Errol Pike, of New Zealand writes:
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Greetings from Wellington, New Zealand.
I have watched – by live-streaming of the event – the NSW B Grade competitions in Sydney which was won by the Gunnedah Shire Band – the Junior Band, I understand. But they played more like a senior A Grade band. A superb performance!
I am an avid follower of brass bands and very proud of our local band, Wellington Brass, the current NZ and Oz A Grade champs! But Gunnedah has a special place in my heart and has done for many of my 70 years.
So to see and hear the Junior Band was an exhilarating experience.
I cannot believe that such a superb presentation was given by a band made up mostly of young teenagers and some I suspect, not even in their teens. It truly was mind-blowing and also wonderfully encouraging for this ageing one-time bandsman.
Their presentation of Spectrum was right up there with the best performances of that piece that I’ve heard. What an amazing start to the musical careers and interests of these young people you are giving them. Well done to the team.
The young bandspeople will benefit positively from it throughout their lives.
My warmest and heartiest congratulations to the band! Well done to all concerned.
My “soft spot” for Gunnedah goes back to an event of more than 100 years ago.
In 1903, my great-uncle (my grandmother’s brother) was one of the few New Zealanders to be invited to play in a Melbourne-based Salvation Army brass band titled the Austral Guards Band.
They toured Australia and in that year made a trip to Gunnedah. They arrived by train from Sydney on November 5 and it must have been a hot day as some of the bandsmen decided to have a swim in the Namoi River before their performance that evening.
My great-uncle, Welburn Finlay, was one who went for a swim but tragically, he drowned that afternoon in the river. His body was recovered and taken back to Sydney and then across the Tasman and he was buried in Auckland.
Four years ago, with my wife, I visited Gunnedah to pay tribute to Welburn and see the place where he met his premature end.
Although I have to say the day we visited the “river” was a mere trickling stream. But clearly, on that fateful day in 1903 it was a swiftly flowing river with hidden dangers.
Significantly he was a visiting brass bandsman when that tragedy occurred. So that’s why the combination of Gunnedah and brass bands have always had a place in my heart.
During our time in Gunnedah, we visited the Gunnedah Shire bandroom and although it wasn’t open I was happy just to have seen it. An excellent facility, as I recall.
As you can imagine it was a special and very worthwhile visit and we were so glad that we had made the effort to visit your delightful town.
I will continue to follow the fortunes of the Gunnedah Shire Bands with a keen interest and wish the bands all the very best for the future.