The email messages had been coming in for a week, urging the warmth of St Paul’s Cathedral, Myers Street, Bendigo, and we were all ready to go, not expecting such a magnificent occasion.

Over coffee we heard from the Bendigo Chorale member who had suggested the idea of a Gershwin concert.

I had thought a full dose of Gershwin might be too much but this concert so cleverly varied the style.

The City of Greater Bendigo Brass Band presented pieces of George Gershwin arranged by Alan Fermie: “I Got Rhythm” followed by a Porgy and Bess Suite: “It ain’t Necessarily so”, “I Got Plenty O’Nuttin’”, “Bess, You Is My Woman Now”, and “I’m On my Way”.

Then we had a complete change with the Bendigo Youth Choir presenting beautifully rehearsed pieces: “Oye – Can you hear us?” by Jim Papoulis, A Serbian gypsy dance, a Scandanavian song, and “Saltwater” music and words by Julian Lennon, Mark Spiro and Leslie Spiro.

Just as we were readying for the interval, Elena Varshavskaya, scintillating conductor of the Bendigo Chorale, played Bernstein with her mother, newly arrived from Russia.

Then Elena pulled out all the stops conducting the Bendigo Chorale with pieces by George and Ira Gershwin.

I was shouting my bravos from the back seat, each one louder than the last.

To go out into the night with “I Got Rhythm”, “Fascinating Rhythm”, love songs of Gershwin topped off by Porgy and Bess, was an exhilarating experience.

It was interesting to read that George and Ira Gershwin, born in America of Russian and Ukrainian Jewish descent created more than a dozen Broadway shows, “the song writing team whose voice was synonymous with the sounds and style of the Jazz Age.”

It was important to note that Ira’s song writing continued after the early death of George whose name overshadowed the creative role that Ira played.

The grand finale was “Clap yo’ hands” by the Gershwin brothers, arranged by Pete King, performed to thunderous applause by the Bendigo Chorale, Bendigo Youth Choir and City of Greater Bendigo Brass Band.

Back to Heathcote with diaries full for the next four concerts at St Paul’s Cathedral Bendigo.

Rather than being guided by reason, we are being dominated by natural instincts.

Racial, national, social, cultural and religious differences have taken thousands of years to develop and are deeply rooted.

We are supposed to be living in modern, civilised times, but very little has changed since dark ages.

Within the short span of my life many wars, revolutions, riots, persecutions and acts of terrorism have taken place.

And fighting is going on as ever in different parts of the world.

The weapons have become more destructive and fighting more cruel.

To coexist peacefully, we have to recognise and accept our differences.

But we should not mix too fast and in great numbers, because it can lead to clashes.