It was 1931 and Logan Village was agog! There was to be a Talent Quest in the only hall that was in the district. The old brown hall had been moved to a private property some years ago. It was small, but adequate for the few good folk who worked their dairy farms and ran their businesses in The Village.

The previous entertainment had been a magic lantern show. Mr Press, the organiser, had brought his hand-coloured slides that were magnified onto a bedsheet cum screen that was hung on one wall. It didn’t go over too well. The sheet wobbled and flapped, and the ‘slides of the world’ were obscure and badly presented. There were grumbles regarding waste of money, even though admission was by copper coin, and some halfpennies were known to be retrieved from the box.

But a talent quest was different! Local artists were keen to take part. Sopranos, yodellers, whistlers, gum-leaf musicians, mouth organ players, comedians, all sorts of entertainers would take to the small, low stage on the big night. Our family from the dairy farm at Buccan would most certainly attend.

Gerald Tesch rode his bicycle from Waterford to our place and we all crammed into the Chevrolet Tourer for the three mile trip to the hall. It was packed. Not everyone had a seat, even though many chairs had been borrowed for the occasion. When all the entrants had completed their acts, Gerald took me by the hand and lead me to the stage and Mr Press. ‘This little girl can sing,’ he said.
‘Oh yes...how old is she?’
‘She is three.’
They stood me on an Austrian bent chair as my mother tried to remove the old brown coat that I wore over my pretty blue sprigged dress. ‘Now I want you to sing Roamin’ in the Gloamin’’, she said. I was having none of it! I stamped my little foot and insisted on singing an old beer-hall shanty that Dad had taught me...wearing the brown coat of course. The song is ostensibly sung by an old drunk who is trying to hang a picture...if somebody drives the n-a-i-l...

It brought the house down. Somebody threw the first coin, and soon there were silver coins everywhere, and I leapt down from the chair to gather what I could...still with my old coat on.