The Seekers Impressive Set-Up

A concert by a chart-topping band calls for an appropriately impressive stage set. This Charters and Guthrie photograph shows the elaborate decorations installed for a performance by Australian band The Seekers during the Festival of the Pines in February 1968. Not only did the sound shell feature stylised Australian motifs such as platypus, turtles and snakes, but the set also included a giant cut-out kangaroo. All that effort was rewarded with a record Bowl of Brooklands crowd of 17,500. The Seekers had a string of top 10 hits in the 1960s and are the only group to be jointly honoured as Australians of the Year. The group disbanded in July 1968 when singer Judith Durham decided to pursue a solo career. Since then the band has reformed periodically and last performed in New Plymouth in 2014.