Band contests fit for a Victorian centenary: a Duke, Grenadier Guards, and the brass bands

Programme: South Street “Centenary” Brass Band Contest, 1934, part of the front cover.
(Source: Victorian Collections: Victorian Bands’ League Archives)

An international band contest may be a feature of the Centenary celebrations.  An effort will be made to include one in the 1934 Eisteddfod and Band Contest at Ballarat.

The Grand National Eisteddfod of Australasia has promised its enthusiastic support of the celebrations.  Bands contests were resumed last year at the Ballarat competitions after a lapse of eight years, and they proved successful. (“Band Contest For Centenary,” 1933)

Introduction:

The year is 1934 and in Ballarat on the 1st of November, the Royal South Street Eisteddfod band sections are getting underway again.  Except this year is a bit different.  It is the year of the Victorian and Melbourne Centenary and across Victoria, celebrations and other events are in full swing.  The South Street band sections were part of these grand festivities, and all efforts were made to attract bands from across Australia and New Zealand.  In addition, the band contest was honoured by the presence of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and The Band of HM Grenadier Guards.  The Royal South Street Society band contest, while being the most prestigious, attracted the most attention in the wider band movement.  For the bands themselves, there were lots of other events and band contests they were involved in.

Planning for the 1934 Ballarat band contest was extensive and as shown by the quote at the head of this post, the ideas started over eighteen months earlier.  Even if the idealism of the organisers was led astray at times.  They thought big, but had to accept that economic conditions were not the best as Australia was coming out of the Great Depression.  To put on a band contest befitting a visit of royalty was the utmost challenge.  Not to mention the scheduling given the extensive touring of the Grenadier Guards Band and the Duke. 

With the cooperation many different parties, somehow, everything worked out.  This post is mainly about the 1934 South Street band contest, ninety years to the day.

The Centenary:

Officially, the Victorian and Melbourne centenaries marked two historical events; the landing of the Henty family in Portland 1834, and John Batman’s grand pronouncement in 1835 that the Port Philip bay area with the Yarra River at its head would be “the place for a Village” (McCubbin, 2008).  However, like any celebration of this nature, there was some curious disagreement over the dates, especially from interstate commentators.  An article published in The Adelaide Chronicle newspaper in April 1934 questioned the historical accuracy of the centenary.  The article suggested that 1934 was too early as Victoria was officially proclaimed an independent colony in 1851 (“Victoria’s Centenary,” 1934).  Or maybe, as the article also suggested, the centenary was thirty-two years too late as 1802 was the year surveyors from New South Wales first explored the country in the vicinity of Port Phillip Bay (“Victoria’s Centenary,” 1934).  And there were plenty of other historical events connected with Victoria before 1834 that could have been commemorated.  The Victorian Government was probably well aware of these dates and as an article published in The Record newspaper proclaimed:

And now after warring factions have harmonised, the official foundation of Victoria is given as November 19, 1834, when the “Thistle” anchored in Portland Bay: and the centenary of this event is to be taken as the starting point of our Centenary celebrations. (“Victoria’s Centenary.,” 1933)

Nowadays Victoria celebrates an event on the 1st of July each year which marks the day Victoria was officially proclaimed an independent colony from New South Wales (Brown, 2015).  Melbourne Day is also recognized on the 30th of August each year which commemorates “the anniversary of the first European settlement in 1835” (Melbourne Day, 2024).

Confusing, isn’t it…

Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester:

As early as 1932 if newspaper reports are anything to go by, negotiations were underway to bring a member of the Royal Family to Victoria for the Centenary commemorations in 1934.  The Scrutineer and Berrima District Press newspaper was one of these and they published a tiny article on the 6th of November 1932.

Victoria’s Centenary will probably be celebrated from October, 1934, to February, 1935.  Negotiations are in progress for a Royal visit, and it is almost certain that the British Fleet, which was to have visited Australia in 1933, will postpone the visit to coincide with the celebrations. (“Victoria’s Centenary,” 1932)

By early May 1933, the progress of the negotiations was evident to the extent that it was confirmed a member of the Royal Family would visit in 1934.  But which one?  The Victorian government initiated the negotiations; however, Canberra was also involved and any Royal that visited would be taken to the national capital as well, and to various places in Australia and New Zealand.  Speculation as to which Royal it might be was rife, and as reported by The Herald and several other newspapers, the Royal family member was going to be the Earl of Athlone, the brother of the Queen, or the Duke of Gloucester, the King’s third son (“CENTENARY PLANS TAKE SHAPE,” 1933).

In February 1934, the proposed Royal was mentioned in various newspapers as Prince George and the Royal South Street Society immediately sought to secure a visit to Ballarat by the Prince on the 1st of November so that he could open the famous band sections (“CENTENARY BAND CONTEST,” 1934).  The RSSS was concerned that the Prince, according to a tentative itinerary, might be in New South Wales while the contest was taking place.

The Age, 01/03/1934, p. 10

However, even with the best of plans, circumstances can change overnight, and by May 1934, news broke about a change of Royal, but this did not substantially alter the planning of a Royal visit.

It was announced, in the week-end, that, owing to the strain of the South African tour, Prince George would be unable to fulfil the engagement to come to Australia for the Melbourne Centenary celebrations.  Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, is to take his place.

The least robust member of the Royal family, Prince George felt the strain of his South African tour before it was finished.  It was far heavier than had been expected, and his letters home indicated that he was feeling tired, although delighted at the cordiality of his reception everywhere.

It was consequently considered unwise for a young man of Prince George’s temperament, which is rather highly strung, to undertake a second tour, especially as the Australasian programme was longer and more arduous than the African.

[…]

The Duke of Gloucester is the only one of the King’s sons who has not yet toured the Empire.  He fulfilled his duties during his visit to Japan so well that it was felt that he should be given the opportunity to visit Australia, where he would be likely to find so much congenial to his temperament. (“Duke of Gloucester to Come Here for Centenary Celebrations,” 1934)

With a member of a Royal family confirmed, and in all likelihood, the Duke of Gloucester would be in Ballarat on the 1st of November, planning for other parts of the Centenary celebrations and the band contest continued (“CENTENARY BAND CONTEST.,” 1934).

H.R.H. Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester. Sunraysia Daily, 31/10/1934, p. 21

The Duke arrived in Australia in early October and visited Perth, then Adelaide on his way to Melbourne, travelling aboard H.M.S. Sussex which was escorted by elements of the Australian naval fleet (“DEPARTURE OF H.M.S. SUSSEX.,” 1934).  Prince Henry disembarked in Melbourne on the 18th of October and was afforded all the military and civic pageantry that Victoria could muster at the time. Below is a short film clip of his arrival and speech on the steps of the Victorian Parliament.

