AFTER 18 YEARS

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21248, 19 October 1940, Page 13 (Supplement)

AFTER 18 YEARS

GREAT AUSTRALIAN COMEDIAN EMERGES FROM RETIREMENT Though he retired to his farm at Blackheath, in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, 18 years ago, Leonard Nelson, the one-time popular comic singer and monologuist, has been induced to make his reappearance on the Tivoli circuit in Australia. Between 1905 and 1920 Mr Nelson was one of the surest draws on the Fuller circuit in New Zealand, and his songs—he wrote words and music as well—were sung by all the lads of the village in New Zealand and Australia. Across the Tasman they still sing his “Good-bye, Melbourne Town,” on appropriate occasions, and that was one of the first songs he wrote and sang. Other well-remembered songs of his were “Mister Booze” (“You’re a mischief - maker, Mister Booze”), which had an enormous vogue, “My Pal’s the Lamp-post,” “I Followed Her Here.” “Come With Me to the Races,” and “Married.” There were many others, and they all had the same lilt as the composer had in his voice and step (writes “H.P.” in the Dominion). Then there were his sententious monologues, always with a kick, sentimental or otherwise. One ot the most popular was “When Are Yer Goin’ Away,” and “Blimey, Ain’t a Man Stiff,’' little gems with more than a touch of Australian humanity in them Long Contract at 66 Years How the Tivoli people managed to dig Mr Nelson out of the past is quite a story. It began by someone asking him to sing to entertain the soldiers at Blackheath. The audience was so pleased that it kept him on the platform for 20 minutes. Among the audience was a well-known Freemason. who considered that here was the very man to entertain his brother Masons at a big convention in Sydney. Mr Nelson was approached and reluctantly consented to go to Sydney for the occasion. They liked him so much that he had to do a 40-minute turn.

Some of those present were interested in the big military camps at Bathurst and elsewhere. He was asked to entertain the soldiers there and willingly consented. On his first appearance he held the show up for

an hour, so much were his songs and patter to the liking of the soldiers. Mr J. Collins, who has been given the job of organising camp entertainments for the Government, at once saw that Mr Nelson still had those magnetic qualities that made him so * popular in the last war, and passed the news to the Tivoli people, with j the result that he had been offered I and has accepted a 26-week contract, 1 though he is in his sixty-sixth year! One of his sons, Mr Roy G. Nelson, is manager of the De Luxe Theatre. Wellington.