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We have been a bit slack in working on the upgrade of our band hall of late, mainly because the small band of workers who were doing the majority of the labour wore themselves out. That is about to change as we launch with renewed vigor into getting the job finished. The outside of the hall is looking really good, with a new entrance complete with upswept roof, bright red patterned concrete and stainless steel handrails and bollard lights. The fencing and shade sail is complete and the landscaping is starting to blossom and look mature. We now move to the inside where painting is set to resume next weekend and new floor coverings are about to be ordered. Stay tuned for before and after photos.

Townsville Brass under the baton of its new Musical Director, Dale Hosking and Brolga Brass conducted by John Hamilton, are both in serious preparation for the Northern Zone Band Contest which will be held in Cairns over the Queens Birthday weekend in a few weeks. (7th & 8th June)

This contest is actually more like a festival, in that although there is a serious component and competition in that can be intense, the weekend is more about the social and involvement aspects of our movement.

We have added a "hit counter" to the site. This month was the highest number of hits for this site. Thanks for dropping by. We will add photos from the Nationals in the near future. Members please email your photos for inclusion at the next update.

We have added a guest book for your polite comments and greetings. Please feel free to add something when you visit. It will be closely monitored for inappropriate use however.

Newly appointed Musical Director and Principal Cornet of Townsville Brass, Dale Hosking, added the Bb Cornet National Championship to his already impressive list of solo titles yesterday. Well done Dale.

Townsville and Brolga Brass are back home after a highly successful trip to the Nationals in Brisbane over the Easter weekend. The full results can be seen on the 4BarsRest Down Under link on the left.

We are pleased to advise that Townsville Brass finished second in the B Grade to a very good band from New Zealand, therefore making it the highest placed Australian B Grade band in 2008!. Brolga Brass finished 4th Nationally in the D Grade, making it the highest placed Queensland band in it's grade - HOW GOOD IS THAT?

Kim Lofthouse deserves a huge accolade for his work with both our bands. His patience, tolerance and nearly always good humour is legendary. Kim is making his way back to the UK today and we all wish him a safe trip and hope we see him again soon. Thanks Kim.

Congratulations to all the players, supporters and administration for making this trip memorable for everyone.

Congratulations also to Howard Taylor and Brisbane Excelsior for taking a record breaking 4th consecutive Nationals title in the A Grade. We have had and still have a number of ex-Townsville Brass players involved with Excelsior and feel we can claim at least a tiny bit of vicarious responsibility.

We are on our way to Brisbane for the Nationals today. The Townsville Bulletin did a nice article on us which you can view here . Good luck everyone and a safe trip!

A big special thanks to Kim Lofthouse, from all of us at Townsville Brass and the other musical groups around Townsville who have benefitted from working with you on this trip. Win, lose or draw it has been a great learning experience for all of us involved and we certainly hope we see you again in the near future.

Both bands have now completed their preparations for the contest in Brisbane next weekend. Congratulations for the work put in by everyone and especially Kim and the people who are playing or working with both bands. (Andre, Jenny, John, Rob & Martin).

We all look forward to a great and memorable trip and with a bit of luck, one or both bands may bring home some silverware.

With the local government elections having been held at the weekend, there has been a change of guard in the Townsville City Council. It appears that all of the current council in Townsville has been ousted and a new council led by Les Tyrell will soon be installed. This marks a new direction for Townsville and leaves community groups such as ours a little concerned about the level of support we may receive from the new administration and how our funding will be affected. TCC was our major sponsor.

All at Townsville Brass however would like to thank departing Mayor, Tony Mooney for his support. I am sure that we would not have been able to do what we have done in recent years, with the revamping of the hall and getting a world class conductor (Kim Lofthouse) here to direct us on a consulting basis, to name just a couple of our achievements, without Tony's direct involovement.

There have been a few other people at the Council over the years that deserve mention for their assistance of the band - the late & great Stan Newman was a stalwart. Ann Bunnell, David Mather, Dale Parker and Nonda Pass also assisted us and championed our cause and their help was much appreciated. We hope they all find interesting things to do in the future.

Kim Lofthouse will lead Townsville Brass and Brolga Brass in a FREE CONCERT at Saint James Cathedral in Townsville next Sunday 9 March at 3PM. The bands will present works prepared for the National Championships and it will be the last chance Townsville people will have to hear our bands in peak performance standard before Easter.

Kim Lofthouse has arrived back in Townsville to polish our 2 bands into peak performance for the upcoming Nationals at Easter. It hardly seems a year since he was last working with us and already the standard is lifting.

Townsville Brass had already had some good foundation work done by our newly appointed MD, Dale Hosking over the previous month, whilst Brolgas benefited from the lead of guest conductors, Dale Hosking, Chris Baldwin and Martin Cervellin, as John Hamilton their regular conductor, was delayed in Rockhampton for some time. Thanks to all concerned for the great team effort!

