peterachilles

An Aussie flair Peter Achilles is a musician, but no ordinary one. The list of instruments he plays includes the Hoover Bagpipe Vacuum Cleaner, the gumleaf, false teeth and the saw. He also plays regular instruments like the guitar and the accordion, and enjoys performing for groups of children, particularly as it gives him the opportunity to share a bit of Australian culture with his audience. At a recent camp held at QCCC’s site at Toowoomba he entertained the children from Brassall State School. “Peter introduces the children to a wide range of bush musical instruments in a fun way and he lets them get up and have a go at them,” says Sue Stafford, a teacher from the school, “He’ll sing them a song then he’ll get a few of them to come up and he will give them different instruments and they’ll play along while he sings. Then he’ll do things like the heel and toe polka and some dances, where they all get up and dance and have a great time.” Peter began performing for school groups when his own children were young. He would sing and play with them, and would visit their school and play there, often including his children in the performance. One thing led to another, and today he performs for various groups and at festivals, with his friends in a band called Thingummyjig, and has appeared on Channel 7’s Australia’s Got Talent. “I place a lot of emphasis on Australiana - our heritage,” Peter says, “Who we are and what we are. I think that’s being lost in this country. When I was a kid in school we did bush dancing about every week and that was part of our heritage. “If I can provide a bit of cultural heritage for the kids and be positive and instil all of that stuff into them and be a motivator, I think that’s great.” “The kids respond to him,” says Sue, “They all go in there grumbling, “Dancing? I don’t want to do dancing!” But they all end up with a big smile on their faces and they all have a good time. “We’ve been to Camp Toowoomba three years now and we’ve had him there every year and the kids have really enjoyed it.” For more information about Peter visit his website at http://www.peterachilles.com/

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