Tyler Redway
AFTER performing in the live music scene for almost 40 years, Pauline “Bones” Mackinnon and her husband Greg decided to take a detour from their annual trip to Port Fairy in favour of the Penola Coonawarra Acoustic Music Gathering.
Mr and Ms Mackinnon have had a long history of performing live music, from home concerts to getting up on stage and playing in front of dozens.
The pair also dabbled in some original compositions, which Ms Mackinnon released as a debut album earlier this year.
Originally hailing from outside of Melbourne, Ms Mackinnon said their recent journey to Penola was taken before heading to Port Fairy for another event they had been attending for the last 27 years.
Shortly after hearing about the Penola Coonawarra Acoustic Music Gathering, Mr and Ms Mackinnon decided to participate in the event to try something they had never done before.
We decided we would take a little bit of a drive because we come from the other side of Melbourne,” Ms Mackinnon said.
“We came over to South Australia and had a lovely drive-around, then we ended up in Mount Gambier a few days prior.
“I was aware there was a music festival in Penola but I had never been to the actual town itself before.
“We heard the open mic section was there so we decided to throw our hat in the ring too so it was a great day overall because of the camaraderie between musicians in the open mic and a number of them were really quite talented and gifted musicians.”
Ms Mackinnon said musicians from as far as Broken Hill, Gippsland and Perth were seen at the event, particularly during the open mic section of the event.
Although it was her first time participating in a festival format, Ms Mackinnon said it felt very comfortable to be around other musicians during the event.
“I can’t explain how comfortable and at home a group of musicians could be even if they came from various parts of the country,” she said.
“You just bond because of your shared love of music, so it was a very palpable experience.
“It was very inspirational for people with all the workshops going on as well as the entertainment itself.
“There were people who had been to other festivals and had met there previously only to come back together again in Penola, so there is quite a connection between those people when they meet again.”
Ms Mackinnon said an event like this was a perfect opportunity for aspiring musicians to showcase their skills and try to put themselves out there.
“I would encourage them by saying it’s a very welcoming community and it doesn’t matter what point of the spectrum you are, we are all on a journey as far as that goes,” she said.
“It is scary if you haven’t done it before but once you’ve dipped your toes in then everyone still appreciates it and enjoys listening to you.
“It’s a great advantage in your musical journey to have performance opportunities.
“It’s very difficult to score a gig in some places where you may be unknown, but it is a great way to start putting yourself on the plate when putting your hand up at a local open mic like that.”
Ms Mackinnon said while it was unfortunate to see the run of the Acoustic Music Gathering come to an end, she hoped to see it come back one day under new management.
“If someone puts their hand up and is willing to pull it off again, then it can keep going and it is very worthwhile,” Ms Mackinnon said.
“It’s not just the local people who benefit, there are also a lot of people just passing through on the road like us for example.
“The net which is cast by an event like this is quite broad, it’s a beautiful town to have it in and there is an established expectation of it so it would be a shame to lose it after going through all those years of hard work.”
More of Pauline Mackinnon’s work can be found under the name “Bones Mackinnon” as well as her Facebook page.
