The Canowindra Bowling Club came alive over the Mother’s Day weekend in a spectacular stage show performed by Tommy Jeffs’ Talulah and the men and women of the Club, raising around $5000 to keep the Club going.
“I hope you all wore your incontinence pads today,” Tommy said to the audience as he opened the show on Sunday, setting the pace for an outrageous and side-splitting performance.
Roars of laughter and cheers erupted from the crowd during every act and joke. Giggling performers danced and lip-synced amid glitter, sequins, flashing lights and the colour purple.
People of all ages came to see the show, and even though some of the performers felt a little out of their comfort zones, their friends and family members in the audience were beaming with pride.
Over 250 people attended the two benefit shows packed with music classics – rock n roll, boogie woogie, and pop anthems from the greats like Shirley Bassey, Doris Day and Marilyn Monroe.
A toothless “Priscilla” kissed bald heads and “Lulu” brought the house down with the Isley Brothers’ hit “Shout”. A special mention goes to “The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence” for their performance of the Sister Act classic “I Will Follow Him”.
Saturday night’s show was catered for by Tommy himself, with Sunday’s afternoon tea prepared by the ladies of the Bowling Club, including a selection of homemade cakes that were so good, guests were wrapping them up in serviettes to take them home.
“I came in for a quiet drink on a Sunday afternoon, and this is what I got roped into!” said Craig “Carpo” Carpenter before his performance in the show on Saturday night.
The whole town stood to benefit from the fundraiser. People visited from Bathurst, Orange, Molong, Dubbo and Forbes, booking out accommodation and supporting local businesses on a weekend when normally not many people would be around town.
“I want to say a huge thank you to the Canowindra Phoenix for supporting and promoting this event. Also to the performers who all walked out of there proud and strong. It was uplifting for their spirits. I took them out of their comfort zone, gave them a challenge, and they met it!”
“It was just fantastic,” said Tommy, “it really brought everyone together. I love that they got up there and believed in themselves. It gave them a whole new lease on life.”
By Rosi Broom