The Band of HM Grenadier Guards:

Programme: Front Cover – The Band of His Majesty’s Grenadier Guards : By Special Permission of the King, 1934. (Source: Jeremy de Korte Collection)

If the experiences of bringing a member of the Royal family to Ballarat was anything to go by, then securing a visit by one of the finest military bands in the world (at that time) was no less stressful and speculative.  Given the planning of the Centenary celebrations were well-underway in 1933, this is when newspapers started reporting that an English military band would be visiting as part of the festivities.  The Argus newspaper published a lengthy article in September 1933 that mentioned the Coldstream Guards, and that Victorian band musicians would be eager to hear them play, and be inspired (“COLDSTREAM GUARDS BAND,” 1933).  As mentioned in a previous post about this tour, only the Musicians’ Union raised objections to the tour of an English band, a position that was berated by a letter writer to The Herald newspaper (de Korte, 2018b; Musician, 1933).  In October, The Age newspaper was a little more speculative – given there are multiple guards’ bands, this article mentioned the bands of the Coldstream Guards, Welsh Guards, or Grenadier Guards as possibilities of touring (“GUARDS’ BAND VISIT.,” 1933).

It was quite a bit later, June 1934, that the Grenadier Guards Band was strongly expected to be the English military band visiting for the Centenary, and that their tour, estimated to cost £10,000 pounds, would also take in provincial towns (“FAMOUS BAND EXPECTED,” 1934).  In August, this tour was very much confirmed – one could appreciate the formality of the article published in The Age newspaper.

By special permission of the King, the band of Grenadier Guards is to give a season in Melbourne under the auspices of the Commonwealth and New Zealand Governments and the Centenary Celebrations Council, and Messrs. J. and N. Tait have been entrusted with the management of the tour.  The opening concert will be given in the Town Hall on Saturday, 20th October.  The band is the premier band of the United Kingdom, and negotiations for this visit have been carried through the Commonwealth High Commissioner in London with the British Government.  The band has no fewer than twenty different programmes.  Their uniforms of scarlet, blue and gold, with bearskin busbies, should make a fine spectacle. (“Grenadier Guards’ Band.,” 1934)

The Grenadier Guards band duly arrived in Melbourne on the 20th of October and were given a civic reception at the town hall, and a parade up Collins Street led by the Melbourne Fire Brigade Band (“GRENADIER GUARDS BAND HAS WONDERFUL WELCOME.,” 1934).  The picture below published in The Age newspaper showing the proceedings, and part of the crowd of 100,000, says it all.

The Age, 22/10/1934, p. 15

After their welcome in Melbourne and opening concert, the Band of the Grenadier Guards commenced on a country tour of Victoria, such was the interest in their visit – their first tour concert was in Wangaratta on the 22nd of October (“GRENADIER GUARDS BAND.,” 1934).  By no coincidence at all, many of the places the band visited intersected with visits of the Duke of Gloucester, including Ballarat on the 1st of November.

Of interest is the back cover of the programme used for this visit which advertises Boosey & Hawkes instruments, and the Australian music retailers that sold them – with a picture of H.M.S. Sussex which was transporting Prince Henry to Australia (Kingtson, 1934).


Programme: Back Cover – The Band of His Majesty’s Grenadier Guards : By Special Permission of the King, 1934. (Source: Jeremy de Korte Collection)

Two of the puzzle pieces for the Royal South Street band contest were now in place. But we must not forget the brass bands that were travelling to South Street for the contest.

Attracting the bands:

It would not be a band contest without the bands, and the Royal South Street Society, conscious of the significance of the 1934 contest, wanted to put on a good show.  At the head of this post was the idea that the band contest could be an international contest with the finest bands from around the world travelling to Ballarat to participate (“Band Contest For Centenary,” 1933).  Alas, bringing international bands was not to be.  Australia was just coming out of the Great Depression and economic conditions were not the best and attracting international bands was probably deemed too expensive (de Korte, 2020).  Nevertheless, in June 1933 the Lord Mayor of Melbourne gave his blessing to the band contest in Ballarat, stating,

Ballarat is looked upon as the venue for brass band contests, and I can assure you that during the centenary celebrations it will be recognised as such” said the Lord Mayor of Melbourne (Councillor H. Gengoult Smith) in speaking at a civic welcome at the city hall yesterday.  […] In recognition of what Ballarat, through the South Street Society, had done for the encouragement of brass band music, he would give his assurance that the finals of the centenary band contest would be held in Ballarat. (“CENTENARY BAND CONTEST.,” 1933)

The Mayor of Ballarat, Cr. A. J. Darling expressed confidence in January 1934 that arrangements for the official opening of the Centenary band contest were well-underway, as well as confirmation that a member of the Royal family would be attending (“CENTENARY BAND CONTEST.,” 1934).  With the Royal South Street Society and the newly formed Victorian Bands’ League working on the particulars of the contest, there was no need to think this was not the case.  And in April came the details of the prize money that was on offer, and the announcement that “Mr. Stephen Yorke, conductor of the Australian national military band, will adjudicate.” (“CENTENARY BAND CONTESTS.,” 1934).  On a side note, the A.B.C. Military Band was undertaking its own national tour in 1934 – it was a great year to listen to top bands in Australia (de Korte, 2018a).

Individual bands were also starting to make plans to visit Ballarat for the contest.  We see that in April, the Mildura Municipal Band (also known as the Sunraysia District Brass Band) announced plans to visit Ballarat to listen to the A grade sections, and then proceed to Melbourne to present a concert in conjunction with the Essendon City Band (“CENTENARY BAND CONTESTS,” 1934).  However, their ideas must have changed as they ended up participating in the contest in the C and D grade sections, and achieving equal first prize with the Pleasant Street Boys’ Band in the D grade (Royal South Street Society, 1934c). 

Photograph: Mildura & District Brass Band, 1930s. (Source: IBEW)
Photograph: Pleasant Street School Band, 1933. (Source: IBEW)
Telegraph, 13/10/1933, p. 27

Interest in competing was also expressed by bands in New Zealand as the Woolston Brass Band announced its intention to come to Ballarat for the centenary contest (“NEW ZEALAND BAND TO VISIT MELBOURNE.,” 1933).  An article published in the Dominion newspaper by the writer, ‘Kneller Hall’, speculated that the Port Nicholson Silver Band was preparing to travel to Ballarat to compete, while also confirming that the famous Woolston Brass Band was going to make the trip over the Tasman (Kneller Hall, 1934).  In the end, only one band from New Zealand ended up attending, Woolston, and they were given a civic welcome when they arrived in Ballarat (“BALLARAT AND DISTRICT,” 1934; “PROVINCIAL CITIES AND TOWNS.,” 1934a).

Woolston Brass Band. Dominion, 13/10/1934, p. 13

The South Street “Centenary” Band Contest:

With bands arriving in Ballarat, the Duke of Gloucester travelling down by train from Mildura, and the Band of the Grenadier Guards arriving from Bendigo, all was now in place for the opening of the Royal South Street band sections on the 1st of November (“GRENADIER GUARDS BAND.,” 1934; “Sunraysia, Land of Sunshine Greets The Duke,” 1934).  Twenty-two bands from Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales, and New Zealand had entered the South Street contests this year and the list of bands and bandmasters in the official souvenir programme can be viewed below (Royal South Street Society, 1934e).

