Senior citizens in two community singing groups are in dire need after the retirement of their 96-year-old pianist.
Hugh Vallance, who started playing piano for Williamstown Community Singers (WCS) 14 years ago, has reluctantly retired amid fears his replacement may be hard to find.
“My problem now is I’m getting numbness in the ends of my fingers,” he said.
“And I’ve become tone deaf. I can hear the sound, but I can’t always pick up the tune I’m playing.”
Mr Vallance said his daughter-in-law, the group’s conductor, “feels lost” without his musical accompaniment.
The WCS group meets Thursdays to rehearse classics from the 1940s-60s and for afternoon tea. Over the years, it has raised tens of thousands of dollars for Williamstown Hospital through raffles and other modest fundraising ventures.
Mr Vallance, who was a Masonic organist for 57 years until 2013, said his retirement from piano had left another seniors’ group in the lurch.
“After I’d been playing at Willy for two or three years, I got a call to play for the Newport elderly citizens’ community group, which I accepted,” he said.
“I said, I don’t want any money for it; I wanted to do this as a voluntary business just to put something back into the local community.
“Both those community singing groups have a problem at the moment.”
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