement in dance, folk radio, folk festival organisation and general society involvement and ‘leg work’

Awardees to date:

1971: KEN WHITE
1972: CHRIS WENDT
1973: ANNE INFANTE
1974: MARY & FRANK TRAYNOR
1975: CON CLIPPEL
1976: NO KNOWN AWARD
1977: SHIRLEY ANDREWS
1978: DANNY SPOONER
1979: JOHN WATSON
1980: JAMIE McKEW
1981: RANDALL PERCY
1982: NEVILLE SIMPSON
1983: MARTYN WYNDHAM READ
1984: HELEN McGEACHIN & RODDY READ
1985: JESS DUNNADGE
1986: PHIL LOBL
1987: JOHN SHORTER
1988: GEOFF WOOF
1989: PETER LEMAN
1990: RICHARD LEITCH
1991: LIS JOHNSTON (posthumously)
1992: ROGER KING & THERESE VIRTUE
1993: RICK E VENGEANCE
1994: PETER ELLIS
1995: HUGH MacEWAN
1996: NEVILLE WILSON
1997: ALLAN & ELMA GARDNER
1998: BILLY MORAN
1999: CORALIE COLLINS
2000/2001: Jointly awarded to JAMIE JOHNSTON and JOHN O’LEARY
2002: LUCY STOCKDALE
2003: FAY WHITE
2004: IVAN MILLIGAN
2005: DUNCAN BROWN
2006: JUDY TURNER
2007: RODNEY CLARINGBOULD

	2007: Rodney Claringbould In recognition of the time, energy and enthusiasm Rodney has contributed and the fine musical judgement he has exercised in the running of weekly acoustic music concerts in Melbourne venues over the past fifteen years. His dedication has been greatly appreciated by a huge variety of performers in the folk, blues and contemporary acoustic music styles.
2006: JUDY TURNER	2005: DUNCAN BROWN
2004: IVAN MILLIGAN
	2000/2001: Jointly awarded to JAMIE JOHNSTON and JOHN O’LEARY
1991: LIS JOHNSTON (posthumously)	1978: DANNY SPOONER
1971: KEN WHITE	Back to publications and Recordings