Programme: South Street “Centenary” Brass Band Contest, 1934, p. 4.
(Source: Victorian Collections: Victorian Bands’ League Archives)

To have twenty-two bands enter in 1934 was not bad considering that the early thirties were times of upheaval for the Victorian band movement and society in general.  In 1931, the Victorian Bands’ League was established having superseded the Victorian Bands’ Association, the Australian economy was recovering after the Great Depression, and the band sections at Royal South Street had resumed in 1932 after an eight year hiatus (de Korte, 2018c, 2020; Royal South Street Society, 1979).

However, it would have been pleasing to see bands from a wide variety of areas coming to South Street.  We know that for some bands, like the Phillip Island Brass Band, that they did a considerable amount of fundraising to attend (de Korte, 2019).  The line up for bands for the A Grade section represented the best of A grade bands that Victoria had in the day, and having the Woolston Brass Band from Christchurch, N.Z. made the section even more top notch.

Photograph: Phillip Island Brass Band, 1932. (Source: IBEW)

The opening day of the band contest was a spectacular affair with the Royal South Street Society having programmed all events down to the minute.  According to various newspaper articles, 10,000 people attended the opening day at Ballarat’s City Oval, no doubt drawn to the fact that the Duke of Gloucester would be there to officially open the contest.  The souvenir programme outlined the proceedings of the day as can be seen below.

Programme: South Street “Centenary” Brass Band Contest, 1934, p. 6.
(Source: Victorian Collections: Victorian Bands’ League Archives)

In superb weather, everything proceeded to plan, and the bands did their best to produce a ceremony befitting the occasion (“BAND CONTESTS,” 1934).  There was a massed band performance, a demonstration of the quickstep, and the Woolston Brass Band even performed a haka for the Duke after the march past of the bands (“DUKE AT BALLARAT,” 1934).  That night, the Band of HM Grenadier Guards performed in a concert which would have inspired the bandsmen and audience (Royal South Street Society, 1934e). 

Results for the contests were announced on Saturday 3rd of November with another 10,000 people attending to find out the placings.  The full results will not be detailed in this post due to space, but they can be found on the RSSS results database via these links:

The Solo contests were held a day before the band sections on the 31st of October.  The results of these can be found on the RSSS database via the link:

By all accounts, the standard of playing across all sections was brilliant and the adjudicator was very impressed.  The A Grade section in particular was a very hard fought affair, but in the end, the Melbourne Fire Brigade Band won the Besson Shield for the third year in a row (Royal South Street Society, 1934a).  The Woolston Brass Band from N.Z. suffered some misfortune when one of their cornet players became ill – the other A Grade bands offered them a choice of cornet players to help out – however, they decided to proceed down a player and were happy to achieve third place (“BRILLIANT PLAYING,” 1934; “PROVINCIAL CITIES AND TOWNS.,” 1934b). 

The Duke of Gloucester and the Band of the Grenadier Guards did not stay long in Ballarat as they kept up a tight schedule of touring around Victoria and eventually New Zealand.  For the bands themselves there were good stories of their visits to Ballarat.  The Yallourn and District Band from Gippsland was one band that was very proud of their efforts in the B Grade section where they achieved second place behind the City of Ballarat Band (“YALLOURN NEWS,” 1934).  Of interest is that in early 1935, three cornet players from Victorian bands, including cornetist Jack Allan of the City of Ballarat Band, were offered places in the Band of the Grenadier Guards (“Ballarat Bandsman Invited To Join Grenadier Guards,” 1935).  It is unclear whether they took up that offer.

The 1934 South Street contest was no doubt an important part of Victoria’s Centenary celebrations, but it was not the only part.  There were other important events taking place.

Events after South Street:

11th of November, 1934: Dedication of the Shrine of Remembrance, Melbourne:

Postcard: The National War Memorial of Victoria. Aerial View of Dedication Ceremony, 11/11/1934. (Source: Jeremy de Korte Collection)

For the Duke of Gloucester, he kept up a busy schedule around Victoria.  However, his most important engagement was the dedication of Melbourne’s newly completed Shrine of Remembrance.  This was a very special occasion which was attended by thousands of veterans, people, and important dignitaries.  Bands and other musicians also played an important role, and at the dedication, several Australian Army buglers sounded the Last Post standing behind Royal Australian Navy drummers.

Portland Centenary Band Contest:

The town of Portland in the far south-west of Victoria had an important part to play in Victoria’s centenary celebrations.  In turn, they staged their own band contest, albeit on a much smaller scale than the South Street contests which had concluded only two weeks earlier (“BAND CONTESTS.,” 1934).  The Portland contest was only attended by bands from Hamilton, Heywood and Mt. Gambier, and there was a pipe band contest held at the same time.  The Portland contest was won by the band from Mt. Gambier and the adjudicator was Mr. Percy Jones (“Band Contest Won By Mount Gambier,” 1934).

Melbourne Centenary Band Championship, King’s Birthday weekend, June 1935:

The Victorian centenary celebrations stretched into 1935, and a Melbourne Centenary Band Championship was held at the Exhibition Buildings under the auspices of the Victorian Bands’ League.  Like the South Street contests, this was another great event for bands, and twenty-one bands participated, as listed in the article below.

The Age, 28/05/1935, p. 11

The main attraction of this event was a grand parade from Alexandra Avenue to the Exhibition Buildings and quickstep display on the Exhibition oval (“CENTENARY BAND CONTESTS,” 1935).  Again, the A Grade section continued the rivalries between Hawthorn, Melbourne Fire Brigade, Brunswick and Collingwood bands, with Hawthorn taking out the A Grade title (“CENTENARY GALA WEEK.,” 1935).  Another celebrated win was that of the Malvern Junior Tramways Band when they won their third D Grade title in a row.

The Age, 04/06/1935, p. 10

Conclusion:

What an intense period of activity for bands!  It is times like these that our bands came to the fore with all the ceremonial and contest activity, as well as local celebrations.  No doubt the communities appreciated the efforts and the entertainment.  Having a visiting band of the calibre of the Band of the Grenadier Guards made the Centenary celebrations even more special, and it was noted at the time that they were inspiring to local musicians.  The prevailing feeling when all was done was one of accomplishment, not just from the cooperation that made this all happen, but from all that understood the significance of the events.  It is not every day that a world-class military band and a Duke visits a band contest.

References:

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Ballarat Bandsman Invited To Join Grenadier Guards. (1935, 16 January). Sunraysia Daily (Mildura, Vic. : 1920 – 1950), 5. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article265838073

Band Contest For Centenary. (1933, 25 February). Sun News-Pictorial (Melbourne, Vic. : 1922 – 1954; 1956), 4. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article277163952

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de Korte, J. D. (2020, 18 October). Testing times: the resilience of Australian bands during the Great Depression. Band Blasts from the Past: Anecdotes, Stories and Personalities. https://bandblastsfromthepast.blog/2020/10/18/testing-times-the-resilience-of-australian-bands-during-the-great-depression/

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Duke of Gloucester to Come Here for Centenary Celebrations : AFRICAN TOUR TIRED PRINCE GEORGE. (1934, 05 May). Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 – 1954), 5. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article223836381

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Kingtson, C. (Ed.). (1934). Grenadier Guards Band : Australia and New Zealand 1934-5 : By Special Permission of His Majesty the King : Official Souvenir : Tour under the Auspices of the Commonwealth Government and the New Zealand Government : In associaion with the Cenenary Celebrations Council of Victoria  [Printed programme]. Grenadier Guards Band. 

