One of the first songs Gunditjmara descendant Colin 'Wyldwind' Campbell taught his students as a school teacher in Western Australia was a Neil Young song.
The singer-songwriter and guitarist will make the Canadian troubadour's music come to life at Warrnambool's Mozart Hall on Friday, September 1 in a three-and-a-half hour tribute show.
Wyldwind moved to the small town of Mullewa, WA, in 2007 to teach technology to students at an agriculture school, where he became an 'unofficial' music teacher.
One of the first songs he taught them was Neil Young's Hey, Hey, My My.
"We had a few bands happening and it was all pretty good," Wyldwind said.
"For them that was a great experience because we entered a (community) battle of the bands.
"We went and did my original songs and they were shy but they thought they were the biggest rock stars."
For the tribute show he will have on hand six guitars, one of which he made out of Houn pine his brother brought back from Tasmania more than 30 years ago.
"It's an unusual shape. For the body of the guitar it's probably much bigger (than your usual guitar)," Wyldwind said.
"It had these big knots in it and stuff which I've kept in as a feature of it as well."
It is one of about 16 to 18 guitars in his collection - a mix of bought and modified instruments.
"I was a singer who originally played bass and then of course if you want to sing you've got to accompany yourself, so I sort of taught myself the guitar," Wyldwind said.
Originally from Willaura, Wyldwind was head-hunted to work as a mechanic at the Renault Subaru dealership on Warrnambool's Koroit and Kepler streets, in his late 20s.
During this time he sustained an injury so took up studying a teaching degree, taking on a role at a school in Melbourne in the 1990s.
He now lives in Western Australia, but came to Warrnambool in January to see his step-father and brother for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic and hasn't left since.
His father was born in Koroit and his great-great-grandmother was a Gunditjmara woman.
Wyldwind will perform three sets of Neil Young's music at Warrnambool venue Mozart Hall on September 1.
The doors open at 7pm with the performance running from 7.30pm to 11pm.
Here are other events running this weekend:
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1
LEGACY: Badge sellers raising money for Warrnambool Legacy Group, Warrnambool CBD, Bakers Delight, Soulsby and Struth Pharmacy, Woolsthorpe General Store, Aldi and Bunnings and more, from 10am.
SHOW: 15 Minutes of Fame, St Brigid's, Crossley, doors 6pm, meals 6.30pm, concert 7.30pm.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2
SPORT: Warrnambool and District league senior football preliminary final from 2.20pm, A grade netball from 1.50pm, Reid Oval, Warrnambool. Hampden league senior football qualifying final from 2pm, open netball from 1.20pm, Leura Oval, Camperdown.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 3
MUSIC: Eastbound Buzz, Hotel Warrnambool, from 3pm.
SPORT: Hampden league senior football elimination final from 2pm, open netball from 1.20pm at Hanlon Park, Portland.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6
ART: HG Play: Calm Ya Farm for children 4-11, Hamilton Gallery, 4pm-5pm.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
SHOW: Crazy Arms, Hamilton Performing Arts Centre, from 11am.
- If you'd like your event to feature in the weekly What's On email lillian.altman@warrnamboolstandard.com.au or warrnamboolstandard@austcommunitymedia.com.au by 3pm on Wednesday the week of the event. Please include the name, location and time of the event.
Lillian Altman
Lillian is an experienced journalist who joined Warrnambool Standard in late 2021. She has a particular interest in writing stories on the arts and culture, health, education, breaking news, police stories, as well as human interest and profiles.
Lillian is an experienced journalist who joined Warrnambool Standard in late 2021. She has a particular interest in writing stories on the arts and culture, health, education, breaking news, police stories, as well as human interest and profiles.
