PETER Ellis will celebrate Australia Day by playing the instruments he loves.The Order of Australia Medal recipient will perform with the Emu Creek Bush Band at Australia Day celebrations in Kangaroo Flat.The 65-year-old Flora Hill resident has been awarded an OAM for his commitment to the collection and preservation of Australian folk history and heritage.“I formed the Bush Dance and Music Club of Bendigo a long while back and I’m also a life member of the Victorian Folk and Dance Music Club,” he said.“I formed the Emu Creek Bush Band nearly 30 years ago.“We perform for school dances, at aged care homes and various other events.”Mr Ellis plays a handful of instruments, including the concertina and button accordion.He has a collection of folk music instruments, including a one-string fiddle, in his home.Mr Ellis is dedicated to keeping Australian folk history alive and is the author of Collector’s Choice series in 3 Volumes, Music Makes Me Smile, The Waltz, the Polka and all kinds of Dance Music, The Merry Country Dance and Two Hundred Years of Dancing.He is also a donor to the Ellis Dance Music Collection and the Peter Ellis Papers.“I’ve deposited with the National Library of Australia in the oral history department,” Mr Ellis said.Mr Ellis’ interest in Australian folk history lies with the music.“I love the music for a start,” he said.“I suppose it’s the appreciation that you get from people. It goes right across the ages.“When we play for people at the aged care home their faces light up and then it goes to the other extreme when we play at a school dance and the kids love it.”