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Musician. (1933, 11 September). GUARDS’ BAND VISIT. Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 – 1954), 6. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article243423748

NEW ZEALAND BAND TO VISIT MELBOURNE. (1933, 13 October). Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 – 1947), 27. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article180593124

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Pleasant Street School Band, Ballarat, 1933. (1933). [Photograph]. [phot20817]. The Internet Bandsman Everything Within, Vintage Brass Band Pictures – Australia. http://www.ibew.org.uk/vbbp-oz.html

PROVINCIAL CITIES AND TOWNS : BALLARAT. (1934a, 29 October). Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 – 1954), 13. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205882825

PROVINCIAL CITIES AND TOWNS : BALLARAT. (1934, 05 November). Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 – 1954), 12. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205083970

Royal South Street Society. (1934a). 1934-10-31 Brass Band Solos : Held at the A.N.A. Hall, Camp Street [Eisteddfod Results]. Royal South Street Society Results Database. https://results.royalsouthstreet.com.au/results/1934-10-31-brass-band-solos 

Royal South Street Society. (1934b). 1934-11-01 Brass Band Contests : Held at City Oval : Grand Champion Centenary Band Contests [Eisteddfod Results]. Royal South Street Society Results Database. https://results.royalsouthstreet.com.au/results/1934-11-01-brass-band-contests 

Royal South Street Society. (1934c). 1934-11-02 Brass Band Contests  : Held at City Oval [Eisteddfod Results]. Royal South Street Society Results Database. https://results.royalsouthstreet.com.au/results/1934-11-02-brass-band-contests 

Royal South Street Society. (1934d). 1934-11-03 Brass Band Contests  : Held at City Oval [Eisteddfod Results]. Royal South Street Society Results Database. https://results.royalsouthstreet.com.au/results/1934-11-03-brass-band-contests 

Royal South Street Society. (1934e). [South Street “Centenary” : Brass Band Contest : A, B, C and D Grades]. In S09 – Programs (Printed programme ed., pp. 14). Ballarat, Victoria https://victoriancollections.net.au/items/5d425e0c21ea6b1a84382033: Victorian Bands’ League Archive.

Royal South Street Society. (1979). Royal South Street Society : The First One Hundred Years. Royal South Street Society. 

ShrineMelbourne. (2013, 09 January). The Dedication of the Shrine of Remembrance – Remembrance Day 11 November 1934 [Video (Film Clip)]. YouTube. Retrieved 26 October 2024 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHcaXEpVdRA

Sunraysia, Land of Sunshine Greets The Duke : Prince Henry Is Our First Royal Guest. (1934, 31 October). Sunraysia Daily (Mildura, Vic. : 1920 – 1950), 21. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article265829018

The Shrine of Remembrance Trustees. (1934). The National War Memorial of Victoria : Aerial View of Dedication Ceremony [Postcard]. [No. 3]. The Shrine of Remembrance Trustees, Great Britain. 

To Visit Australia. (1934, 13 October). Dominion, 13. https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19341013.2.116.5

Victoria’s Centenary. (1932, 06 November). Scrutineer and Berrima District Press (NSW : 1892 – 1948), 4. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article125232791

Victoria’s Centenary. (1933, 04 November). Record (Emerald Hill, Vic. : 1881 – 1954), 2. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article164468392

Victoria’s Centenary. (1934, 12 April). Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 – 1954), 39. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article92354462

VISIT TO BALLARAT : Desired for Band Competition. (1934, 01 March). Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 – 1954), 10. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article203834255

YALLOURN NEWS : Yallourn Band. (1934, 08 November). Morwell Advertiser (Morwell, Vic. : 1888 – 1954), 9. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71564079

Managing the march cards (and other such material): roles of the amateur band librarian

Figure 1: Digital scan of march card back with Victorian Police Band stamp. (source: Victorian Bands’ League Archive)

Introduction:

His duties as Librarian (self-imposed) were to clean up the room after practices and to arrange the various sets of music so as to have any particular set “right under his thumb,” if required, at a moment’s notice; which was itself no sinecure. No practice or public performance was complete without him to distribute the music, whilst everyone always had a cheery word for Billy Wardle, whose ready smile was always evidence on such occasions.  Old age and ill-health took him and for the last two years he had to relinquish all active connection with Band affairs, but his epitaph might well read thus: “He did his Job.”

(Faulkner in “WILLIAM WARDLE,” 1938)

William (Billy) Wardle, late of the Boorowa Town and District Band was one of those selfless band members who saw fit to undertake some necessary duties to support the band.  That duty being the band librarian, and William Wardle was just one of many band members from bands everywhere who undertook the same role.  Despite being untrained as librarians (in the formal understanding of the profession), and amateur, these band librarians organised large quantities of sheet music that the bands owned.  They did their part to make sure the band master and each band member had their parts when and where required.

Who were these people, and why did they undertake such an arduous and difficult task?  Working largely by themselves, they put their hands up time and time again to do the job, and we can see this in the records of Annual General Meetings that were held by bands.  There, in amongst all the other committee positions such as President, Treasurer and Secretary, will be Librarian with the name of the band member (or members) who were elected to this position.  Interspersed throughout this post will be lists of band members who were elected as band librarians.  The lists are by no means complete as there were so many of them.  Names and bands were chosen at random. 

This author has some understanding of the role of librarians within community bands being a qualified librarian and having undertaken music librarian roles for bands in the past – the duties of this role in bands has barely changed, albeit for changing technology.  This post will try to fit the role of the amateur band librarian within a broader context of music librarianship and librarianship in general.  To start this post, we will see where librarianship as a trained profession has come from in Australia, and the very specialised role of music librarians.  The next part of this post will unpack the job description of a band librarian, brief and undescriptive as they sometimes were.  The third part of this post will highlight the appreciation that was given to band librarians by their bands for undertaking this role.

Figure 2: The Sydney Police Band, 1896. Senior-constable F. J. Knopp (Hon. Librarian) is seated second from the right in the front row. Australian Town and Country Journal, 28/03/1896, p. 20
1896Sen. Const F. J. KnoppHon. LibrarianSydney Police Band (N.S.W.)
1896H. NortheLibrarianBrighton Brass Band (Vic.)
1897Mr. J. LeeLibrarianTemperance Brass Band (W.A.)
1898Mr. F. MortonLibrarianLilydale Brass Band (Vic.)
1899Mr. FranksLibrarianTallangatta Brass Band (Vic.)
1900Mr. M. JohnstonLibrarianLake’s Creek Brass Band (Qld.)
Table 1: (“BRIGHTON BRASS BAND.,” 1896; “LAKE’S CREEK BRASS BAND.,” 1900; “LILYDALE BRASS BAND.,” 1898; “TALLANGATTA BRASS BAND.,” 1899; “TEMPERANCE BRASS BAND.,” 1897; The Crown Studios, 1896)

Librarianship and librarians:

In Australia, the establishment of Universities, Mechanics’ Institutes, schools, and municipal libraries meant that there was a greater need for librarians who understood the rigours of the position.  Since the late 1800s, education for librarians in various areas of librarianship has developed consistent with the needs of the profession.  Nowadays it is common to find full academic courses for librarians in Universities and TAFE’s.  But back in the early days until training began to be more formalised, librarians generally learnt ‘on the job’.  In this respect, we could equate this with the early band librarians in Australia who also learnt what to do within the confines of their organisation.  There are similarities between the roles of a librarian and amateur band librarian as in general, both organise and catalogue resources.  But this is where the similarity ends.  This section will outline a brief history of librarianship in Australia and explore the specialised role of a music librarian.

