Tim McCallum (pictured), Tony Doevandans and Michael Satin are The Crooners, a trio set to delight crowds at Festival of FUN in Wollongong. Photos: Festival of FUN.
Under normal circumstances singer Tim McCallum might’ve been terribly disappointed when he didn’t land the gig for a 2016 Paralympics ad titled “We are the superheroes”. But at the audition, he stumbled on something better – a new bandmate.
Hearing the dulcet tones of Tony Doevandans, who Tim says sounds uncannily like the legendary Frank Sinatra, he knew two things.
“Number one, he deserved that gig – even if I was jealous, I knew that. Number two, I needed to work with him,” he says.
“The moment I heard him sing, I felt like I’d found a kindred spirit – another person in a wheelchair who sings like me.
“Tony has this youthful timbre in his voice and does the swinging jazz classics so well.”
A similar epiphany for Tim came when hearing Wollongong singer Michael Satin, aka “Mick on Wheels”, at the inaugural Festival of FUN concert.
Tim, Tony and Mick formed The Crooners, a trio of high-calibre singers who have gigged all over the state, serving up 1940s, 50s and 60s classics to adoring crowds.
This year for the first time, the outfit will perform at the Festival of FUN in Wollongong.
“It’s exciting for us to perform in our first Festival of FUN together, and it’s particularly exciting for Mick and his following to bring the act to his home town. By all accounts he’s a pretty popular fellow locally,” Tim says.
Though Mick is better known as a pop, rock and soul singer, and Tim is an operatic, musical theatre and classical singer with a preference for “big tenor arias and power anthems”, he says the Rat Pack style of music is a joy to deliver.
“While we all have our expertise in different genres, it’s a style we’ve all grown up with and love and has been passed down by parents and grandparents,” Tim says.
“Once we got talking about what we’d like to do together, it made sense to do something that not only we loved, but which we knew audiences loved as well.
“New York, New York, My Way, I’ve Got You Under My Skin – these songs are always fan favourites, and it works really well with the three of us wheel to wheel.”
Tim, also an ambassador for the Festival of FUN, says with fewer opportunities for artists with disability to perform, the event showcases the various ways festivals can set new benchmarks for inclusion.
“While things are getting better, I still get asked if it’s ok if people lift me upstairs to the stage, rather than paying to rent a ramp,” he says. “More often than not it comes down to money, and it’s a shame because it puts a dollar amount on my independence and inclusion. That can be really damaging for up-and-coming artists who haven’t yet learned how to advocate for themselves.
“I make sure every event organiser, producer, manager and venue operator I work with is educated in accessibility and inclusion. But it’s so heartening to have a festival where I don’t have to think about access and inclusion at all.
“I feel very passionate about this event and just really want to see it succeed and thrive in the different communities in which it’s presented. In a world that’s often challenging and non-inclusive, this is the kind of event that can bring us all together.”
Michael Satin, aka “Mick on Wheels”, is popular in his home town of Wollongong.
For the Festival of FUN performance, Tim has pieced together a set packed with “crooner fan favourites”, but with a distinct theme of togetherness.
“The Festival of FUN team do a great job at curating this event so each artist brings their unique spin to the act and there’s something for everyone,” he says.
“I’m pretty excited about our set. We know which songs get people toe-tapping away, and I can guarantee the audience will know the words and won’t be able to help themselves but move.”
The Festival of FUN 2025 takes place on Saturday 1 March at Wollongong University – book your tickets via Humanitix.
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