19/08/2026
Meet….Edwin Cachia - Bass player with the Big Fins.
Ed was born in Malta and migrated to Australia with his parents in 1955. They settled in the Inner-Sydney suburb of Paddington before moving out to the ‘burbs in 1960 where Ed developed through his teenage years.
Ed’s musical journey started in primary school where he can remember his teacher drawing musical notes on the black board. As a teenager Ed wanted to learn guitar but the lessons and purchase of an instrument were out of the financial reach of my parents. So, a close friend of the family offered to teach him music on the piano accordion. Ed progressed through the various levels for 5 years.
In Ed’s late teenage years, he came to realise that it was not cool to play piano accordion, so he transferred to keyboard and started jamming around with mates from school.
It was at one such jam that the guitarist said we really don’t need a keyboard, we actually need a bass. So, he loaned Ed a bass and that’s where Ed’s love of bass took hold. The rest is history.
Around about this time Ed started attending concerts at the Hordern Pavillion in Sydney. The first hit to his senses was SANTANA – “the fullness of musical sound was amazing and through some of the words that were spoken between songs, I came to realise that music was the thread that kept life together.” The next hit for Ed came at a Jethro Tull concert. It was the ‘Thick As A Brick’ tour. The bass player, Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond, wore a peppermint striped suit and his bass was also painted in that same peppermint stripe. He bounced around the stage throughout the whole set and made Ed understand the joy of playing and the groove one can enter when one is in tune with the music and o fellow musicians – and the influence we have as musicians to so move other musos and the audience.
Ed’s influences on bass were Jack Bruce (CREAM), Stanley Clarke (double bass) and John Entwhistle (The WHO).
Ed’s first bands were 50/50 bands that played rock and cabaret, but his desire was to play rock. So, I went for a few auditions and landed a spot with a band that was doing some interesting covers and some originals. We ended up supporting many of Australia’s top bands through the late 70s and early 80s at the venues around Sydney - and even touring with the NZ Band Mother Goose on their Western Australian tour. Our roster had the band playing 6 nights a week and sometimes twice on Sunday.
As Ed’s children were reaching primary school, he decided to take a break from gigging. That lasted about 10 years until Ed’s son decided that he wanted to revisit the inspiration he gained form the drummer of Mother Goose and asked Ed to get him a drum kit and lessons. About the same time Ed’s daughter decided, after some promoting from ED, to take up piano lessons. The family had then moved to SE Queensland and found themselves amidst a small music community where there was opportunity to play together as a family and with other musos.
On Ed’s return to Sydney in the mid 1990’s, he was invited to join a band that led to another invitation to complete an originals band line-up. This band went on to record and win awards at the Australian Song Writers Association.
Following that, Ed formed a show band to take advantage of the emerging demand for show/tribute bands. They put together a MOTWON Show, GIRLS LIGHT UP Show (Tribute to Aussie rock legends) and a Cher and Tina Show. These shows were well received at various venues around Sydney and in regional areas.
After retiring from corporate life, Ed relocated to Forster and slowly got involved in the local music scene, first in a blues band and then forming a strong covers band which is now enjoying a good following around the Mid North Coast.
Ed also received an invitation to assist the ‘Big Fins’ in late 2025 to cover for the regular bass player. Ed is still with them and enjoying every minute of it. “The members of the Fins are awesome and great to be with on and off stage.”
In addition to the joys of playing with the FINS, Ed has had the opportunity to share the joys of music through local shows such as The Tom Jones Show, ‘The Blues Brothers Show’ and The Concert for Georg plus various festivals like the Lakeside Festival, Wingham Music Festival, Longview Farm Party and the Winter Solstice Blues Festival.
More broadly. E d has found time in retirement to share the joys of music with school children. He’s been teaching music at Wingham Brush Primary School and Chatham Public School.
Sharing music more broadly has also occurred with Ed’s involvement with the Great Lakes Band, a community band. “I have also been privileged enough to realise my long-term dream to play double bass, as I was invited to play double bass for the Mid North Coast Sinfonia.”
