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Listen To Older Voices : Laurie Arthur – Part 1

Rob Greaves
Rob Greaves
I have been with the Toorak Times since April 2012. I worked as Senior Editor of the Toorak Times until 2023, when I retired. I now work as a special features contributor for both the Toorak Times and Tagg. I've been in the Australian music scene as a musician since 1964, and have worked in radio and TV and newspapers (when they were actually printed on paper) as well as working in the film industry, as the Film Unit manager on Homicide for several years. I also have extensive experience in audio production and editing.

Listen To Older Voices presents the stories, views and opinions of our older citizens. It is predominantly in a life & times format, with interviewees reflecting upon their lives from earliest memories. An underlying principle of the program is to promote the concept of positive ageing, reinforcing the principle that older people have & continue to make a valuable contribution to both their local & wider community.

 

 This is part 1 of a 4-part program featuring the Life and Times of Melbourne musician – Laurie Arthur.

Laurie formed the iconic Australian group the Strangers in the early 1960’s and then went on to form the Mixtures in the mid 1960’s and continued on as a musician of note for many decades.

The early Strangers. :Left to right: Peter Robinson (Bass); Fred Wieland (Rhythm guitar); Laurie Allen (Lead guitar) and Graeme “Garth” Thompson (Drums)

 

As a child Laurie suffered from a medical affliction that affected his ability to hold his neck up straight, which resulted in terrible tormenting at primary school. However it was during this time his father encouraged the young Laurie to build things.  Among his first projects were electronic pieces. These included crystal sets before he moved onto valve radios. All of this achieved at the age of 9!

Then at 10, he contracted polio.  The story of his polio testing and then his treatment is a story of a processes that would be considered as brutal today. Yet again he overcame this debilitating condition.  As part of his recovery became heavily involved in physical activities going on to become a sports champion at secondary school prior to moving into an extraordinary career in the Australian music scene.

 

 

Previous Listen To Older Voices Programs can be found in our archive, by clicking on one link or the other

– 2012 to 2016   

 –  2016 onward 

[Listen To Older Voices receives funding from the Commonwealth 
Government through the Commonwealth Home Support Program Program]

Rob Greaves

I have been with the Toorak Times since April 2012. I worked as Senior Editor of the Toorak Times until 2023, when I retired. I now work as a special features contributor for both the Toorak Times and Tagg. I've been in the Australian music scene as a musician since 1964, and have worked in radio and TV and newspapers (when they were actually printed on paper) as well as working in the film industry, as the Film Unit manager on Homicide for several years. I also have extensive experience in audio production and editing.

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