Kapunda was brightened with sunshine and music last Wednesday morning when a ukulele ‘flash mob’ took over the Town Square.
About 15 ukulele players from the Kapunda and Districts U3A group gathered for the spontaneous performance, which attracted the attention of passers-by, nearly 30 of whom chose to stop and watch, and take in the joyful atmosphere.
The group, known as the ‘Ukupundas’ is led by Sandra Heath, and it was her idea to try a ‘flash mob’ style performance.
“Many years ago I did a flash mob with another group I belonged to,” said Sandra.
“It was great for the environment and the town, and so I thought I’d give it a go here in Kapunda. They’ve got this lovely facility here, the Kapunda Town Square, and we thought we’d fill it with music.”
Smiles lit up the faces of the audience as the group strummed popular numbers such as When The Saints Go Marching In and You Are My Sunshine.
Brenda Bradley, a visitor from Perth, was delighted by the pop up performance.
“It’s brilliant,” she said.
“They know how to enjoy themselves!”
Having fun is one of the main aims of the group, who get together to practice once per week during school terms.
“We all look forward to it,” said Sandra.
“We’re like a family. We’re all there to sing, play and enjoy ourselves and have fun. That’s what life’s about. But not just for us, like today, it’s bringing enjoyment to other people.”
A trademark of the Ukupundas is their colourful, zany attire, which Sandra says they gleefully raid op shops to find.
“For special events we all dress up, and actually today we’re all quite mild!” she laughed.
Given the success of Wednesday’s event, Sandra is eager to continue the concept.
“We’ll definitely do it again,” she said.
“Hopefully we can bring it to more towns around the district.”