25 YEARS OF TOPOLOGY MEMORIES
“In 2003, we toured Canada with guitarist/composer Tim Brady. In Calgary, we appeared on a TV show where the topic just before our segment was what to plant in your garden now that summer is nearly here. Through the window as a backdrop, snowfall was clearly visible. It was freezing. I wanted to walk to the venue, being what I thought was very close to the accommodation, and invited Brett to come with me. It turned out to be quite an adventure traipsing through heavy snow carrying the bass, taking turns to heave it along. We had a great, big audience in Calgary in the Performing Arts Centre. I took my 3 year old daughter Julia the next morning on a bus to Banff where we were thrilled to see wolves, chipmunks, caribou, deer, beavers and gophers, and Julia was ecstatic at being able to make her first proper snow sculptures.”
ROBERT DAVIDSON
Artistic Director, Founding Member and Double Bassist
“We went to Holland and Belgium in 2012, and for me it was an absolute revelation regarding the greatness of their beer. I was pretty much in beer heaven, as I was introduced to all these amazing varieties that one rarely encounters in Australia, and the Belgians do it better than anyone else, pretty much. So, I thought I wasn’t going to let a good opportunity escape me, and I went all around the shops buying all this heavenly beer for only 1 or 2 Euros each. I ended up with about 36 stubbies, and I individually bubble wrapped them all. They wouldn’t all fit in my suitcase, so Christa kindly offered to put some in her bag. My suitcase was very heavy though, as most of the beers were in there, and I was worried about it being overweight, and having to pay excess baggage.
I turned up at the airport, they weighed my bag, and sure enough, it was way overweight, and I was told I had to get rid of things, otherwise I would have to pay around $230 AUS for excess baggage. Rob told me I should definitely just “jettison” the beer, but I wasn’t going to sacrifice it in a million years, it was way too valuable. So, I ended up having to pay the excess.
The good side of the story though was when we arrived back in Australia. As usual I had to fill in the arrival forms, and answer the question concerning whether or not I was bringing in more than 1.5 litres of alcohol. I thought that it would be foolish to lie about it, as I could so easily be busted, and then heavily fined, so I decided I had better tell the truth. When the officer looked at my form and saw that I had ticked more than 1.5 litres, he asked me what I had in the suitcase. I told him I had 30-odd stubbies of beer that I had bought overseas. He said to me: “Hang on a minute, I’ll just go and check with my supervisor.” I was expecting him to come back to me and say that I would have to pay a huge import tax, but he came back a minute later and said: “It’s ok, you can just go through, no need to pay any taxes”, which was very kind of him. He must have felt sorry for me. Or maybe he also loved great Belgian beer.”
BERNARD HOEY
Topology Founding Member and Viola Player
“A memory that will always stay with me is Topology’s visit to Texas in 2019 to assist with putting on our first full scale community concert. Witnessing the transformation from solitary novices to active band members, playing to a captivated audience was a life changing experience for musicians and community alike. The faces of my music students and community musicians were unforgettable. The joy and pride they were able to experience as a result of playing with and being guided by professional musicians was a community binding, unforgettable moment. “
ANNABEL CLEEVE
Regional Program Officer