By Sonia Isaacs
A GRASSROOTS sing-along initiative that has brought joy and big-hearted harmonies to Maleny is calling on the community to help keep it alive.
Sing Maleny, co-founded by Tim Hall and Jem Dunlop, began in May 2023 as a weekly two-hour sing-along at Maleny Lane.
What started with a modest songbook of around 40 classics – think Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper and Paul Kelly, has now grown to about 80 songs, spanning disco staples like ‘I Will Survive’ and ‘Love Is in the Air’, epic power ballads such as ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’, and nostalgic favourites including ‘Blister in the Sun’ and ‘Love Cats’.
Participants pay $5 at the gate and receive a printed songbook with lyrics only, making it easy for anyone to join in regardless of musical experience.
Each session traditionally begins with a warm-up and welcome with a group rendition of ‘From Little Things Big Things Grow’, followed by an open, crowd-led format where people call out their favourites from the index.
Mr Dunlop said when numbers hit around 50 or more, the energy is “electric”.
“If you’ve got 50, you really feel people singing back at you… anything above that, and it’s fantastic in terms of the excitement, just the buzz of people singing together,” he said.
However, momentum has faltered in recent months. A combination of colder weather, the legacy of a year-long closure of Maleny Lane and a shift from Sundays to Saturdays has affected attendance.
The outdoor, weather-dependent nature of the event and a limited online presence have added to the challenges, with numbers becoming “a bit thin on the ground”.
Organisers are now considering moving Sing Maleny back to Sundays in a bid to better suit locals’ routines and rebuild a reliable crowd.
They highlight the event is family friendly, and offers a relaxed, affordable way to get out of the house, have some fun and meet like-minded people who share a love of singing – polished voices not required.
To find out more about upcoming sessions, potential day changes and weather-related cancellations, residents are encouraged to follow the Sing Maleny Lane Facebook page.