The Honeysuckle Honeys
and songs of the Space Age

The Honeysuckle Honeys were a feature of the early days of Honeysuckle Creek.

The Honeys would hold practice jam sessions in the Station basement during lunchtime.

Their signature tune was Fats Waller’s Honeysuckle Rose. They also gave a good rendition of The Banana Boat Song – with appropriately modified words (Please Mr. Hamilton).

In these photos, they are performing at the staff Christmas Party held at Canberra’s Coach House Motor Inn, Narrabundah, Friday 16 December 1966.

Honeysuckle Honeys

The Honeysuckle Honeys, 16 December 1966.

Left to right: Bill Waugh (with recorder), Aileen Hicks (holding a candle and some honeysuckle vine), Laurie Turner (on the drums), Bryan Sullivan (T-chest bass) and John Talbot (“our man from NASA”, 12 string guitar).

From a slide of Bryan Sullivan’s, 2022 rescan by Colin Mackellar.

Audio Recordings

Honeysuckle: Gateway to the Moon
(no transcript)
Dated before mid-1967.

Listen to a 10 minute recording
which ends with
the Honeysuckle Honeys and the
floor show at the El Rissole Restaurant
– i.e. the Honeysuckle Creek canteen
(words)
starting 6:00 into the file.



Please Mr Hamilton
(The Banana Boat Song)

Listen to a 7 minute recording of this song
by The Honeysuckle Honeys.
(words)


Hamish Lindsay preserved the open reel audio recordings. They were digitised by Colin Mackellar in October 2013.


Honeysuckle Honeys

Bryan Sullivan found this photo of all of The Honeysuckle Honeys at the 1966 staff Christmas Party.

Left to right: Ron Hicks, Fred Hill, Bill Waugh, Laurie Turner, John Talbot and Bryan Sullivan.

Scan: Colin Mackellar.

The Honeysuckle Honeys

The Honeysuckle Honeys at the 1966 staff Christmas Party.

Shown in the picture is Bill Waugh (flute and fiddle), Laurie Turner (bongo drums and vocals) and Bryan Sullivan (tea chest bass).

Other members of the group were Fred Hill (maracas), John Talbot (12-string guitar) and of course the leader, Ron Hicks (piano accordian).

Photo preserved by Bryan Sullivan. 2018 scan by Colin Mackellar.

HSK - HSKX Christmas

Tidings of Comfort and Joy
and
Tony Keiller once cried out, on the Feast of Stephen

Two Christmas Carol variations sung by Laurie Turner.

Alan Foster preserved the open reel audio recording.

Digitised by Colin Mackellar, noise reduction by Bernard Smith, December 2012.