Can you say “Llanfairpwyllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch” in one breath?
No?  Well, don’t worry, it’s not a requirement for joining the Australian Welsh Male Choir.  In fact, only six of the Frankston-based choir’s 60 members can speak much Welsh at all, so it’s probably fortunate that most of its repertoire is in English.

What is important, however, is a love of camaraderie and singing.  And possibly travel – the choir is currently on its first tour of Asia, visiting Taiwan, China and Hong Kong for a series of performances including concerts on the Great Wall of China, in Shanghai and in Frankston's Sister City of Wuxi.  In Hong Kong the choir will take part in a joint concert with the Hong Kong Welsh Male Voice Choir.

Since its formation in 1974 as the Frankston Welsh Male Choir it has toured overseas many times and chalked up several milestones along the way.  In 1983 the choir was invited to join the Association of Welsh Choirs and became the first choir outside Wales to be accorded that honour.  The following year it toured the UK, where it became the first choir outside Wales to sing at the 1000 Voice Festival at the Royal Albert Hall, and in 1988 it was invited back to the festival to perform solo - the only choir to have done so.

In 2000, the choir travelled to Wales and England to yet again represent Australia at the massed choir concert in Cardiff.  It toured Wales, Ireland and England in 2004, 2012 and 2015 and New Zealand’s North Island in 2008. 

Closer to home the choir has performed at the Sydney Opera House and regularly performs in Melbourne and throughout Victoria as well as singing to assist various charitable appeals.  In October it will join 14 other choirs performing in Wollongong as part of the Male Choir Association of Australia before heading off to Scotland, Wales and England in October next year.

The choir includes members from Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula as well as Berwick, Cranbourne, Wheelers Hill, Noble Park and Dingley, and new members are always welcome. It rehearses at Baxter Village every Monday at 7pm, and the initial audition consists of simply singing Happy Birthday to determine which section of the choir new members would be suitable for: first tenor, second tenor, baritone or bass.  About a quarter of the choir’s repertoire is in Welsh and the majority of members learn the words by phonetics; the Welshmen in the choir will assist new members with pronunciation, and there are tapes and CDs available to help as well.

Anyone interested in joining is invited to come along to a rehearsal, or phone 0425 725 525 or email [email protected] for more information.  And to get a taste of what the choir is all about, you can also get along to Kirks Hotel on the Esplanade in Mornington on the last Wednesday of each month for Singing In The Pub - anevening offun, fellowship and of course singing in the traditional Welsh style at 8pm.  Entry is free, no bookings are required, and meals and drinks are available at bar prices.  All welcome.

Oh, and that tongue-twister at the top? It means “Saint Mary’s Church in the hollow of the white hazel near a rapid whirlpool and the Church of St Tysilio of the red cave”.  Just so you know …