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Tag Along 2018 Souvenir Book.

We have produced a 76 page book of our 2018 tag-along which is now available for purchase directly from the publisher. Please click on this link to preview the book online (no cost involved in looking). You can then click on the shopping cart icon and purchase the book if you wish. Please note; the price you will pay is the price charged by the printer. No profit margins have been added to the cost.

Alternatively, once you have had a look, you can download a PDF version of the book to view on your computer for free by selecting this link.

		2018 Graham Rodger’s Tag- Along No.5 May 18^th – June 11^th A pictorial representation of our tour
Our more formal concerts were held in a variety of outdoor venues, superb historic council owned town halls or the auditorium of local clubs. Coupled with these were half a dozen far less formal campfire style shows giving our taggers the opportunity to show off their talents, of which there were plenty.

Miles	Some samples of posters for the 12 towns we performed concerts in. Anakie	Charters Towers
Clermont	Normanton	Karumba
Tag Along Performing Artists
The star of our shows GRAHAM RODGER	The Band “THE JOLLY RODGERS”
ROBERT HOPKINS	LAUREL CALVERT	RODNEY SPRINGER
KATELANN GREALY	TYSON LUCAS	DEIRDRE WILLMINGTON

It was the 18^th of May as 78 vans and 152 people gathered at the Miles Showgrounds to commence the Graham Rodger Tag Along No.5 in 2018. At 4pm, we met in one of the pavilions. Approximately 20 tag alongers were on their first tour, but for the majority it was tag 4 or 5 so there was a lot of frivolity as old friendships were re-kindled. Graham introduced each member of his band and they in turn.provided some high-class entertainment. It was obvious from the word go that this tour was going to reach the high standard of our previous four. The entertainment was followed by a sausage sizzle and dessert which was Graham's homemade biscuits and slices, which went down a royal treat. Is there no limit to this man’s talent?

The following evening, along with the locals we gathered at the Leichhardt Centre for the first of our 12 major concerts. Everybody was on a high, all the artists were at the top of their game and it was certainly a special way to start the tour.

The first 75% or so of each concert was an opportunity for each of our artists to demonstrate their depth of talent. The audience was presented with approximately 2 hours of traditional country music with the main emphasis being on the Australian ballad. The other 25% anything could happen, but whatever it was, you could be assured it was highly entertaining.

At Anakie Graham shared the stage with the local primary school choir. It was a cold night, but the setting under the moon and stars more than made up for the chill
Guest artist – Clive Cameron

At Clermont, Graham's Scottish heritage came to the forefront, Graham looking very sexy in his McPherson kilt.

As the Hughenden concert came to a conclusion nature turned on all its glory as the sun set in the west, the full moon rose in the east.

Our next concert, at Julia Creek saw three very special artists fly in just for our concert, namely Helen Reddy, Col Joye and Johnny Cash.

At Normanton, to the delight of the locals, Graham played a very special tribute to the town’s local hero – Slim Dusty.

At Karumba, as good as the concert was, and as totally at the top of his game Graham, the King of the Australian Ballad was, he still could not compete with the power, beauty and total spectacle turned on by nature

Sunset over The Gulf

Our final two concerts were in Cooktown and the second of these, approximately 20 kms south was at the Lions Den Hotel. This was a superb environment in which to hold our final public concert.

The next day was to be the final day of the tag-along. We had had the Cooktown Racecourse exclusively to ourselves for our three-day stay. A special camaraderie between the taggers had come to a peak and this was promising to be a great day. Many had hunted high and low for costumes suitable for the affair (Mr and Mrs Cook never looked so good). The activities kicked off with the Endeavour (not to hurt yourself) Games, which were certainly different but none the less a lot of fun. Graham and Deirdre (with many helpers) put on a beautiful dinner, then the entertainment really started! The Ukulele group, which have been practicing all tour, lived up to everybody’s expectations and Graham forgot he was a balladeer and came out onstage rockin’ and a rollin’. We were fortunate enough to have many very talented amateur artists within our tag and our “walk-up” segment for our final concert was superb. A big thank you in particular to Graham and Deirdre and everybody else who contributed to the success of that special evening. It was an event that the taggers will remember for a long time to come

Throughout the tour there were several events that were special. The first of these would be our train trip from Normanton to Critters Camp and return on The Gulflander. Graham and Deirdre played hosts with cheese and wine at the end of the line.

	Normanton Station

As has become tag-along custom, Charters Towers saw an early morning rise for our Pancake Breakfast.

“Graham, at this rate it will take you forever to feed one hundred and seventy hungry people!”

Ukulele lessons and rehearsals were a regular activity.

The last fifteen minutes of the show at the Croydon Rodeo Grounds, Graham invited a group of about 8 local kids varying in age from 2 – 10 years to join him onstage. This invitation reinforced the statement – “never share the stage with children or animals”.

At Cooktown, we were welcomed to attend the full dress-rehearsal of the re-enactment of Captain Cook’s time spent ashore to repair the Endeavour after her running aground on the Great Barrier Reef in 1770.

Some of the photos taken whilst on tour. They include Arcadia Valley, Top of Mt Walker at Hughenden, The croc infested Norman River, the small but very plentiful anthills and the playground for the local platypus found at the end of our caravan park at Mt Surprise. Just a few examples of the special scenes that nature turned on for us.

Below are links to two video clips taken on tour. We hope you enjoy watching them.

Stronger For It All Tag-Along Medley

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