60s stars at Heart of Hearts charity

Vernon Cornelius, former lead vocalist of The Quests,
performed with a live band in the Heart of Hearts charity

Friends and members of the Rotary Club of Tebrau were lifted to a musical high as they rocked the night away with pop stars from the 60s to raise funds at their Heart of Hearts charity dinner held in a local hotel recently.  

The fund-raiser was organised in partnership with the club’s friends from Singapore who generously offered their time and talents for a good cause.  

Peter Hew played several
instrumental pieces

A live band, made up of popular musicians from Singapore included two original members of The Quests, presented top hits from the 60s and the highlight of the evening was a special appearance by Riem de Wolff, one half of the rock and roll duo, the Blue Diamonds.

                            

“Our major project is to set up a Palliative Care Centre in Johor Baru,” said Club president, Gerard Sankar, who is keen to see this facility established soon.  “While our city has a Palliative Care Association to provide support services to patients at home, the time is ripe for JB to have a Palliative Care Centre,” he added.  The audience was encouraged to open their hearts and wallets at the Heart of Hearts charity and make a minimum donation of RM100 per song request.

Lead vocalist of The Quests from 1962, Vernon Cornelius, kicked off the evening with popular Cliff Richard hits like Living Doll and Constantly which he dedicated to the ladies.  His rich vocals did justice to cover versions of pop hits like Richie Valens’ Donna and Paul Anka’s Diana and while his rendition of A Lighter Shade of Pale evoked a stronger sense of nostalgia, his performance of Jailhouse Rock, brought guests to the floor for a rocking twirl! 

Tom Loh playing his ukelele-harp

Guest artistes like Suzanne Tan and Henry Elvis Tay, who belted out hits like, Don’t be Cruel, Suspicion and It’s Now or Never, also entertained.  

Former manager of The Quests, Tom Loh, showed off his talents in playing several popular songs on a unique ukulele-harp.  Local guitarist, Peter Hew, thrilled the audience with his skills on the electric guitar, playing popular instrumental pieces like, Apache, Wipe Out, Foot-Tapper and Peace Pipe.  Hew also contributed 15 CD’s of his music that were sold at RM40 each and the proceeds given to the club’s fund.

Riem de Wolff with his late brother, Ruud, was the Blue Diamonds, a duo best remembered for their chart-topping hit, Ramona.  De Wolff, backed by Cornelius, charmed the audience with their hits like Pretty Blue Eyes, Sukiyaki and Little Ship.  The audience joined in the chorus as the evening closed with an encore performance of Neil Sedaka's, O Carol. 

Riem de Wolff [Left], one half of the Blue Diamonds,
singing in harmony with Vernon Cornelius

The Rotarians and their friends rose to the occasion and dug deep into their pockets to donate generously.  The highest contribution was RM700 for the request of just one song!  The interim result revealed that RM35,000 was raised with contributions from the dinner, donations and song requests.  

A portion of the funds raised would go towards the Villa Paulos children’s home and the Handicapped and Mentally Disabled Children Association, a home in Saleng, while the balance would be set aside for the development of the JB Palliative Care Centre. 

/pl