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It was Christmas Day in 1995 and the Marsh Family Band were on tour in spectacular Tasmania.

As well as being one of Australia’s most scenic states, the Marshes have strong connections with Tasmania. We have many wonderful friends and family relations in Launceston, Ulverstone, Devonport and Hobart. My wife Jodi has family in Burnie, too. We love Tasmania, and our trip there in the Summer of 1995-96 was certainly memorable.

That Christmas was particularly special as we were able to celebrate and spend time with Uncle Cameron and Aunty Jackie, Dad’s brother and sister-in-law. Just like Dad and Mum (Dads4Kids founders Warwick and Alison Marsh), Uncle Cameron and Aunty Jackie were two of the most benevolent and openhanded people you could ever meet. Uncle Cameron, especially, was the life of every party, and their generosity was legendary.

Warwick and Cameron Marsh

In November 1995, American Christian rap and rock group DC Talk had released their much-anticipated fourth studio album Jesus Freak. At the time, they were one of the biggest acts in Christian Music. I was eagerly anticipating the release of the album, and it just so happened that I received my very own CD (for young readers, CD or compact disc was a digital optical disc data storage format co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings) of the 13-track Jesus Freak album on Christmas Day at Uncle Cameron’s.

According to Wikipedia, ‘Jesus Freak is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influential albums in the history of contemporary Christian music (CCM).’ It was, and still is, a great album. These days, tracks from Jesus Freak still regularly feature in my Spotify playlist, and my daughters have become fans too.

DC Talk’s previous three albums had more of a hip-hop-oriented sound. Their Grammy award-winning third album, Free at Last, featured a cover of a song called ‘Jesus Is Just Alright’, a gospel song written by American singer Art Reynolds. Famously, Jesus Is Just Alright was also covered by The Doobie Brothers in 1972, a fact not lost on my Uncle Cameron.

As I waxed lyrical about DC Talk in Devonport that 1995 Christmas Day, with a twinkle in his eye, he asked me, ‘Have you heard The Doobie Brothers’ version of Jesus Is Just Alright?’ I had not, so with a flourish, he took a copy of The Doobie Brothers Toulouse Street LP (for younger readers, LP stands for “Long Play” and refers to a vinyl record that contains a full-length album. LPs are characterised by their analogue sound quality, ‘microgroove’ grooves, and 33 1/3 rpm speed) and proceeded to play Jesus Is Just Alright on his record player.

My small sonic mind was blown. The toe-tapping groove filled the room; the Doobies’ gorgeous harmonies soared above their exceptional guitar work. Thanks to Uncle Cameron and his encyclopaedic knowledge, that Christmas Day in 1995 was a musical education for me, which continues to this day.

This past week, members of the Marsh family travelled back to Devonport to farewell Uncle Cameron. Tragically, he passed away on 16 January 2025, but he’s survived by his daughter Lee Dance, her husband Mark and their precious family.

On Thursday, along with 200 family and friends at a beautiful memorial service hosted by Burnie City Church, we cried and laughed together. We celebrated an exuberant man who lived a large, love-filled life, a man who was all about others, but most importantly, a man for whom Jesus Christ was so much more than just alright.

Lovework

Check out DC Talk and The Doobie Brothers – two exceptional bands separated by decades, but both groups prove great music is timeless. I’m so thankful for the precious time I was able to spend with Uncle Cameron and for the memories.

If you can, share some memorable stories with your own children. My family and I regularly enjoy meals together, and one of our favourite things is talking together. Jodi and I often share memorable stories from our childhoods, especially those involving extended family members – our daughters love it! It’s surprising what you learn about each other, and the memories and stories shared are something that our family will treasure forever.

Yours for memorable stories,
Nathaniel Marsh

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Republished with thanks to Dads4Kids. Image courtesy of Pexels.