In the library sector and in the band movement, both had the benefit of associations, but it was not always the case.  In Australia, as we can see in previous posts, the first band association started forming in the late 1800s and State association started working together in the early 1900s (de Korte, 2018b, 2019a, 2019b).  Within the library sector, the first attempts at association began in 1896 with the establishment of a Library Association of Australasia at the conference at The University of Melbourne (Keane, 1982a, 1982b).  The Library associations gradually became more focused on the educational needs of librarians (this process took a few decades) as the associations recognized that the profession was changing, and, these associations proactively encouraged librarians to become qualified to do the job (Keane, 1982b).  In contrast, the band associations, while representing a largely amateur movement of bands and musicians, at times tried to focus on education and training but unfortunately lacked the resources to do so (de Korte, 2022).  Such was the difference between associations that supported professional work, and those that represented amateurs.  This is a difference that will be evident throughout this post.

1901Mr. J. Donelly
Mr. H. Wilkinson
Librarian
Assistant Librarian
Rutherglen Brass Band (Vic.)
1902Mr. F. RaglassSecretary and LibrarianNarandera Town Band (N.S.W.)
1903Mr. W. SymmonsLibrarianHealesville Brass Band (Vic.)
1904Mr. E. SchmidtLibrarianFederal Brass Band (Echuca, Vic.)
1904Mr. O. BrauerLibrarianPetersburg Brass Band (S.A.)
1905Mr. OvertonLibrarianWoodend Brass Band (Vic.)
Table 2: (“Federal Brass Band.,” 1904; “HEALESVILLE BRASS BAND.,” 1903; “Petersburg Brass Band.,” 1904; “Rutherglen Brass Band.,” 1901; “Town Band.,” 1902; “Woodend Brass Band.,” 1905)

Music libraries and librarians:

Music Librarians are those that have worked, or currently work in highly specialised positions.  They are, as the job title suggests, librarians who work with music resources whether that be sheet music, reference material or recorded music.  While special music librarians have been working in this sector in Australia from the early 1900s, professional associations for this sub-sector came much later than regular library associations.  The International Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres (IAML) was formed in 1949 with an Australian chapter of IAML being formed in 1970 (“Australian Seminar in Music Librarianship,” 1970; Enquist & Flury, 2023).

Music Libraries were first established in Australia in 1913 with the opening of the ‘New South Wales Government Music Library’ which was a library that catered for “societies, church choirs, and other musical bodies” (“The New South Wales Government Music Library,” 1913).  It was initially housed at the Sydney Girls’ High School before being moved to the N.S.W. Conservatorium.  It is interesting to note that the article published in the Australian Town and Country Journal included a large picture (below) of all the trustees of this library, but no mention of the music librarians.

Figure 3: Trustees of the New South Wales Government Music Library. Australian Town and Country Journal, 30/07/1913, p. 27

Like their band librarian counterparts, some music librarians fulfilled roles attached to orchestras and choirs.  In 1921 we hear about the passing of Mr. William Henry Gresty who was a Cornet player with Her Majesty’s Theatre Orchestra and in a later career was the Music Librarian with the N.S.W. Conservatorium Orchestra (“DEATH OF LIBRARIAN,” 1921).  As it says in his obituary published by The Sun newspaper,

When the Conservatorium was founded he joined the staff as librarian, but kept his position at Her Majesty’s until a couple of years ago when he resigned because of the establishment of the Conservatorium Orchestra as a permanent body.  From that time he devoted himself exclusively to the Conservatorium and orchestra, travelling with the latter, and performing an enormous amount of work in looking after the music and the orchestra generally

(“DEATH OF LIBRARIAN,” 1921)

Some years later, the Australian Broadcasting Commission was formed and being the national broadcaster that it was with radio stations around the country, they had a need for music librarians who organised recorded music.  One of these music librarians was Mr. Gregory Spencer (pictured below) who was based in Sydney and was the “Federal Records Librarian” (“A.B.C. Librarian,” 1941).  No doubt he dealt with music recorded by our brass bands and the A.B.C. Military Band (de Korte, 2018a).

Figure 4: Goulburn Evening Post, 18/07/1941, p. 5

The A.B.C. was also home to several innovations in music librarianship and music copying, including a music copying machine which was invented by their in-house music librarians (“COPYING MACHINE TYPES MUSIC,” 1948).

Figure 5: The Argus, 02/06/1948, p. 5

Just as there were varied roles for librarians, there were also varied roles for music librarians.  While fewer in number, their expertise in managing large music-related resources was very much needed at the time – and still is needed.  Given some music libraries, like the New South Wales Government Music Library, catered for amateur music groups, it is quite possible that knowledge from the professional music librarians was provided to individuals in these groups with tips on how to manage their music collections. But it is difficult to find some evidence of this happening.

1906Mr. L. ElseLibrarianCundletown Brass Band (N.S.W.)
1907Mr. S. LordLibrarianKew Brass Band (Vic.)
1908Mr. L. SmithLibrarianAlma Brass Band (N.S.W.)
1909Mr. JewellLibrarianBorough Brass Band (Clunes, Vic.)
1910Messrs. S. Bryant and
H. Hoffmann
LibrariansAdelaide City Brass Band (S.A.)
Table 3: (“ALMA BRASS BAND.,” 1908; “CITY BRASS BAND.,” 1910; “CLUNES.,” 1909; “Cundletown Brass Band.,” 1906; “Kew Brass Band.,” 1907)

A vague role description and learning ‘on the job’:

There are dozens of minor details.  A library of music has to be formed and maintained.  A set of music for an ordinary selection lasting 10 minutes means an expense of from 10’6 to 15’6, and some libraries possess more than 1000 sets.  A librarian has to be appointed to look after them.

(Fleming, 1939)

For the newly elected or re-elected librarians of brass bands, doing their duties was sometimes a tough ask.  When new music arrived, they had to process and catalogue, stamp, file, and distribute the music to the band members and conductor.  Brass band libraries could get quite extensive depending on the activities of the bands.  However, there was one main problem.  The brass band librarians were often provided with a vague rule on the duty of a librarian, but nothing explaining how to do the job – for some, it was too much.  In amongst the sporadic publishing of rules and by-laws of brass bands are some general rules outlining what a librarian should be doing.  Some rules were more descriptive than others, such as this rule from the Frankston Brass Band in 1913:

8. The Librarian shall have sole charge of all music of the band.  He shall keep a record of name, and shall render to the Secretary annually a statement (or an account) of all music under his charge.

