Early, naive Great War patriotic fever in Australia was never more feverish than at the Melba Patriotic Concert in the Sydney Town Hall 100 years ago this week. The enthralled man from the Sunday Times was there. As well as hearing Melba sing he saw her in action as an auctioneer, raising money for the Patriotic Fund.
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"MELBA PATRIOTIC CONCERT. DIVA CAUSES GREAT ENTHUSIASM.
"Extraordinary scenes of enthusiasm were witnessed last night at the Melba Patriotic Concert given in the Town Hall. The fun began with the magnificent reception accorded to Madame Melba before the singing of the National Anthem [God Save The King] with which the proceedings were opened.
"Madame offered a small Japanese flag, which she held in her hand, for sale. She herself bid £11 for it, and the excitement and enthusiasm rose to a high pitch until the little piece of bunting was finally knocked down for 55 guineas — a result which was greeted with three cheers for our Eastern ally.
"A vast volume of applause greeted Madame Melba upon her first appearance on the platform. She sang the first verse of the National Anthem, her full, rich rendering of the grand old tune rousing the patriotic fervour of the audience to such a height that she had to sing it a second time. The second verse was sung by the male voices of the choir, and the third by the whole choir and the audience. A picturesque effect was then produced by the whole assemblage waving their flags and cheering."