A local school teacher and his father, Dylan and Rob Smith, who perform as The Falconers, have recorded a piece of New England history.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Dylan - who teaches at Uralla Central School - and Rob have released a song about the life of 89-year-old Ray Mepham.
Ray purchased Elsmore property Little Valley before the age of 18, and he was the first man to breed Murray Cod in captivity after NSW Fisheries biologist John Lake paved the way.
READ MORE:
Ray's amazing life story inspired the father and son music duo to write and produce a song about him titled Big Water.
They started the project in July last year, writing, arranging, recording and mixing before launching the hit on Inverell's community radio station STA FM recently with Pam Bush.
However, it wouldn't be a Smith masterpiece without some sort of video/photography mixed into the work.
An associated video to go with the song was uploaded on YouTube today which features some familiar scenery, recordings of the 1991 flood in Inverell and even a Lancaster Bomber.
"The story in the song is about Ray's work over the years as a river watcher warning Inverell when floods were coming. He did this for many years up until an automated system was put in on his property Little Valley," Rob said.
During the 55' flood Ray saw a Bomber flying low over the tree tops inspecting flood damage. Around 50-odd years later, while in hospital, he met a man from Yetman who saw the same plane.
"There wouldn't be too many alive today who saw that bomber," Ray said.
To pay tribute to Ray's son Kevin, who lost his life in a tragic accident at the age of 55, a image of him fishing the gorge also features in the video.
For more information, or to watch the video, search for The Falconeers on YouTube.