(Plowman et al., 1913)

…which contrasts with the rule provided for the Queanbeyan Town Band librarian in 1915:

40. Librarian’s duties : Charge of music.

 (DeClifton & Mathews, 1915)

Rules governing the duties of librarians did not really improve over the years, yet still they carried out their duties.  Based on this limited information though, it is quite clear where the librarians stood in chain of command with some rules stating that the librarian must report to the secretary.  The Collie Brass Band in Western Australia had a rule that closely matched the rule from the Frankston Brass Band:

22. The Librarian shall take charge of all the music and shall keep correct list of names to tally with Secretary’s.

(“REVISED RULES.,” 1924)

Obviously, some bands provide better job descriptions for librarians in their rules than others.  Perhaps this indicates a general envisioning in the band movement of what a band librarian should be doing, but there is no way of knowing this without some very in-depth research.  The Peterborough Federal Band from South Australia was one band that did provide a very good rule for the librarian which no doubt helped them in their duties:

13. The Librarian shall take charge of, be responsible for, and keep a catalogue of all music the property of the Band; and distribute and collect the music at practices, concerts, and engagements.  He shall furnish a written report of the state of the library at each annual meeting, and must adhere to By-law 21 (b).

(“Peterborough Federal Band,” 1931)

The band member who was elected to be Librarian at the Peterborough Federal Band in 1931 was a Mr. T. Jenkins (“Peterborough Federal Band,” 1931).

Figure 6: Peterborough Federal Band, 1924 (source: State Library South Australia: B+27818)

It must be said that these band members were used to working under all sorts of rules, by-laws and other regulations – we saw as much in a previous post on the deportment of band members (de Korte, 2021).  So having minimal direction on the operating of a large music library was an issue that they dealt with as best they could.  Occasionally there were some from this time who found they did not have enough time to undertake the role.  In an article published by the Dimboola Banner and Wimmera Mallee Advertiser newspaper in January 1914, Mr. Moy of the Dimboola and District Brass Band submitted his resignation to the band from his post as librarian which was read out at the Annual General Meeting.

The secretary read a letter from Mr Moy, in which he tendered his resignation of the post of librarian.

Mr Moy said that it was a farce for him to continue to hold the position, as he could not find enough time to attend to his duties.  He moved that Mr C. Deneys be appointed. After several other members had been nominated and had refused the appointment, Mr Deneys consented to take it, and Mr L. Frazer was elected as his assistant.

(“Dimboola Brass Band.,” 1914)

The position was obviously not for everyone.

Regarding the passing of knowledge from one band librarian to another, we can only assume that there was some kind of handover and there might have been contact between individual band librarians from time to time.  Unfortunately, the newspaper articles of the time and other material did not delve into these small details.  Any word about training for amateurs in this kind of role is non-existent.  This is in contrast with their professional counterparts where there is mentions of the training they required to become fully-fledged librarians (“LIBRARIANSHIP DIPLOMA,” 1939; “Record library school opens,” 1945).

We know what kind of work they did, and it has survived the years.  In band libraries all over Australia are collections of music, some decades, or centuries old. Below is a small sample of band stamps that were diligently stamped on every piece of sheet music.  Some of the stamps are very old examples, yet they lasted, and we know that a band librarian at some stage was involved in processing this music.

Figure 7:  Samples of band stamps found on sheet music (source: Victorian Bands’ League Archive)
1911Mr. C. StewartLibrarianDerby Brass Band (Tas.)
1912Mr. P. CutterLibrarianYea Brass Band (Vic.)
1912Mr. D. T. HobbsLibrarian and property masterRailway Brass Band (W.A.)
1913Mr. E. Woolrich
Mr. C. Hawkes
Librarian
Assistant Librarian
Warburton Brass Band (Vic.)
1914Mr. Deneys
Mr L. Frazer
Librarian
Assistant Librarian
Dimboola and District Brass Band (Vic.)
1915Mr. SmallhornLibrarianWestonia Brass Band (W.A.)
1915Mr. E. UrlwinLibrarianBalaklava Brass Band (S.A.)
Table 4: (“Balaklava Brass Band.,” 1915; “DERBY BRASS BAND,” 1911; “Dimboola Brass Band.,” 1914; Presto, 1913; “Railway Brass Band.,” 1912; “WESTONIA BRASS BAND,” 1915; “Yea Brass Band.,” 1912)

Always appreciated:

It would be fair to say that a band could not function without a librarian, or two librarians as was the case in some years.  As well as their participation as band members, they had these additional tasks to do.  We saw at the head of this post the appreciative comments for the late William Wardle of the Boorowa Town and District Band.  Every so often there would be another article published in the newspapers about other band librarians who received appreciative comments and presentations from their bands.

In September 1910, the Kew Band in Melbourne awarded their band librarian Mr. Les Smith with a gold medal in appreciation of his services to the band (“Kew Band Presentation.,” 1910).  The article published in The Reporter newspaper can be viewed below, and it was obvious that the Kew Band thought very highly of Mr. Smith.

Figure 8: The Reporter, 30/09/1910, p. 7

The Murray Bridge Brass Band thought highly of their (former) librarian in 1912 when they placed on a meeting record the “good work done by Mr. W. Paige as librarian to the band, which position is now occupied by Mr. G. Hoare.” (“BAND MATTERS.,” 1912).  In Queensland, the Maryborough Naval Band presented their band librarian with gifts for his service.  The said person also had other important roles within the band.

During practice at the rooms Lennox street on Thursday night last, the President, Mr. H. A. Reed, sought permission of the Conductor, Mr. W. Ryder, for the Patron, Mr. J. E. Archibald to give a short address to the bandsmen.  At the conclusion of the address, a presentation was made to Mr. Vin Zemek (Deputy Band Master, Senior Band and Librarian) of a gold mounted cigarette holder and good supply of cigarettes, for his past untiring efforts in the interest of the band, and his successful work as librarian.

 (“NAVAL BAND ASSOCIATION.,” 1919)
Figure 9: Photograph of members of the Maryborough Naval Volunteer Band after they had returned from the brass band contests held in Ipswich on 2nd January 1905. Mr J. Zemek was the conductor. (source: State Library of Queensland: 3234)

It was sometimes necessary for band members to move on from their bands, for whatever reason that may be.  At a concert in November 1937, the Mount Gambier Citizens’ Band used the interval to give a presentation and thanks to Euphonium player, committee member, and band librarian Mr. Bern Holman who leaving to take up other activities (“BAND RECITAL.,” 1937). 

Sadly, during the First World War, many Australians gave their service and paid the ultimate sacrifice.  Private W. C. Carlson of Kapunda, South Australia was one of them and an obituary published in the Kapunda Herald newspaper made mention of his extensive involvement in organisations in the town, including service with the Kapunda Brass Band.

He was an active member of the Kapunda Brass Band, also a member of the local lodge of Rechabites.  When the members of the brass band met for practice on Wednesday night Bandmaster Neindorf made feeling references to the death of Private Carlson, who had been an enthusiastic member for a number of years, during which time he acted as librarian.  Members sood to order with bowed heads for a time, and then adjourned as a mark of respect for their late comrade.

(“For King and Country,” 1917)

They did their jobs.

