Hijinks on tall ship James Craig
- Shirley Stidston
- Jul 19
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 23
The James Craig, the restored majestic tall ship at Wharf 7, Darling Harbour was the perfect setting for the annual LCYO camp on 20 - 21 June 2026.
It was a glorious autumn weekend and our players honed not only music skills but also essential nautical skills including how to use a pulley system to help hoist sails, how to
tie boating knots and how to set-up a hammock.
The middle deck of the ship, known as the ‘tween decks’ became a cozy rehearsal space for our Saturday afternoon and evening rehearsals. Later, the Darling Harbour fireworks gave us an unexpected 20 minutes of front-seat excitement before we settled down to watch the movie “Pirates of the Caribbean”.
Our Sunday rehearsals were held in the beautiful Maritime Heritage Centre at Wharf 7, alongside the ship. The foyer of this building formed an ideal venue for this nautically themed music camp. The sailing ships on display immersed everyone in a seafaring mood.
A repertoire highlight was our new commission from top composer, Adrian Hallam, called Windsong. Windsong is an innovative narrative work depicting the journey of the LCYO ‘crew’ aboard the HMAS Lane Cove. The crew are lost at sea, plunged into darkness, and tormented by storms before finally being able to turn back towards the horizon and head for home.
We also enjoyed rehearsing Hallam’s Viking Saga, an evocative piece illustrating fjords, longboats, fierce battles, and the lonely resonating call of the Viking horn represented by a French horn solo played beautifully by Bryn Arnold, a past LCYO member.
Other repertoire items included shanties and Sea Songs, The Drunken Sailor, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Sandpaper Ballet which featured hand sanders from Bunnings. It was amusing to see percussionists achieving tempo and pitch from humble handyman’s tools!
A big shoutout to all our helpers. The mums were able to whip up delicious bánh mì (after shredding 19 roast chickens) from a tiny ship galley. Delicious cakes and brownies were provided for afternoon tea.
Many thanks to The Sydney Heritage Fleet for allowing us to use the James Craig and to the Australian National Maritime Museum for giving us access to the Maritime Heritage Centre as rehearsal venues.
Many thanks to Lyndall and Mark, the tutors, Jenny, parent helpers for a memorable music camp. Photos by Amrita, Cynthia, Hao, Andrew, Edwin, Emily, Malvina and Shirley.
