1970.

He met Gary Tooth, the popular Australiana folksinger in Penrith who suggested he seek work in Folk clubs, wine bars and restaurants. As the trend was strongly in favour of Australian songs, under the name of Bobby Gripweed, he performed at The Settlers at Mulgoa and The Nosebag at Wilberforce.

1971-72.

With Pete, the drummer, and Ronnie a tall blonde haired singer, he joined The Blacktown Workers Club Concert Party and they toured the State at other Workers Clubs. As the entire concert party consisted of no more than six people it meant that each member needed to multi-task and  in between  singing his songs he was also required to take part in the choruses, fill in for a stage hand, make the coffee, and clean and buff the toilets.

He created the character of vampire who was scared of the sight and smell of blood and when their producer/resident comedian was thrown out, Robert took over his role as director.

The Concert Party performed more than thirty shows, raising money for many worthy causes, the main one being for the Riverstone Meat Works Fire Disaster Appeal. Their only promise was a paid spot at the Blacktown Club. However he never received a cent, the manager explaining that his payment had been swallowed up in agents and band fees, Club taxes and tea money. To make matters worse during his performance a group of jovial louts at the back of the hall kept calling him ‘four eyes’ and ‘Pommie bastard’.

Could This Be Bobby Gripweed’s Crucible?

Highly unlikely, for Robert had the heart of a lion, the perspicacity of a meercat and the hide of a rhinoceros. In other words, if brains were elastic, he would not have had enough to make an ant a pair of garters.

1973.

Hopping from one disaster to the next with the aplomb of a one legged man in an arse kicking contest, Bobby managed to get himself sacked from The Nosebag restaurant when he entertained some American guests with songs such as The ‘Woodpecker’s Hole’, ‘The Chastity Belt’ and an unexpurgated version of ‘The Thrashing Machine’. At The Halfway House, an Australiana restaurant owned by Max Varnell, he was asked to leave after suggesting that an English patron, who had described Australia as, ‘the arsehole of the world’ was, ‘just passing through’.

1974.

As suggested by the DJ Phil Haldeman, (he who had awarded Bobby 98 points in Australia’s New Faces in 1968) Bobby Gripweed sang at PACT Folk, where he met Terry Driscoll, who was a great guitarist and who in turn, introduced him to Alex Hood and Marion Henderson.  He recognised the names of the Bushwackers, Red Gum and others of the same ilk, all up and coming and bent on promoting what was to become known as Australiana Folk.

Rolf Harris was a rising star, Australian but not in Australia. The same with The Seekers, Shirly Abicare, Frank Ifield, each and everyone singing their native songs in anywhere but their native land. It vaguely occurred to Bobby Gripweed that something should be done about it but wasn’t sure just what.

Adding one disaster to the next Robert joined allegiances with an Austro/Irish duo who specialised in Kingston Trio songs, once more taking up the bass guitar and returned to The Nosebag under the name of The Town and Country Boys. Unfortunately after a minor disagreement and a marital breakdown Bobby departed the scene and went to live in Lidcombe.

1975.

For the first few months the guitar stayed in it’s case and so did Bobby Gripweed. After an acute bout of claustrophobia he realised that he needed to turn to his old six stringed pal, Bobby advertised for a female partner to join him in a duo. Three ladies answered. The first one, an English backpacker neither sang or bathed, but the second, a Scottish girl, was far in advance of anything he had every before encountered.

She was also married so any other ideas Bobby might have had were shattered. The third and final auditionees were two sisters in their teens from Ireland. Their lilting voices and song choices were excellent, unfortunately they only sang in Gaelic and songs he had never heard of. However they did introduce him to Paddy MacDonald, the proprietor of a wine bar in Forbes Street, Wooloomooloo, known as Journey’s End  and was always on the look out for new talent in his establishment.

Paddy explained that although he was unable to actually pay his entertainers his wine bar was indeed, ‘the place in which to be seen’ (especially by the local constabulary). Heeding Paddy’s advice, “come along witcha banjo, and bring yer smoil” Bobby fronted on the following Monday night and after a slightly nervous start was made welcome by all the patrons.

He was introduced, by the bright button eyed Sri Lankan, Dileep Khatri  as ‘Professor Bob’, after confessing that he had no other care than being called late for breakfast. After talking about his days as a jackeroo he became ‘Farmer Bob’, ergo he did not venture into the subject of sex.

With this new found confidence he ventured to other venues. At The Gaslight Tavern in Fairlight he found himself drifting from table to table chortling out his ballads, receiving sweet looks from the old ladies, frightened looks from the children and downright hostility from young bucks bent on seducing not only their lady for the evening but also the waitresses.

His voice was so strong that he was asked many times to reduce the volume with words such as, ‘can you please turn it down’ or ‘oh shaddap!’

In the September of 1975 he met Lynette who proved to be a soulmate and encouraged him in his career as an entertainer. Lynette was streetwise with all of Robert’s old haunts and was well acquainted with Paddy at Journey’s End. At the end of the year Bobby was fortunate enough to secure a job at  The Bac’a Bourke steakhouse in Yagoona where he met Bev Page their resident chanteuse who’s high soprano, it was strongly rumoured, could shatter wine glasses at twenty paces. The two owners, Keith and Ken took great delight in phoning one another in the early morning hours to book forty or fifty customers under false names such as Mizter Lemonpancake and Hooper Glooper. They were so taken with Bobby Gripweed that after he had delivered one of his more meaningful songs without receiving any applause, they said that it was tantamount to ‘casting pearls before swine’ qv.

To this Bev declared that the pair should be operating a starting price bookmakers instead of a restaurant.