by JOHN PIGGOTT
FOR crying out loud, though we say it politely, Graham Keating has struck again.
The winner of international town crier contests around the world took out first prize in the seniors' section at the 24th annual National Town Crier Championships in Parkes in May.
Graham, who has been the official City of Sydney town crier since 1986, was one of 10 town criers from around the land who converged on the Henry Parkes Centre.
He was runner-up in the major category, Champion of Champions, behind Judy Campbell, the only female town crier in Australia, who also pipped him for the best cry.
Graham, 73, is Australia’s first and longest-serving town crier, starting out in 1975 when he was entertainment manager at the now defunct Old Sydney Town on the Central Coast.
He remained there for 28 years and still lives in the region.
Graham’s persona is based on a real-life historical figure: Samuel Potter, an ex-highwayman who was transported to Sydney in 1789.
In the 1806 muster, Potter was listed as a “bellman”, or town crier, who was employed by the colonial authorities to disseminate the news to a largely illiterate convict population.
Speaking in character, Graham said it was a very wide-ranging role.
“If the governor wanted an edict to be promulgated or proclaimed, then I was the vehicle for that,” he said.
Most of the missives were news about the Napoleonic wars and events back in England and Europe.
“They did have a newspaper, the Sydney Gazette, but because most of the population could not read, I was the conveyor of important news that could be of great importance.
“And because I could ride a horse, I could get around – I was the media.”
Asked what makes a good town crier, he said: “dignity, poise, bearing, confidence and sustained volume”, adding that the last was not just about how loud you are. “It’s about how you use volume to communicate the importance of your message in a large public space.”
Other categories at the championships included best-dressed crier, loudest cry (86.9 decibels!) and best scroll.
Next year’s event will be hosted by Redland City Council in Queensland.
