Entertainment
2 July, 2026
Singers give joy at concert
A BURST of nostalgia and community spirit filled the Innisfail Uniting Church as 70 locals gathered to enjoy the Johnstone River Singers’ second concert of the year, a morning filled with harmony, humour and heartfelt memories.
MC Trevor Van Bael welcomed the crowd, describing the choir as “amateur singers who do their best to provide a morning of enjoyable entertainment,” before introducing the theme of the day: a musical journey of reminiscing.
The concert opened with a warm collection of classics including ‘One Day When We Were Young’, ‘In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree’, ‘A Mother as Lovely as You’, ‘Side by Side’ and ‘The Sunshine State’.
Between sets, long time pianist Shirley Nayler, now 93 and still playing with the same spark she had at age seven, kept the audience smiling with jokes, stories, a Helen Steiner Rice poem and recitation of ‘The Soliloquy of a Safety Pin’, the piece that won her a trophy back in 1950.
Soloists added their own flair to the morning, with Paul Smith performing ‘If Ever I Would Leave You’ and ‘True Love’, while Graham Whybird captivated the audience with heartfelt renditions of ‘Climb Every Mountain’ and ‘Some Enchanted Evening’. The Bramston Beach trio kept spirits high with their playful take on ‘On Top of Spaghetti’, bringing laughter and smiles all around.
The choir then lifted the mood with a lively set designed to spark joy, featuring ‘Consider Yourself’, ‘I Whistle a Happy Tune’, ‘A Spoonful of Sugar’, ‘Let’s Go Fly a Kite’ and ‘Edelweiss’.
Themes of love, romance and marriage followed, with the ladies singing ‘Getting to Know You’ with the men responding with ‘Get Me to the Church on Time’.
The morning concluded on a high note with uplifting favourites including ‘Dear Hearts’ and ‘Gentle People’, ‘My Blue Heaven’, ‘Singin’ in the Rain’, ‘Look for the Silver Lining’ and ‘When You’re Smiling’. Graham Whybird offered a closing prayer before the choir ended with ‘May the Good Lord Bless’ and ‘Keep You’, followed by a delicious morning tea prepared by the ladies.
The singing group, which was an off shoot of Innisfail Choral Society started in May 1997 and were known as the Rainbow Singers.
In 1999, the Choral Society asked the Innisfail Uniting Church to take over the group and in 2008 were renamed the Johnstone River Singers.
The energetic group also continue to bring uplifting music to residents at OzCare Innisfail and the Babinda respite centre.
Their final two Innisfail concerts for the year will be held on 14 September and 4 December at 9.30am at the Uniting Church.
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