In some ways, Hemensley’s impromptu auction success sums up Hemensley’s legacy within the Melbourne music community. “Tim was all about community, even though he hated footy,” muses Jason ‘Evo’ Evans, the administrative and marketing brains behind Melbourne’s beloved Community Cup. “The Community Cup is a great fund raiser for charity, but it’s also about bringing people together – you bump into people you haven’t seen in years, you catch up on what they’ve been doing. And Tim loved that community aspect, which is why he loved the Community Cup.”
While Hemensley would probably be bemused by his naming association with a football match, the decision to name a regular recreational football game between members of the rock’n’roll fraternity and media types has ensured his name, and attendant legacy, remains at the forefront of Melbourne music consciousness.
Originally scheduled for late September, a week before the AFL Grand Final, the Tim Hemensley has been brought forward a few months this year to coincide with both the Leaps and Bounds music festival organised by Yarra City Council, and the gig being held at The Tote to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Hemensley’s death. “Mary Mihelakos gave me a call and asked if we wanted to bring it forward for the Leaps and Bounds festival. And then when the gig at The Tote sold out, it was the perfect opportunity for people to see the Powder Monkeys play as well.”
Half-time of the game will feature a 30 minute set from the recalibrated Powder Monkeys, comprising original guitarist John Nolan, drummer Timmy Jack Ray and a rotating band of guest vocalists. (According to rumour, Rocket Science will also play a rare live set on the day.)
Moore got to know Hemensley during the final year of Hemensley’s life, when the pint-sized rock legend would got on stage with Digger And The Pussycats to sing a cover of the Sex Pistols’ Bodies during the Pussycats’ set. Moore pays tribute to Hemensley’s seemingly unbridled passion for rock’n’roll. “When the Powder Monkeys supported The Dictators at the Tote, Tim got straight off stage, packed up his gear and stood front and centre in front of The Dictators for the entire set,” Moore says.
Like most long-term Melbourne music fans, Evans has his fair share of colourful Tim Hemensley and Powder Monkeys memories. “I saw some great shows at The Tote, The Greyhound and The Espy,” Evans says. “I was always amazed by the sheer arrogance of the band.” One particular show at the Palace in St Kilda, when the Powder Monkeys supported former MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer, sticks in Evans’ mind. “They were playing, and the stage manager was standing on the edge of the stage, and kept telling them that it was their last song, but they just kept on playing. Eventually Tim dropped his bass on ground, went over to the clock, took it off the wall and smashed it on stage,” Evans laughs. “The crowd absolutely loved it.”
Ten years after his death, and Hemensley is still remembered fondly in the St Kilda community, where Evans still lives. “Tim always had time to talk to anyone who was walking around St Kilda,” Evans says. “He’d always been walking quickly, like he had a mission. Fred Negro draws him as an angry mouse, in tight jeans. I suppose it’s better to be remembered, than not at all!” Evans laughs.
For the Hemensley Cup, the Rockdogs team will be again captained by Ross Knight, bass player and singer with the Cosmic Psychos. Knight’s footy skills may be on the wane, but his presence will remain inspirational. “Before the Community Cup, I used to introduce the footy to Ross, and tell him that he might not meet it during the day,” Evans laughs.
But the day is more than just football, or even rock’n’roll. For Evans, it’s about rediscovering a sense of community that’s increasingly lost in the modern world. “I think the Tim Hemensley Cup, and the Community Cup fills a void that’s been created because it’s so hard to organise community events these days,” Evans says. “With the amount of paperwork we have to deal with, I don’t reckon we’d ever have got the Community Cup off the ground if we’d started these days.”
With a combination of football, rock’n’roll and community, this Sunday’s Tim Hemensley Cup promises an afternoon of goodness that Evans hopes will prove irresistible to local punters – especially those who’ve missed out on a ticket to the Tote later that day. “We really hope that people come down to acknowledge all the work that’s gone into organising this gig,” Evans says. “You can come down, have a kick of the footy and listen to some dirty-arse rock’n’roll. That sounds like the perfect afternoon to me.”
BY BRUCE LAIRD
