George John Chamberlain - 1966

George John Chamberlain

Royal Australian Navy

1966

Narrabeen Boys' High School Choir - 1963

Narrabeen Boys' High School Choir

1963

In this photo of the Narrabeen Boys’ High School choir taken in 1963, that's me, Kerry Wright, in the second row from the front, fifth from the left (click on the image to enlarge it). For the most part, I felt safe in the choir. It offered me a place of sanctuary from the rampaging, pint-sized thugs in the schoolyard. I was a boy soprano. Come to think of it, we were all boy sopranos! That year, our choir joined with other school choirs from throughout New South Wales to form a combined schools’ choir, which performed with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in Sydney Town Hall as part of Education Week celebrations. The concert was filmed for television and I remember watching it on our black and white set at home. Among other pieces, we sang excerpts from Henry Purcell’s opera, “Dido and Aeneas”, which I have loved ever since. To this day, its sublimely beautiful and deeply lachrymose aria, “Dido’s Lament”, remains one of my all-time favourite pieces of music. Click on this link to see Jessye Norman performing it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOIAi2XwuWo

Following a devastating conflagration some years ago, the incinerated Narrabeen Boys’ High School ceased to be and has subsequently risen from the ashes as Narrabeen Sports High School.