Community
22 April, 2026
Morning Melodies heads to Cobden
MORNINGS of great tunes and a lively atmosphere will soon be coming to Cobden as Morning Melodies starts up at the Cobden Golf Club next month.
Gary and Joyce McKenzie, who used to run Morning Melodies in Terang, have decided on a change in scenery and are bringing the much-loved event to Cobden after a short break in performing.
Gary’s band, the Streamline Band, will be performing with guest artists on the first Monday of every month from 10am-12.30pm.
Mr McKenzie said Morning Melodies were all about bands getting together to play easy listening music for the enjoyment of the community.
“The whole band is all different singers and there’s no two in the same genre – we’ve got country, we’ve got rock ‘n roll and we’ve got everything that goes with it and the modern stuff,” he said.
“We hope people will come and listen and enjoy it, we just love to play and enjoy it as well.
“People have said it’s somewhere to go and something different.
“We put on a show as a band and if our guest artist is playing one type of music we try and move away from that so it’s not all the same.
“It’s about the comradery with these guys and seeing the smiles on people’s faces.”
Gary, who plays bass, is joined by his bandmates – drummer Robert Lehmann, guitarist Carl Redlich, vocalist Olga Lyons, pianist Arty Hoey and Brett Bolbrook who plays rhythm guitar, electric mandolin, harmonica and the violin.
The band also receives assistance from their sound man Pete Lyons, who they wouldn’t be able to perform without.
Mr Hoey played guitar for the band until recently when he suffered a stroke and was forced to switch gears and pivot to playing the keyboard one-handed.
“It’s unbelievable how he’s come back to play,” Mr McKenzie said.
“It was hard walking across the stage the first time and not seeing Arty there.”
Mrs Lyons said Arty worked extremely hard on his keyboard skills to remain a part of the Streamline Band.
“To Arty’s credit he just wanted to continue to be a part of the band so he’s taught himself to play the keyboard, which I think is extraordinary – just so he can continue to enjoy the group and the music,” she said.
Mrs Lyons said the band had a wide range of abilities and musical scope, which meant there were lots of opportunities to try new things on stage.
“I like the fact that there are so many of us who actually sing,” she said.
“So it’s not just one lead singer, we all take it in turns, except for Arty.
“We all have a go and there’s a great collection of musicians.
“Our music collection is very broad.
“It could be anything from rock ‘n roll to blues, to country, ballads – we have a very wide range.”
The band has been together close to 35 years and was formed when Mr Lehmann and Mr Hoey were in a group together looking for a bassist.
“Some other members in the band left and we were looking for a bass player, so I said how about Gary,” Mr Lehmann said.
“Just like that he slipped into the band and that’s how it all progressed.
“Brett came along a bit later.
“We just love doing the music.”
Mrs Lyons said the group liked to focus on having fun together, which was the most important thing.
“We do have fun together which is really important as a group and I think that’s one of the reasons why we stay together, because it’s good fun,” she said.
“I could be having a really bad day, then I could go to band rehearsal and come back with a smile on my face and a skip in my step.
“It’s fun to be together and just enjoy the music.”
Mr McKenzie said with the addition of guest artists, most of the money raised through hosting Morning Melodies would go back into entertainment, but any excess would return to the community.
“We’re basically trying to do a not-for-profit, we’re trying to put the bulk of the money back into entertainment, but anything that’s left over will be given out through the golf club to parents with sick kids and it’ll be through fuel and food vouchers,” he said.
“That’s one of the basic reasons we want to do it and get it going.”
Tickets for Morning Melodies are $10 for entry and there will be a raffle and door prize on the day.
The first session will be on Monday, May 4 and will continue on the first Monday of every month afterwards at the Cobden Golf Club.
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