A book of poetry reflecting his experiences as a busker on the streets of Gawler has been published by local poet and musician, Mr Martin Johnson.
Mr Johnson said his objective in writing this collection of poetry, titled Umbrellas, tables & chairs is to provide a sense of what is like performing as a busker on the streets of Gawler. “By doing so, present an aspect of day to day life in the Gawler Community," Mr Johnson said.
The book of poetry was officially launched by Mr Rob McLean, the editor of The Bunyip newspaper. Local Member of Parliament, Mr Tony Piccolo who attended the launch said Mr Johnson’s poetry had a certain rawness and honesty about it.
"Martin’s work provides great insights into those small things about the town which we overlook because of busy lives, but he has a sharp eye for the ordinary but important elements of the town’s culture and soul,” Mr Piccolo said.
Since February 2012, Mr Johnson has performed over 600 three hour public sessions as a solo artist and during this time has been exposed to all sorts of people; people from different cultures as well as Gawler's home-grown community.
Mr Johnson said his experience has provided him, and continues to provide him with a fascination insight into the social structure of the town. "I feel it as a privilege to be able to entertain people this way, and in particular people who might not wish to enter a licensed venue or who can't attend live music venues because of medical or physical impairments,” added Mr Johnson. “I always get a great response from people in wheelchairs, vision impaired or otherwise disabled. I value this very much. I would also like to applaud Gawler council for getting behind the concept of public entertainment by providing buskers with public liability," Martin concluded.