Warrnambool folk musicians Prop and Maureen Heazlewood live by the motto "so much music, so little time". Playing old tunes on the banjo is a daily ritual for the two, who travel the countryside from festival to festival, feeding their musical obsession. Between them, they can play the accordion, spoons, fiddle, concertina, Irish drums and the banjo - but the one talent they lack is the ability to sing. That's where Buckles the dog steps in. According to the Heazlewoods, Buckles is blessed with the vocal chords they missed out on. "He's a real little performer this one", Prop said yesterday, pointing to his 13 month old Maltese terrier rolling around on the floor beneath him. "Everyone has got a musical sense in them, even dogs. They've just got to be in a musical environment." Buckles' talents were recognised by a BBC film crew which visited Australia last month to film a documentary on Australian culture, in the lead up to the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Warrnambool balladeer, Dennis O'Keeffe, who will also feature in the documentary, recommended the Heazlewoods as a colourful addition to the film. "They were looking for gold prospectors who could also play music. But the ones that actually go digging are few and far between these days", he said. "Maureen and I go up to the central gold fields with our metal detector. I suppose that's the closest to a gold prospector they are going to get. We did a few songs for them and Buckles joined in a bit, but we still can't figure out why they thought we'd be any good for the film". The Heazlewoods and Buckles will also be one of the opening performers at the Koroit Irish Festival this weekend. "I don't think there's a town in this district we haven't performed in", Maureen said. "We love it, it's something we enjoy and it brings joy to a lot of people". The documentary is expected to be screened on the BBC network at the end of the year.
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