'Aussie Aussie Aussie': Opera Singers Perform I Still Call Australia Home From Balcony

Residents of the inner-Sydney suburb of Waterloo were treated to a live operatic rendition of I Still Call Australia Home on March 24.

In a Pavarotti-meets-Peter Allen performance, singers Tom Hamilton and Tomas Dalton captivated residents in the Aria and Cameo apartment blocks in the Crown Square Development Precinct, as they belted out the Australian classic.

Ed Hayes, who filmed the performance, told Storyful that the event was announced by Hamilton beforehand on a residents Facebook group and that people were asked to learn the lyrics.

“So just after 8pm there was a feeling of electricity in the air, I’ve never seen so many people standing on their balconies,” he said, adding that the singers were met with demands for an encore after completing the number.

“Well the guys sung, again and again, each time the singing from all the balconies increased,” he said.

According to Hayes, the Facebook group for residents of the apartments “lit up” as users thanked Hamilton and Dalton for lifting their spirits amid widespread self-isolation due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“It was a heartwarming idea in a time of unknown,” he said. “Such a small gesture bought a fantastic feeling of community.” The performance seen in this video was greeted with a rousing reception as well as chants of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi, oi, oi.”

Australian health authorities reported 2,799 Coronavirus cases on March 26 with a death toll of 11. Credit: Ed Hayes via Storyful