The Steel Guitar Forum

Hi! Steve,
I was secretary of the NZ. Hawaiian Steel Guitar Assn. when you were a member, gave it away for a while due to Louisa's triple by-pass, looking after her did not leave room for everything, things have eased off now and am President. Yep! The buck stops here. Ow,Ow,Ow! I still have my old Commodore guitar, my GOOD old Commodore, so does Fred and Tony and Ben and Ralph. We paid 24 pounds I think for the guitar and case, they are going for $800 - $1,000 now. Gee! Bunny would turn in his grave. Bill Wolfgramm died a few years ago, Bill Sevesi is still going but a double dose of pneumonia only a couple of months apart has knocked him around a lot. Sam Freedman, composer Haere Mai, Pania of the Reef and all those that Bill W. and Daphne Walker recorded turned 95 last Dec. Hiked down to Levin to interview him for our Gazette, he is a really nice guy, but very very private.
Our club days are still going well, our membership is holding but our musicians circulate - now you see them, now you don't. Anyway, that's us in a nut shell.Keep in touch. Hope all is well with you.

Thanks for the Update Mac, glad to hear the club is still meeting, with you at the helm. Besides the excellent steel players, there was also good guitar (the Tahitian rhythm player in particular...can't remember his name)& ukes. Lots of interesting old steels (like the Commodores) you don't see in the States. Also nice to hear Bill Sivesi is still active. Don't know if you have made it to Hawaii? I went a couple of years ago. Well worth seeing the guys play in the hotels around Waikiki. Stayed at the Queen Kapiolani by the Park near Diamond Head.

Haere Mai,

Steve H.
S8A6

Hi again Steve,
Yes, Louisa and I did get to Hawaii, met a lot of ordinary people and that is part of travel, wrote to Jerry before we went and he said that he had retired but to go to the Halekulani and hopefully I would enjoy Alan and Casey. Made a nuisance of myself and chatted to Benny for information, Sonny for same and anybody at all for any reason. Lucky to find Genoa at Ala Moana and took in Kodak Hula Show, PCC, soaked it all up like blotting paper as well as visits to Maui and the Big Island. Second time was just after Jerry had been here and meeting them all again was like meeting old friends. They were all very receptive and obliging and especially the Hawaii Calls Show talking to Nina, Barney and especially Harold Hakuole, that guy is real good company and apparantly very good friend of Jules, who, to me, is all I could ask for in Hawaiian music. And would you believe? We had some Hawaiians visited the club one day and when I saw the girl do hula I thought I had seen her somewhere before, couldn't say anything to anybody other than Louisa, you know how people can look sideways at you, got home, dug into the photos and sure enough, there she was , doing hula at the HC Show. Printed all this in our quarterly, posted many copies to them, but, Hawaiians are like the Samoans, they do not write. Louisa is on dialysis now and even if we had the money we will not be able to visit Hawaii again - give us half a chance and we would be on the next plane - or cruise ships are back in vogue, down these parts anyway. - history repeating itself.

Talofa, manuia, Mac.