General News
26 September, 2025
Veteran artist to perform again
Veteran singer-songwriter and musician Maurice Conway is set to share his music with local audiences once again next month.
A 69-year-old resident of Goyura (near Hopetoun) will perform twice on October 25, with gigs planned at Rainbow Market and at the family reunion in Murtoa.
“I’ve just got back from the US, so I’m trying to settle in now,” Mr Conway said.
“I’ve only been back a fortnight, and things have changed a lot for me over there.”
It was Mr Conway’s third visit to the United States, where he spent August performing and reconnecting with musicians and friends.
“The first time I went was in 2014, and I stayed with friends in Richmond for three months, and I met a lot of people, musicians and other good friends," he said.
“Then I returned to the US in 2019 and stayed for two months, doing concerts and quite a few gigs.
“This time, I stayed for a month and played again on a number of occasions, including radio and newspaper interviews.”
But it is his roots in the southern Mallee that continue to inspire his songwriting.
“The towns in the southern Mallee region that I’ve written songs on include Warracknabeal, Birchip, across to Rainbow, Hopetoun, Beulah, Rosebery, Lascelles, Woomelang and Dimboola,” he said.
“It’s my experience and my memory of these places as a boy, mostly.”
One of his strongest memories remains on the football field.
“In 1969, I played in a football grand final, and we won by a point,” he said.
"I was playing for Hopetoun against Beulah, and that story became a song.”
Mr Conway said he had always felt drawn back to Rainbow.
“I came over a bit over a year ago, thinking I should come and feel this place, I’ve got to write a song about it,” he said.
“Since then, I’ve become good friends with people here and played at the last market, even in the rain.”
His creative journey began early.
“I was born in Beulah and grew up in Hopetoun,” he said.
“I had piano lessons as a boy, then guitar lessons at high school.
“I met my guitar teacher again 50 years later, and we’re good friends now.
“She got me started.”
He spent 23 years in Melbourne, where he graduated from the University of Melbourne, taught music in various schools, and started his first band.
Now, Mr Conway is working on an album that reflects both his travels and his roots.
“I’ve made six trips this year to Melbourne to record,” he said.
“The focus is on the southern Mallee towns.
“Even the guys in the studio hadn’t heard of them before — they’re learning about it now too.”
He hopes his music helps to build pride in the region.
“Young people starting to write songs about this region is what will give it greater cultural strength and development,” he said.
“I think that’s what’s important here.”
Looking ahead, Mr Conway is determined to keep performing for the people of his own community.
“I reckon you should be in the corner singing your songs,” a friend told him when he returned to Hopetoun.
“I’ve now done 18 performances for visitors and told them stories about these towns, and that’s a highlight to me — to be the first songwriter singing about this region to tourists,” he said.