"I couldn't escape it," Bill said. "I grew up in a musical family - my grandparents and parents were very musical, and there was always music in the home. My first piano lessons were given to me by my father."

It was not surprising that Bill, a New Zealander, made music his career.

His involvement in music included performing, teaching, administrating and conducting.

He gained a Bachelor of Music at Christchurch and six years after graduating was appointed to the School of Music at the University of Canterbury where he remained for 14 years.

He accompanied a prominent New Zealand choir, the Christchurch Harmonic Society from the mid-1950s and was appointed its conductor in 1960, a position he held until 1976, when he left for Australia.

The choir which, at its peak, had some 220 members, was often invited by the New Zealand Broadcasting Commission to work with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra under visiting conductors.

"Many of these came from England," Bill said. "They included Sir Malcolm Sargent, Sir Charles Groves and Sir David Willcox.

"Sir Malcolm Sargent was one of the earliest visitors and he took a shine to the choir.

Possibly the highlight of Bill's years with this choir was to receive an invitation from the New Zealand Government for the choir to represent New Zealand at the first Commonwealth Arts Festival in September, 1965.

"The idea of this festival was the result of discussions between Yehudi Menuhin, Sir Malcolm Sargent and the London impresario, Ian Hunter.

"My choir, with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Yehudi Menuhin performing opened the festival in the Royal Festival Hall, London on September 16.

"The following night we opened the festival in the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, with Sir Charles Groves conducting."

In 1976 Bill was invited to set up and be the first head of a school of performing arts in dance, drama and music at the Torrens College of Advanced Education.

"The 1970s were the years when Don Dunstan was in full flight; there was so much money being invested in the arts," he said.

In 1979 he accepted the foundation appointment as assistant director at the Canberra School of Music and was there for almost 20 years.

Shortly after taking up his appointment Bill founded the Canberra School of Music Community Choir, now the Llewellyn Choir, which celebrates its 25th year of choral activity this year.

By the time he retired in 1998, he was Professor and Director of Music at the Australian National University.

During his Canberra years he had 500-acre farm at the top of the Brown Mountain but retirement looming he and his wife, Elizabeth, decided to buy a smaller property on the coast.

"We found our dream home with a view of the ocean on 40 acres where I can run a few head of cattle just north of Bermagui and there's a large room for the grand piano - so music continues."

Becoming musical director of the Montague Choristers and the Nomads came about by chance, when both choirs lost their conductors at the same time.

"I had said to my wife at one time that it would be interesting if the artistic direction of both choirs became available to the same person," he said.

"Then both choirs could come together to present choral works they might not be able to perform individually.

"I'd listen to music and think - 'now, there's a work that both choirs could do'."

Little did Bill suspect that in a matter of a few months he would have direction of both choirs and that they would be combining for works just as he had imagined.

"I knew that if I took both positions, I would be able to combine the two choirs from time to time. It has worked out really well."

Both choirs are completely independent with challenging programs in any one year, but they come together for performances from time to time.

A major choral work, 'Creation' by Haydn, was performed last year by the combined choirs in Narooma and Merimbula and they were then invited to Adelaide to perform this work with a third choir, "So we had three bites of the apple," Bill said.

"In Adelaide the choristers were able to perform with a full orchestra, pipe organ and a new conductor - it's good for a choir to experience different conductors.

"Equally, the two choirs represent the community; the membership is drawn not only from the towns where they are based but people travel considerable distances to attend rehearsals.

"The Nomads have a particularly challenging program.

"They contribute to the chorus of the visiting Adelaide company, Co-Opera, sing at the Jazz Festival, performing in their own right and then joining forces with the Hot BHines, a very popular jazz band from Melbourne.

"Currently both choirs are performing the Mikado and later the Nomads will sing at the ecumenical carol service at the Catholic Church in Merimbula.

"They normally have another concert in November, but we will shortly be starting rehearsals on another major choral work, Mendelssohn's 'Elijah' to be performed in next June with the combined choirs."

Bill recognises that most of the choristers are not professional singers but people from across the spectrum who come together for the love of choral music.

"Some are experienced and have trained voices, others are doing it for the first time.

"My greatest satisfaction is to see what these people are capable of achieving."

Apart from the professional aspect that Bill brings to the choirs, he is overwhelmed by the great sense of fellowship that prevails among the members of both choirs and between the two groups.

"We have such fun. If things fall apart, we say 'let's pick up the pieces and start again'," Bill said