This article was written by Matt Neal and published in the "Offbeat" section of the Warrnambool Standard November 6 2014
The hard work of Woolsthorpe musician John Anscombe was recognised at last week’s Warrnambool Business Excellence Awards. Anscombe was named Volunteer Of The Year, with the award acknowledging five decades of musical fundraising by the guitar-playing farmer.
“I enjoy people,” he said of his motivations. “I get enjoyment out of helping people — that’s my biggest reward.” Describing himself as “the world’s worst guitar player” and “no great singer”, Anscombe has held concerts to raise money for muscular dystrophy research, localchurches, the Red Cross, southwest hospitals, CWA groups, and many other charities and organisations. He also regularly donates his time to playing at aged care facilities, which he said he finds both enjoyable and rewarding. “I enjoy going to the old folks’ homes and singing songs they can relate back to,” he said. “Some of the residents can’t have a conversation with you — the way Alzheimers treats people is not a nice thing — yet they sing along with you when you sing the old songs like Coming Round The Mountain or You Are My Sunshine. It’s incredible. “I just like singing with people and getting them having fun.”
Anscombe began his fundraising and musical career as a 16-year-old and said he had no idea how much money he had raised over the years. He has regularly run concerts in Koroit, Port Fairy, Grassmere and around the southwest, and was also involved in the board of management at the Koroit Hospital, for which he often raised money.
In later years, the Slim Dusty fan has been involved in the Warrnambool & District Country Music Group and Ken Smith’s country music fundraising group.
A member of the now-defunct Rubber Band, Anscombe and his musical mates were a regular sight busking at Moyneyana and the Port Fairy Folk Festival, donating every cent that went into the hat to a local hospital or charity — a figure that is estimated to be close to$13,000. While his fund-raising efforts predate starting a family, Anscombe’s own circumstances spurred his passion for charity work even further. “We had two boys who had muscular dystrophy so we raised a lot of money for them,” he explained. “They passed away when they were 19 and 21 (but I still raise) a bit of money for muscular dystrophy research.”
As for being named Volunteer Of The Year, Anscombe said the “recognition was nice to receive”. “But I never go out there because I’m gonna get pats on the back — I just think about the next place (I’m going) and putting on a good show for them.”
