COLIN CONGRESS

At 13 years old, Colin joined 20 other boys as one of the seniors at the very first rehearsal of the Australian Boys Choir on 20th October 1939. He was number 2 on the roll.

“Geoff Kilby and I used to walk to and from choir together instead of catching the tram,” Colin remembered. “This saved us tuppence, which was enough to buy us some potato cakes on the way home!”

Colin was one of the many early choir boys to come from Toorak Central School where VJ Kelly was music teacher. Although Colin’s voice began to change when he was 15, he stayed with the choir as a second alto until early 1943 – beyond both his sixteenth birthday and his entry into the workforce.

Over ten years passed and John Nicholls, a colleague of Colin’s and another ex-choir boy, suggested they attend an advertised choir concert together. The subsequent reunion with VJ Kelly rekindled Colin’s involvement with the choir, leading to a commitment that would last the rest of his life.

Colin was a member of the governing Council from 1957 until 1963 and Treasurer until 1971. As Tour Manager, he accompanied the choir on its very first overseas tour to Japan in 1971. At the time of the choir’s incorporation in 1960, he was one of the seven Registered Members. In 2009, he helped to launch the Choir’s new brand and attended all of the 70th Anniversary functions. Colin remained a registered member until his death in 2010 - the longest-serving and most consistently involved alumnus in the choir’s history.