original music by
Mike Perjanik
featuring
The Bushwackers
(cast)
The Bushwackers BandRoger Corbet
Michael Harris
Luis McManus
Dobe Newton
Anthony O'Neill
Fred Strauks
Traditional compositions, original arrangements
by The Bushwackers
all arrangements are the subject of copyright.
The Bushwackers appearance by courtesy
CBS Productions Pty. Ltd.
Original sound track available
CBS Records - logo
The Bushwackers in publicity poses for the film:
The Bushwackers perform only one song on screen in the film, and then they have to put
up with John Howard singing and playing the lagerphone:
The film's press book provided details of the band. Fore more recent information about the
band, see its wiki here, and it also had at one time an official site, but at time of writing, this
seems to have gone offline. (Inevitably the band has been through a number of line up
changes since it appeared in this film back in 1983).
The music turned up in a number of forms, on LP and as a promotional 45:
LP CBS SBP 237975 (CA PC 7975) 1983
Warrigal Morning
Music from the film 'Bush Christmas'
Recorded at Trafalgar
Produced by Tommy Emmanuel and Bushwackers
Engineered by David Cafe except “Princeʼs Theme”, “The Race” and “Stir The Pudding”,
recorded at Richmond Recorders, Melbourne
Produced by Mike Perjanik and Bushwackers
Engineered by Martin Benge
The Bushwackers are: Dobe Newton - lagerphone, vocals; Roger Corbett - bass guitar;
Danny Bourke - violin; Tony OʼNeill - guitars, mandolin; Tommy Emmanuel - guitars; Freddy
Strauks - drums; Louis McManus - guitar; Michael Harris - violin
SIDE 1:
1. Princeʼs Theme (Mike Perjanik) (ATV Northern Songs)
2. Warrigul Morning (Theme From The Film “Bush Christmas”)
(Mike Perjanik, Arr: Bushwackers) (ATV Northern Songs)
3. Lachlan Tigers (Trad. Arr: Bushwackers) (Tombola)
4. Silent Night (Trad. Arr: Bushwackers) (Tombola)
5. Waltzing Matilda (A. B. Paterson, Arr: Bushwackers) (Allens/Control)
6. Goanna Stew (T. Emmanuel) (MCA/Gilbey)
SIDE 2:
1. The Fishing Reels (Trad. Arr: Bushwackers) (Tombola)
2. Billy Of Tea Travelling Music (Trad. Arr: Bushwackers) (Tombola) (Mike Perjanik) (ATV
Northern Songs)
3. Stir The Pudding (Mike Perjanik) (ATV Northern Songs)
4. Augathella Station (Trad. Arr: Bushwackers) (Tombola)
5. The Race (Mike Perjanik) (ATV Northern Songs)
45 CBS BA 233130 1983
Side A:
Warrigul Morning (Mike Perjanik, Arr: Bushwackers) (ATV Northern Songs)
Recorded at Paradise No. 1, produced by Tommy Emmanuel & Bushwackers, engineered
by David Cafe.
Side B:
Goanna Stew (Tommy Emmanuel) (MCA/Gilbey), recorded at Trafalgar,
produced by Tommy Emmanuel & Bushwackers, engineered by David Cafe.
2LP CBS 460860 1 1988 Gatefold
Celebration - Bushwackers
Side one - track two:
Warrigul Morning (Theme From The Film “Bush Christmas”)
(Mike Perjanik, Arr: Bushwackers) (ATV Northern Songs)
The music also found its way into a book of reminiscences from past Christmas
celebrations, edited and compiled by one of the Bushwackers, Dobe Newton:
Mike Perjanik worked with the band on the musical numbers and on the film's score.
Mike Perjanik first came from Dargaville, NZ, and then moved to Auckland, where he
became a member of the Embers in 1963. In1964, he formed the Mike Perjanik Band, with
some former members of the Embers, and the band was active in the Auckland recording
scene for the next few years.
Perjanik later hooked up with rising singer Allison Durbin. She became the band's featured
singer in their live gigs. In October 1966, Durbin and the Mike Perjanik Band moved across
the Tasman for a residency at Sydney's Coogee Bay Hotel, and then moved on to the
Latin Quarter night club in May 1967.
After nine months with the band, Durbin left to pursue a solo career. Thereafter Perjanik
and various iterations of his band released a number of singles and an LP which covered
Lennon and McCartney tunes (the band used the name Synthesis, and the album "Lennon
and McCartney: Today and Yesterday" was released in 1973 on the Drum label).
In 1977 Perjanik turned his attention to television, and as the Mike Perjanik Orchestra, did
the theme to a new Australian television series, "The Restless Years". This was released
on a single, with Renee Geyer singing the vocal version on the A-side.
Perjanik's company Mike Perjanik Productions Pty Ltd has long produced original music for
the TV series Home and Away. Perjanik has also been active on industry bodies - he has
been a writer member of APRA since 1970 and has acted as a non-executive writer
director on its board since 1985. (here at time of writing).
For more details on Perjanik, especially his early period, see here.
Composer and musician Mike Perjanik has a wiki here.
The invaluable Milesago site had a detailed piece on Perjanik, but at time of writing, it was
only available, and readable, by way of cache, here.
There is also a tribute to Perjanik, and his work for APRA, here.
(Below: Mike Perjanik in 1965)
(Below: Perjanik in later years, and with his partner Vicki Perjanik)