The choir was formed in 1928 when Mr Clarrie Roberts, a noted musician and employee of Holden Motor Body Builders at Woodville, gathered the men heard singing at their machines. Company proprietor Mr James Holden held regular social evenings at his stately home where the men sang around the piano and so the basis of the choir was formed. Mr Roberts was the choir's first conductor.

As the quality of the singing and the reputation of the choir grew, the choir regularly sang on local radio station 5CL and became known as the "5CL Male Choir". The choir's present name was adopted in 1936. The choir has entered and won many competitions and Eisteddfods, priding itself in presenting music in the Welsh tradition. Our conductor during these years of competition and top-level concert appearances was Mr Lex Wood, OAM, who led the choir with distinction from 1951-1981.

The choir's third and present conductor,  Mr Don Noblet, OAM began conducting the choir in 1981. He has presided over a significant expansion of the choir. The choir toured New Zealand in 1989, Western Australia in 1991, NSW in 2004 and to Broken Hill in 2007.

A highlight for the choir was the tour of Wales and Cornwall, culminating in the choir's participation in a 1000-voice Welsh Male Choirs Festival in the Royal Albert Hall, London, in 1994, at the invitation of the London Welsh Choir.

The choir is in much demand, singing at approximately 20 concerts a year ranging from small nursing homes to Adelaide's premier venues, the Town Hall and Festival Theatre. The annual "Proms" concerts are always a sell-out. The choir's repertoire includes songs from famous musicals, Australian folk songs, Scots, Welsh, English and other national hymns and songs, opera chorus, oratorio, Negro spirituals and anthems. The choir has featured on Sunday morning's the top-rating ABC Radio programme “Australia All Over”.

The choir hosted the famous Welsh Choir Cor Meibion Llanelli in 1993 and they returned the favour by hosting the choir in 1994. In 1996 the choir hosted the Welsh choir Cantorion Colin Jones which proved to be a huge success, singing to three separate audiences of over 1000 people at three popular venues, including the world famous wine-growing Barossa Valley.

In September/October, 2000, the choir undertook a concert tour of Canada and the United Kingdom which culminated at the Millennium Festival of Male Choirs in the Royal Albert Hall London, where the choir proudly represented Australia. 

In 2003 we hosted the Kernow Male Voice Choir from Cornwall and the Gwent Male Voice Choir from Wales at the choir's 75th birthday celebrations in October. 

The choir supported and performed with Aled Jones in his Adelaide concert during his tour to Australia in 2005.

The choir toured overseas again in 2006. This visit included concerts in Austria, Germany, Netherlands  and again parts of the UK, finishing the tour with the Festival of Male Choirs concert in the Royal Albert Hall, London.

The choir participated in a mass male choir concert in the Sydney Opera House in November 2007.

The choir organised the "SA Festival of Male Choirs" performance at the Adelaide Festival Theatre in March 2005. This event was so well received that we have organised a second Festival of Male Choirs this time to be performed at the Adelaide Convention Centre on 30 March 2008, with a second performance at the Barossa Arts and Convention Centre on 6 April 2008.

The choir is planning an overseas tour to New Zealand and is hoping to participate again in the Festival of Male Choirs at the Royal Albert Hall in 2012.

The recording "Songs of Australia" proved highly successful, whilst "When the Saints Go Marching In" demonstrates the quality singing of the choir which is so greatly appreciated by our audiences.

Practice is held each Wednesday evening at 7.30pm at the Rosefield Uniting Church Hall, Carlton Street, Highgate. Additional practices are scheduled when preparing for special occasions or country/interstate/overseas tours.

New members are always welcome. Join the Choir

We proudly support the Guide Dogs SA/NT and their pup-in-training Program http://www.guidedogs.org.au/