Sing for Your Dumpling: Where the Rain Couldn’t Stop the Song

All weekend a deep, low-pressure system had been pressing inexorably across from the south-east, pushing what slim spring warmth there was upwards, into the chilly ether, until it exploded back to earth in sudden thunder and rain. The weather was not ideal for karaoke, but it did not stop the music at the inaugural Sing for your Dumpling event, held at the Buninyong Uniting Church Community Hall on Sunday, 26 October 2025. 

Forty determined souls, jittering with pre-performance nerves, gathered resolutely for their turn at the mic. Among them infants, pre-teens, elders, sandwich lovers, dumpling fanatics, and fans of Lyn’s jelly slice. By 4 PM the anticipation was at fever pitch. 

After some opening comments and a Welcome to Country from Cathy, Pat and Marcia kicked off proceedings with a rousing rendition of You Are My Sunshine. It was an inspired choice, as everyone knows the chorus, and the hall echoed in joyous song as everyone joined in except for the 10-month-old infant in attendance, who can at this point can only say “Mama”, and “Goo”. 

Further highlights were plentiful with no clear winner on the day, which means everybody, even the Geelong Cats supporters, had a win. 

Special mention must go to the sprightly Reverend Bill Clark who, at 91, may very well have first heard “We’ll Meet Again” in the swaddling babe in a 1930s crib. The rain belted down on the tin roof above us and, if you listened closely, you could almost hear the foghorn blast of a ship carrying our soldiers away to a long-ago war, many to grow poppies on plaques at the feet of trees.

Tao, all of seven years old, and his incredible electronic saxophone also credits special mention. Nothing encapsulates the essence of karaoke quite like a thin reading of the theme tune from the Beijing Olympics. The audience ate it up, especially as the dumplings weren’t ready yet. Genuine euphoria swept the room as the final note fell, and it was time to hit the sandwiches and buttered nut loaf and tea.

My personal highlight came after the interval, with Barb’s acapella version of Maggie. It was melancholy and heartfelt and simply magnificent. Her singing wasn’t perfect, but her intention was. There was not a dry eye in the house and, yes, the pollen has been bad this season. 

The finale was reminiscent of the final battle in the first Avengers movie, as the entire Sebastopol Open Door Op Shop crew gathered on the stage for an all in performance of Wooden Heart. John looked a bit like Thor as he manfully moved his lips as if he were actually singing, and there was something fundamentally heroic in Sylvia’s effort to get the large ensemble swaying in time. 

Before we knew it the show was over. It was time to climb back down from the mountain and return to our lives. As we stacked the chairs and swept the floor and divided up the remaining scones, one thing was certain. Community is alive and ready to thrive in the olde village.

To watch the video highlight, click here Sing for a DUmpling