The Gumdiggers Bush Band

Some time later after the birth of our son Robert in 1984 I began to feel the need to establish roots for my young family. I sold my drums and spent several years working in the building industry to build up the capital for our first home. We eventually settled in Helensville , Northwest of Auckland where we bought our first house. By then our twin boys had come along (though unfortunately one died in a mysterious cot death at the young age of three weeks).
It was in Helensville where our daughter was born.
All this time I had ignored my musical urges. Whilst running the local second hand shop I came across the best drum kit I was ever to own. It was an early '70's Slingerland kit. I joined a casual group of local musicians who played Albert King style blues which I thoroughly enjoyed. John Martin on bass and Allan Stevens on guitar, both were very accomplished players. As I recall we made a reasonable fist of that ouevre for skinny, privileged white boys
Financial difficulties saw me sell that beautiful kit and music was again off the menu.
The one day I came into the shop and was welcomed by the ephemeral sound of an ocarina.
From behind an aisle of second hand items popped up an impish young Dutch musician who had heard that a musician of Dutch decent owned the local second hand shop. Marcus Goddefroi played Swedish key fiddle, ocarina, a self made violin, piano, harmonica, piano and button accordion and bones, (all instruments equally well!). Marcus introduced me to Bill and Kath Worsfold who were seeking a percussionist and vocalist for their band the Gum Diggers Bush Band. I sadly admitted that I no longer had a kit of drums. Bill encouraged me to try playing a tea chest bass, lager phone, bones and an old snare drum. I quickly took to the eccentric, authentic old New Zealand music that Bill collected. I learned to sing in harmony and was soon gigging regularly with Bill Worsfold on classical/flamenco guitar, Kath on accordion, whistles and vocals, Bob Uhe on violin and mandolin and Marcus.































The Gumdiggers Bush Band. Helensville, 1989.
Left to right: Harmen Hielkema: Tea Chest Bass, vocals. Bill Worsfold: Acoustic Guitar, Vocals. Kath Worsfold: Accordion, whistles, vocals. Bob Uhe: Mandolin, Violin, vocals.

That was me thoroughly fast tracked into the New Zealand folk scene.
I adored playing that tea chest bass, I could not put it down, I loved the close vocal harmonies we rehearsed endlessly. As I look back I see how well this experience set me up for what was to follow.

Harmen