Wallaga Lake Gumleaf Band

The Wallaga Lake Aboriginal Gumleaf Band was a celebrated musical group from Yuin Country. Active from the 1910s to the 1950s, the band was known for a unique vaudeville style combination of gumleaves, kangaroo skin drum, fiddle, mouth organ, squeezebox, and singing. They also incorporated circus clowning, somersaults and tap dancing into their shows.

The band’s performances at concerts, dances, and sporting fixtures in the wider Tilba district were lively and rhythmical. Their music reflected the 1920s ‘novelty noise’ jazz era, making it palatable to mainstream audiences. Members included the legendary Yuin musicians Percy Mumbler, Percy Davis, Guboo Ted Thomas, and Jimmy ‘Kunkus’ Little. The group’s versatility and energy made them popular across New South Wales and Victoria performing at mechanics’ institutes, mission concerts, and dance halls.

In the late 1920s the band made a remarkable journey on foot from Wallaga Lake to Melbourne to perform at a Palais Royale Ball, showcasing their distinctive sound to a big city audience. Their participation in a brass band gathering at Bendigo, a corroboree in the Dandenong Ranges, and a Labor Day March in Melbourne highlighted their contribution to Australian cultural life at the time. Four members also participated in celebrations at the opening of Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1932.

The luminous story of the Wallaga Lake Gumleaf Band distinguishes Yuin history while contributing a unique chapter to Australian musical history. In 2022, South East Arts NSW sponsored Uncle Ossie Cruse to form a documented Giiyong Gumleaf Band in commemoration of these unforgettable Uncles.