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John Oxley Library

State Library gets the whole story on iconic image

By JOL Admin | 16 August 2013

Jackie Anderson, Angus Rabbitt, Freddie Douglas entertaining in Kingaroy, Queensland, ca. 1960. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Neg 34481

An iconic Queensland image has come to life with new information from Angus Rabbitt, second singer from left, pictured above. In a conversation with State Library of Queensland Curator Katina Davidson, Angus shared the back story recently.

"That was Jackie Anderson, Freddie Douglas and myself doing a show at 4SB Kingaroy . . the radio station . . . in those days we travelled around and, we beat the Bee Gees, at this time, in a talent quest for Channel 10. About 50 year ago they had a talent quest at the radio and we entered and we came first. A nice big ice cream cake each and a Box Brownie Camera, we got one each and that was it."

 "They were known as The Gibb Brothers at that time and they played little ukuleles and little bottle top rattlers. Sort of thing and they were doing their stuff and singing "My Old Man’s a Dustman" and those sort of things and us three guys come along with "Tutti Fruitti" and a whole lot of shaking going on."

Special thanks to Angus for the information that is now in One Search and prominently displayed in the Deadly Brothers Exhibition at State Library until 17 November. You can watch the whole interview with Angus on Youtube.  The music-packed exhibition is the sequel to the recent female-only Flash Women exhibition, The Deadly Brothers exhibition provides an Indigenous focus to the Live! Queensland band culture program that is currently at State Library.

C. Cottle - Digital Collection Curator, State Library of Queensland

Contribution by Katina Davidson, Curator, State Library of Queensland

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