A Notable Blencowe: Wilfred John Blencowe
5.1.1941 — 20.7.2018
Growing up in the small country town of Leeton, where we knew almost everyone, many of whom we were somehow related to, it is easy to take people for granted. Often I thought of doing a Notable Blencowe article on my second cousin, Wilfred. He was a very private person and Id worried how he might take it and now I have missed the chance of recognising him while he was alive.
Wilfred, the eldest child of George Francis Blencowe and Emma Caldecot Day, was born in Leeton, NSW in 1941. Although almost 3, he remembered clearly the death of his 18 month old brother, Allan in the farm dam on Christmas Day 1944.
Wilfred's musical talents were obvious from an early age. He graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 1962 where he studied piano under Frank Hutchins. Wilfred also studied theatre and production at the Independent Theatre (now NIDA) for two years and was musical director of the Cameo Opera Group in Sydney. This was about the time he became heavily involved in promoting the need for the Opera House for Sydney.
While in Sydney he was the accompanist for the Liebeslieder Concert. He directed revue and musical comedy in both Sydney, Canberra and country areas such as Leeton where I saw his production of the Rogers and Hammerstein musical, Oklahoma.
Wilfred taught music at a private school in Moss Vale for some time before training as a nurse at the Sydney Adventists Hospital. He nursed in Leeton and Canberra hospitals.
Wilfred never married and in 1976 he went to Europe; originally at the invitation of Gerard Souzay, the world famous French Baritone, Dalton Baldwin (accompanist) and Elly Ameling the Dutch Soprano.
Wilfred became a citizen of Belgium after living in Brussels and Bruges before settling in Wenduine. He worked as a voice coach for singers, an accompanist for singers and instrumentalists. He also operated opera schools throughout Europe for amateur singers and groups such as the British Chorale of Brussels and the Society of Suppressed Singers; (British Expatriates working in the EU).
He had a special interest in leider, opera and the romantic composers. He mentored many singers and promoted Belgian musicians by organising performances throughout Europe, England and Ireland. He performed in Paris and throughout Belgium as an accompanist to Geoffrey Maingart (violinist), Gerda Lombaerts (soprano), Leive Jansen (soprano) and Roy Malan.
Wilfred had an interest in using Astrology as a means to augmenting his students language and communication skills, emotional maturity, mental acuity and spiritual awareness plus the physical strength to do it: his fluency in Dutch, French and Flemish was an asset.
Our Family History
For relaxation Wilfred pursued our family history. Long before the establishment of the BFA he had found his way back to Adam de Blencow via John of Purston, brother of Sir Johns father. Each twig of our family was presented with beautiful, professionally produced charts. We can now add more detail of the female lines but it is Wilfred who led us to an interest in our ancestry.
At the 2004 Griffith Reunion, hosted by Judie and Les Saddler, Val and James Browne, where 80 relatives attended, Wilfred was the main speaker. We sat enthralled for about an hour as he related what hed discovered about the Blencowe family on many side trips from Belgium to England.
Wilfred played the organ for the service in the Marston St Lawrence Church at the 2007 Oxford Reunion hosted by Peter and Rupert Blencowe.
He flew to Australia for 2008 Port Macquarie Reunion hosted by his sister, Frances and Anne. Not long after this event, he decided to retire to Australia and lived out his life in Nowra on the south coast of NSW.
Predeceased by his parents and brother, Allan, Wilfred John Blencowe is survived by brothers, Noel Douglas, David Maurice, sister, Frances Forbes, nieces Kylie, Kristine & Lisa and nephew, Scott. He was 77.
Anne Burton & Frances Forbes,
Australia