1916Mr. F Rowe
Mr. J. Matthews
LibrariansWandiligong Brass Band (Vic.)
1917Mr. H. LittleLibrarianLandsborough Brass Band (Vic.)
1918Mr. J. OrmondyLibrarianGuyra Brass Band (N.S.W.)
1919Mr. Wilfred WebsterLibrarianPenguin Brass Band (Tas.)
1920Mr. R. FielderLibrarianBayswater Brass Band (Vic.)
Table 5: (“Bayswater Brass Band.,” 1920; “GUYRA BRASS BAND.,” 1918; “LANDSBOROUGH.,” 1917; “PENGUIN BRASS BAND,” 1919; “Wandiligong Brass Band.,” 1916)

Conclusion:

They worked without the professional knowledge or qualification of a librarian, yet they basically did the same jobs, and organised their band libraries as best they could.  In hindsight, would these band librarians have benefited from classes or knowledge from professional librarians?  The band movement was very much amateur and as was evident, the crossover of professional knowledge was sporadic at best, even for musical training.  Given that early librarians in Australia had limited training themselves, one could only imagine the trials and tribulations of band librarians as they sought to make sense of the role they had to do.

It is through the work of band librarians of the past that we have surviving sets of music that has been neatly catalogued and stamped, ready for future librarians to keep organised.  We can see the band stamps in corners of sheet music, the marches that were stuck onto cards, the frail sets of music that were handwritten, and the envelopes and folders to store the music.  And if we dig deeply enough, we have their names and bands.

1921Mr. H. R. HochuliLibrarianMagill Brass Band (S.A.)
1922Mr. J. DonnellyLibrarianSkipton Brass Band (Vic.)
1923Messrs. W. Stavert and
R. Bassman
LibrariansMullumbimby Citizens’ Band (N.S.W.)
1924Mr. Wes StokesLibrarianAssociation Brass Band (Bowral, N.S.W.)
1925Mr. A. ClarkeLibrarianLatrobe Federal Brass Band (Tas.)
1926Mr. J. DonaldsonActing LibrarianKellerberrin Brass Band (W.A.)
1927Mr. A. L. DavidsonSecretary and LibrarianBordertown Brass Band (S.A.)
1928Mr. Alf WorrallLibrarianVictor Harbour Municipal Band (S.A.)
1929Mr. R. AinsworthLibrarianWingham Band (N.S.W.)
1930Mr. P. Bandt
Mr. A. Pedler
Librarian
Assistant Librarian
Freeling Brass Band (S.A.)
Table 6: (“ASSOCIATION BRASS BAND,” 1924; “Bordertown Brass Band,” 1927; “FREELING BRASS BAND.,” 1930; “Kellerberrin Brass Band.,” 1926; “LATROBE BRASS BAND.,” 1925; “MAGILL BRASS BAND.,” 1921; “MUNICIPAL BAND,” 1928; Norris, 1923; “Skipton Brass Band.,” 1922; “WINGHAM BAND.,” 1929)

References:

ALMA BRASS BAND. (1908, 27 June). Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW : 1888 – 1954), 4. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article45035483

[Armidale Brass Band]. (n.d.). In S10.4 – Band Stamps (Digital scan of band stamp on sheet music ed., Vol. S10 – Music (Sheet)): Victorian Bands’ League Archive.

ASSOCIATION BRASS BAND. (1924, 27 May). Southern Mail (Bowral, NSW : 1889 – 1954), 2. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article114059676

Australian Seminar in Music Librarianship and Documentation – Adelaide 1970. (1970). [Report]. Australian Journal of Music Education(7), 53-54. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.870190744257826 

A.B.C. Librarian. (1941, 18 July). Goulburn Evening Post (NSW : 1940 – 1954), 5. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article103631833

Balaklava Brass Band. (1915, 26 August). Wooroora Producer (Balaklava, SA : 1909 – 1940), 3. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article207099757

BAND MATTERS. (1912, 06 December). Mount Barker Courier and Onkaparinga and Gumeracha Advertiser (SA : 1880 – 1954), 4. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article147749582

BAND RECITAL : Presentation to Committeeman. (1937, 30 November). Border Watch (Mount Gambier, SA : 1861 – 1954), 3. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article78003653

Bayswater Brass Band. (1920, 17 December). Reporter (Box Hill, Vic. : 1889 – 1925), 2. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article257155681

Bordertown Brass Band. (1927, 24 June). Border Chronicle (Bordertown, SA : 1908 – 1950), 2. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article212866665

BRIGHTON BRASS BAND. (1896, 28 March). Caulfield and Elsternwick Leader (North Brighton, Vic. : 1888 – 1902), 2. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66852240

CITY BRASS BAND. (1910, 02 May). Express and Telegraph (Adelaide, SA : 1867 – 1922), 4. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article209909713

CLUNES : Brass Band. (1909, 25 February). Ballarat Star (Vic. : 1865 – 1924), 6. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article217280286

[Coburg Central Brass Band Club]. (n.d.). In S10.4 – Band Stamps (Digital scan of band stamp on sheet music ed., Vol. S10 – Music (Sheet): Victorian Bands’ League Archive.

COPYING MACHINE TYPES MUSIC. (1948, 02 June). Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 – 1957), 5. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22543108

Cundletown Brass Band. (1906, 24 January). Manning River Times and Advocate for the Northern Coast Districts of New South Wales (Taree, NSW : 1898 – 1954), 2. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article172821374

de Korte, J. D. (2018a, 12 July). The A.B.C. Military Band: an ensemble of the times. Band Blasts from the Past : Anecdotes, Stories and Personalities. https://bandblastsfromthepast.blog/2018/07/12/the-a-b-c-military-band-an-ensemble-of-the-times/

de Korte, J. D. (2018b, 15 March). The politics of affiliation: The Victorian Bands’ Association to the Victorian Bands’ League. Band Blasts from the Past : Anecdotes, Stories and Personalities. https://bandblastsfromthepast.blog/2018/03/15/the-politics-of-affiliation-victorian-bands-association-to-the-victorian-bands-league/

de Korte, J. D. (2019a, 07 December). Brass bands of the New South Wales Central West: Part 2: Association and competition. Band Blasts from the Past : Anecdotes, Stories and Personalities. https://bandblastsfromthepast.blog/2019/12/07/brass-bands-of-the-new-south-wales-central-west-part-2-association-and-competition/

de Korte, J. D. (2019b, 05 June). Finding National consensus: how State band associations started working with each other. Band Blasts from the Past : Anecdotes, Stories and Personalities. https://bandblastsfromthepast.blog/2019/06/05/finding-national-consensus-how-state-band-associations-started-working-with-each-other/

de Korte, J. D. (2021, 03 November). Earning points: proper deportment of band member’s. Band Blasts from the Past : Anecdotes, Stories and Personalities. https://bandblastsfromthepast.blog/2021/11/03/earning-points-proper-deportment-of-band-members/

de Korte, J. D. (2022, 04 April). Training Bandmasters in the art of conducting: the problems, the stats quo, and the plans. Band Blasts from the Past : Anecdotes, Stories and Personalities. https://bandblastsfromthepast.blog/2022/04/04/training-bandmasters-in-the-art-of-conducting-the-problems-the-status-quo-and-the-plans/

