My 'Ukulele Journey: How a Street Fair Performance Changed Everything

My ukulele adventure began quite unexpectedly at a local street fair. I was drawn to the laughter and joy of two women performing on ukuleles. Their music filled the air with a lightness that felt infectious. Right then, I knew I wanted to play, to experience that same joy.

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I’d learned piano, but I always found it a bit limiting when it came to portability. Enter the ukulele—a small, cheerful instrument I could take anywhere. It was like discovering music all over again, only with freedom in hand.

 

My sister and I joined a local group led by the talented Cath Welsford and Angie Smith. The group became my new musical family, and together, we delved into every genre imaginable. I was thrilled to learn that the ukulele could adapt to classical, folk, rock, and so much more. One instrument, endless possibilities.

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Of course, it didn’t take long before I learned a fun fact about the ukulele: one is never enough! Different types of ukuleles suit different styles of music, and before I knew it, I had a collection. The ukulele’s spell had truly taken hold, and I was hooked.

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With my new friends in the Misspent Ukes, we started performing in the community and at festivals. It was here that I met Mark and Jane from Ukastle Ukestra, who invited me to join them on a musical pilgrimage—the Hawaii Ukulele Festival in 2018. It was heaven! Music was everywhere. From hotel practice sessions to impromptu jams, we lived and breathed ukulele. We even visited the Koaloha factory, where I learned just how this small, powerful instrument is crafted. Watching a ukulele come to life gave me a newfound respect for its magic.

 

After Hawaii, my journey took an unexpected turn when I met Andrew, now my partner. Moving to South Australia, 3,587 km from home, I took my love for the ukulele with me, feeling more inspired than ever. My curiosity deepened, and I took on a new challenge: building my own ukulele from a kit by StewMac. It was a journey within a journey—getting to know the instrument inside and out.

 

The kits came with everything preassembled, which was helpful, but I realized it didn’t teach me everything I wanted to know, like how to bend and shape the timber. So, I found a luthier teacher in Adelaide, an expert in making guitars, ukuleles, and violins, trained by some of the best luthiers in Europe. Each week, I make the 1.5-hour journey to attend his classes, learning the craft of building a ukulele by hand.

 

Follow my journey here as I shape and create my very first handmade ukulele!