Folk music was a part of my life before I knew that's what it was.

I was born into the Williams family on Guy Fawkes day, so those traditions were always very important to me. Before I was two years old, I had memorised all the nursery rhymes in the book. (Though I didn't learn their meanings until much later.)

When I was about seven the Weavers were on NZ radio, and for awhile my father had a Grundig tape recorder with Tzena Tzena and Wimoweh recorded on reel to reel tape. He also bought me an old piano accordion but I didn't really do much with it at that time although I had piano lessons for a few years.

All through school we were taught songs, many of which were classified as 'Folk Songs' but it wasn't until 1963 that I joined an actual Folk Music Club - at Wellington Teacher's Training College. We listened to (and copied) Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, The Weavers, Judy Collins, Harry Belafonte, and The Kingston Trinity, then discovered Dylan, P.P.&M., The Seekers and the rest of the 60s scene, mostly American.

Any English 'folk' songs were considered 'posh' - Alfred Dellar or professional singers in evening dress, although William Clausen and Nina and Frederik came to NZ on tour and they sang songs from different countries.

I specialised in children's songs but was also interested in songs from the protest movements - both nuclear disarmament and human rights. At that time I played guitar, autoharp and banjo (and ukulele), with a bit of piano and recorder (and cello).

In June 1967 at the 3rd National Folk Festival, I first heard Wild Mountain Thyme sung unaccompanied in 3 part harmony, by Dale, Dave and Panda and that was a life changing experience. Suddenly members of the Wellington Folk Club were all searching for British music and luckily the NZBC decided to air the Folk Song Cellar tapes about that time.

We heard and learnt from Robin Hall and Jimmy MacGregor, Martin Carthy, Ray and Archie Fisher, The High Level Ranters, Alec Campbell, The Corries, Watersons and Young Tradition. There were also singers like Frankie Armstrong and Nadia Cattouse, Cyril Tawney, Sydney Carter, and the Spinners, and that's where I first heard Charlie Bate play the Padstow Obby Oss song.

In 1968 I bought an Appalachian dulcimer, but that was also the year I first heard Northumbrian Smallpipes and started looking for a set. By then I was working at WNTV1. I discovered that my NZ pioneer ancestors actually came from Padstow, and that Northumbrian pipes were so rare that you had to be there on the spot in when a set came up for sale.

So in 1972 I went to Britain, lived in Padstow for a few months, located my ancestors in the churchyard (Phillip Trescowthick and his family) and played with the Blue Ribbon Obby Oss band on Mayday. I also found a set of Northumbrian pipes (which weren't very playable at the time) and toured around in an old Morrie Minor, going to events like Helston Furry Day, Wells Folk Festival, the first Laycock FF, Loughborough FF and Newcastleton on the border.

I met many people including Packie Byrne, Bob Rundle, Stan Hugill (who told me about his time in NZ), saw Isla St Clair and Cilla Fisher when they were teenagers, gave Willie Scott a ride home to Hawick after Newcastleton, visited Jack Armstrong and Pat Jennings at Morpeth and finally spent a week in Whitley Bay, staying with Colin Ross and Ray Fisher, his wife, while Colin 'fettled' my pipes until they played beautifully. I was also included in their family when The High Level Ranters had gigs and I have some great photos of the gibbet, taken when the Ranters were doing publicity photos for 'A Mile To Ride'.

I was also exposed to Morris Dancing for the first time and when I returned home I dug out my old accordion and started learning to play morris tunes, although at that time there was no morris side in NZ. I now play for the Heart of the Sun morris side in Hastings.

During this time the NZ Folklore Society was very active and, although Frank Fife did most of the research, we had regular meetings and helped put together his books and magazines.

Much has happened since then but that's basically how I got to where I am today!

Padstow is a harbour town in North Cornwall. The Obby Oss celebrations begin early in the morning of May Day with the stable doors opening to let the Oss appear. Throughout the day it goes in procession with the Obby Oss Clan all through the town. The Padstow Obby Oss is one of the oldest surviving customs in England and is believed to be a ancient fertility rite marking the coming of Summer.
                The Padstow Obby Oss Song
                Unite and unite let us all unite,
                For summer is acome unto day,
                And whither we are going we will all unite,
                In the merry morning of May.