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DeClifton, G., & Mathews, F. W. (1915, 18 May). Queanbeyan Town Band. Queanbeyan Age and Queanbeyan Observer (NSW : 1915 – 1927), 4. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article31665819

DERBY BRASS BAND. (1911, 03 February). Examiner (Launceston, Tas. : 1900 – 1954), 2. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article50459725

Dimboola Brass Band : GENERAL MEETING : WEEKLY PAYMENTS BY MEMBERS TO CEASE : DEPUTY BANDMASTER TO BE APPOINTED : NEW INSTRUMENTS NEEDED. (1914, 23 January). Dimboola Banner and Wimmera and Mallee Advertiser (Vic. : 1914 – 1918), 3. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article152648753

Enquist, I., & Flury, R. (2023). Chronology, 1949-2018. IAML : International Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres. Retrieved 14 September 2023 from https://www.iaml.info/iaml-chronology

Federal Brass Band. (1904, 29 January). Riverine Herald (Echuca, Vic. : Moama, NSW : 1869 – 1954; 1998 – 2002), 2. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article115056762

Fleming, A. (1939, 28 May). OUR BANDSMEN PLAY— : To the TUNE of £70,000. Sunday Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1926 – 1954), 2. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article98236539

For King and Country : Late Private W. C. Carlson. (1917, 22 June). Kapunda Herald (SA : 1878 – 1951), 2. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article124989226

Fosbrooke, A. R. (1905). Maryborough Naval Volunteer Band, Queensland, 1905 [Photographic print : black & white]. [3234]. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland. https://hdl.handle.net/10462/deriv/248614

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GUYRA BRASS BAND. (1918, 09 May). Guyra Argus (NSW : 1902 – 1954), 6. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article173591348

HEALESVILLE BRASS BAND. (1903, 18 July). Healesville and Yarra Glen Guardian (Vic. : 1900 – 1942), 2. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article60284026

[Heidelberg District Band]. (n.d.). In S10.4 – Band Stamps (Digital scan of band stamp on sheet music ed., Vol. S10 – Music (Sheet)): Victorian Bands’ League Archive.

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Kellerberrin Brass Band. (1926, 15 January). Eastern Recorder (Kellerberrin, WA : 1909 – 1954), 2. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article256404975

Kew Band Presentation. (1910, 30 September). Reporter (Box Hill, Vic. : 1889 – 1925), 7. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article89698013

Kew Brass Band. (1907, 06 September). Reporter (Box Hill, Vic. : 1889 – 1925), 7. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article90312804

LAKE’S CREEK BRASS BAND. (1900, 05 April). Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 – 1954), 4. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article52571271

LANDSBOROUGH : BRASS BAND. (1917, 01 August). Ballarat Courier (Vic. : 1869 – 1886; 1914 – 1918), 6. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article73321617

LATROBE BRASS BAND. (1925, 17 September). Daily Telegraph (Launceston, Tas. : 1883 – 1928), 4. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article153656236

LIBRARIANSHIP DIPLOMA : Establishment Sought. (1939, 28 January). Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 – 1957), 13. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12091273

LILYDALE BRASS BAND. (1898, 02 December). Lilydale Express and Yarra Glen, Wandin Yallock, Upper Yarra, Healesville and Ringwood Chronicle (Vic. : 1898 – 1914), 2. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article258343462

MAGILL BRASS BAND. (1921, 11 August). Register (Adelaide, SA : 1901 – 1929), 3. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article63195858

[March Card Backing with Victoria Police Band stamp]. (n.d.). In S10.3 – March Card Backs (Digital scan of march card back and band stamp ed., Vol. S10 – Music (Sheet)): Victorian Bands’ League Archive.

MUNICIPAL BAND. (1928, 01 June). Victor Harbor Times and Encounter Bay and Lower Murray Pilot (SA : 1912 – 1930), 2. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article167135026

NAVAL BAND ASSOCIATION : PRESENTATION TO MR. VIN ZEMEK. (1919, 27 May). Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser (Qld. : 1860 – 1947), 2. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article151041581

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Norris, A. (1923, 04 October). Mullumbimby Citizens’ Band : ANNUAL REPORT AND BALANCE SHEET. Mullumbimby Star (NSW : 1906 – 1936), 5. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article125397418

PENGUIN BRASS BAND. (1919, 14 June). Advocate (Burnie, Tas. : 1890 – 1954), 2. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66489853

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Petersburg Brass Band. (1904, 19 July). Quorn Mercury (SA : 1895 – 1954), 4. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article213634359

Plowman, S., Hammond, E. C., Gunson, J. L., & Croskell, V. (1913, 04 October). Rules and Regulations of the Frankston Brass Band. Mornington Standard (Frankston, Vic. : 1911 – 1920), 3. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article65849798

Presto. (1913, 07 February). WARBURTON BRASS BAND. Lilydale Express and Yarra Glen, Wandin Yallock, Upper Yarra, Healesville and Ringwood Chronicle (Vic. : 1898 – 1914), 5. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article258398095

Railway Brass Band. (1912, 08 June). Northam Advertiser (WA : 1895 – 1955), 3. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article212605209

Record library school opens. (1945, 22 April). Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1931 – 1954), 9. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article248011012

REVISED RULES. (1924, 01 February). Collie Mail (Perth, WA : 1908 – 1954), 5. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article256075368

Rutherglen Brass Band. (1901, 19 February). Rutherglen Sun and Chiltern Valley Advertiser (Vic. : 1886 – 1957), 3. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article268482585

Skipton Brass Band. (1922, 27 May). Skipton Standard and Streatham Gazette (Vic. : 1914 – 1928), 3. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article269333879

TALLANGATTA BRASS BAND : [FROM THE UPPER MURRAY HERALD]. (1899, 01 April). Ovens and Murray Advertiser (Beechworth, Vic. : 1855 – 1955), 1. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article199466692

TEMPERANCE BRASS BAND. (1897, 10 July). Geraldton Murchison Telegraph (WA : 1892 – 1899), 2. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article259398587

The Crown Studios. (1896, 28 March). New South Wales Police Band. Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 – 1919), 20. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71243570

Town Band. (1902, 20 June). Narandera Argus and Riverina Advertiser (NSW : 1893 – 1953), 2. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article99243761

Wandiligong Brass Band. (1916, 17 November). Alpine Observer and North-Eastern Herald (Vic. : 1916 – 1918), 1. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article129515421

WESTONIA BRASS BAND. (1915, 22 May). Westonian (WA : 1915 – 1920), 3. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article211653459

WILLIAM WARDLE : LATE HONORARY LIBRARIAN OF BOOROWA BAND. (1938, 04 February). Burrowa News (NSW : 1874 – 1951), 8. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article102498287

WINGHAM BAND. (1929, 10 August). Manning River Times and Advocate for the Northern Coast Districts of New South Wales (Taree, NSW : 1898 – 1954), 1. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article173806266

Woodend Brass Band. (1905, 14 January). Woodend Star (Vic. : 1888 – 1942), 2. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article270719524

Yea Brass Band. (1912, 14 March). Yea Chronicle (Yea, Vic. : 1891 – 1920), 3. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article69663903