It was a good call, and soon we had a real band with Bruce Tulloch on lead guitar and Steve Benko on drums. From there we moved from strength to strength, all the while having a ball! We did the club lounge circuit until we got a great gig weekend residency at a lovely local restaurant. After 2 years and lots of fun we were part of the furniture but I did wonder sometimes what we were missing out on. It was probably a good thing that the restaurant eventually went broke, because it pushed us back out in the club scene - but by then the market had changed. More uptempo material was needed, more dance music - it was clear that more "meat'n potatoes" were required if we were going to survive in the Club scene. Sadly we knew we needed a Rock'n Roll drummer and Steve didn't really want to be one, so on good terms we parted and Ron Bryant became our new drummer. Now we could do the dance music but suddenly our folk & country music didn't fit the audiences. A re-think was required as we had become a very competent Country Band and in fact enjoyed that side of the band most of all. We didn't want to stop playing it but I was fast becoming a shrewd businesswomen and knew the basic laws of supply and demand.

So, in effect we became two bands - or one band with 2 completely different reportoires! The people who saw us playing Rock'n Roll, had no idea we were also a great Country band and would never have gone to any country music venues to "catch us out'. Our country music audience were also well-warned that our dance night reportoire wasn't their cup of tea! We continued happily that way for a few years. All went well until we won a few band awards up at Tamworth at the CCMA Awards - and came back to Wollongong as "Country music" stars. Now the cat was out of the bag and the clubs weren't quite sure they wanted us - being that we "apparently" were a country band (regardless of the fact our reportiore in their venue was anything but country music) - and so the confusion began... and continued... and continued.

Although a great drummer, Ron was at this stage having some difficulties coping with the "team player" rules, he also like a few too many drinks at times and it was time for a rethink. I also had a car accident around this time, receiving a neck injury which made guitar playing difficult, so singer/guitarist Trevor Carpenter joined us temporarily, allowing me to concentrate on being a singer. Ron soon called it a day and was replaced temporarily with Mick Shirlaw and then quite by accident we did a gig with Phil Sharp. I can't explain it but something just felt right about that gig, and soon we had a rehearsal arranged with him and his mate - who "wasn't a bad singer", and although primarily a bass player he "played a decent guitar too". Again, I don't know what happened at that rehearsal but everything just fell into place.

Suddenly we had five great vocalists, (spectacular lead male & female voices!) and great harmonies, and the best darn musical line up I had ever experienced. It was scary, but I finally had what I was looking for - and they were even happy to keep the Country Music side of the band going. Phil Sharp and Joe Quennell - along with Bruce, Rob and myself were now a force to be reckoned with! We became "Step Forward" and soon became one of the top Wollongong based cover bands to work the east coast. We had added my electric guitar and keyboards (with myself and Joe alternating on it when needed). This euphoria lasted for the next 8 years.

It was a truly great time of my life. Bruce by now had become a very dear friend, and when he gave us 5 years "notice" at rehearsal one evening (as he was planning to eventually re-locate to Qld to live) we laughed! I guess I never really believed it would come true, but it did. The winds of change were blowing and in the words of Pat Drummond, the hardest part is learning to let go. Around this same time Joe became a dad and decided it was time for a change. I had gone professional and was trying to lift my profile in the Country & Folk music - after all that was really where my heart was. Eventually you choose what is really important over the need to pay your bills. I had been working part time with Pat Drummond in a duo and loved being able to sing my own songs - and sell my product!

I was also getting married and moving out of the Wollongong area, the logistics were becoming obvious. Suddenly everything that was so sure was unstable and after over 8 years together we finally called it quits. We tried a smaller lineup with Alex Srekovic on guitar & vocals, but Phil soon got a better offer and so the wheel turned. It's been hard, like losing an arm or something - but life goes on and it did.

Music since then has been a mixture of the occasional "hits 'n classics" duo (don't shoot me - sometimes the bills need to be paid!!), a great Australian singer/songwriter Country show with Pat Drummond, solo gigs at Restaurants & weddings, festivals and "guest spotting" on Country Music Shows, an Oldtime Country Duo with Barry Thompson and more recently I've been having a great time singing with wonderful Sydney based Bluegrass Band "Acoustic Shock", all the while loving the variety and enjoying the opportunities to lift my profile as a soloist. My debut album "Labour of Love" has done better than I ever expected and has me feeling that I am finally coming into my own. It has been a long road and it is not finished yet. I hope there are many more miles to go - and I hope you will come along for the ride.

March 2001

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