The Management Committee of Townsville Brass, last night ratified the appointment of Dale Hosking as the new Resident Musical Director of the Association. Dale replaces retiring MD Roy Hosking, following a protracted search for a suitably qualified, experienced and passionate candidate.

At only 25 years of age, Dale already has an enviable CV of musical and brass banding achievements and will be the youngest person appointed to this position in Townsville's history. The announcement of the decision was greeted with unanimous approval by all members present and everyone is enthusiastic about moving forward with a young and dynamic style.

We hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas and New year break. Rehearsals for Townsville Brass commenced this week with Dale Hosking taking the first 2 rehearsals.

Any players interested in joining us this year are advised that now is the time as we have a very short lead up to the Nationals at Easter.

We have once again engaged the services of professional conductor, Kim Lofthouse from the UK to prepare and lead our bands at the contest. This is an outstanding opportunity for brass musicians in Townsville to learn from one of the best in the world.

We are getting close to the end of our banding year with a final week of carolling around the streets and 2 engagements at shopping centres on Saturday. It has been a very hectic Christmas and well done to all those who have attended all or most of the December activities. A well earned break is coming up as we all look forward to catching up with family and friends and putting the tired feet up for a while.

On the left is a photo from our carolling on the Strand on Sunday afternoon, courtesy of Geoff Duce.(our "official photographer") It was a very pleasant ambience, although we got more than a little sweaty under the Santa hats.

We should have mentioned that Ray Dickson, long time supporter of the band and father of front row cornetist Claire, compered our Concert on Sunday - expertly of course!. He also backed up last night with an on stage gig at the Elton John Concert at the Cowboy's Stadium. Ray spoke on behalf of the Townsville Bulletin who were instrumental in getting Elton to come and play up here in the deep north and also drew the winner of a competition to win a white baby grand piano signed by Sir Elton. Over 20,000 people attended the Concert, the largest audience in Australia for this tour and Elton has promised to come back and bring his band next time. Well done Ray and Elton of course.

Wow, what a hectic weekend ! We did 2 gigs on Saturday for the Townsville City Council with their 24 days of Christmas program and then the preparation and performance of our Christmas Concert yesterday afternoon. All the performances went very well and were received with much appreciation by our audiences. It was an extremely hot and humid weekend and to all those who toiled away without complaint - good on ya! Thanks to Brolga Brass and the Kirwan State High School Choir under the leadership of teacher, Suellen Johns for backing up Townsville Brass - top job and also we should acknowledge the great help of one of our Life Members, Bill Wallace, who expertly stage managed the Concert and four Pimlico High students who ran the sound and lights. Jenny Duce also played a major role in the organisation and execution of the Concert and deserves much praise, along with her band of helpers on the day.

No rest for the wicked though, as we start carolling through the streets tonight in the suburb of Cranbrook and then on to Annandale on Wednesday night. My feet are tired just thinking about it, but it does bring a little bit of Christmas to the suburbs as well as boosting our coffers a tad.

Preparations are complete for our Concert at PIMPAC on Sunday afternoon. Both bands are performing and we hope to get a large and happy crowd attending to kick off the Christmas celebrations. Starts at 3PM

Tomorrow Townsville Brass will fullfil it's first obligation for the Townsville City Council's 24 days of Christmas program and perform at the Good Shepherd Hospice, followed by a gig at the official opening of the program at the Strand. The Council generously supports the local arts and all of the performances are paid from the Council's kitty.

This Sunday both bands will be marching in the Willows Shopping Centre Santa Parade, assembling at 9.30AM at Kirwan High. This signals the start of our Christmas obligations and will be followed in the afternoon by our end of year function at the band hall. The hall now is sporting a BBQ area covered by a shade sail and the grounds landscaping has been completed. Trophies will be presented for the outstanding contributions of some of the members of both bands. Oh and don't forget Townsville Brass members - you are rehearsing at 3PM before we break out the beer!

Kirwan State High School Choir will join Townsville and Brolga Brass at our first Christmas Concert for 20 years on 2 December at the Pimlico Performing Arts Centre (PIMPAC). The concert will run from 3PM - 5PM and will feature a review of the numbers that were most popular this year as well as some new and some favourite Christmas numbers and a few community carols to kick off the season in fine style. This will be a fun concert and an enjoyable afternoon is guaranteed.

The following night, (3 December) we will begin our annual carolling around the streets to spread good cheer and raise a few bucks to fund new instruments for the band. On the 4th December however, we will not be carolling, as Elton John will be performing here in Townsville and a large proportion of the community will be attending for sure. I know some of our members are too!

We have a huge December coming up, with no less than 15 days or nights of performances before the 22nd. and then a couple of weeks off and into serious preparation for the Nationals at Easter.

Our recent promotion for players flushed out a 1st Trombone player and we gratefully welcome Stuart Lovejoy into our ranks. Stuart hasn't played for a while but it was great to hear some complete chords coming from the trombones for a change

We are still in need of baritone, euphonium and tuba players so if there are any out there looking for a place to air their talent, please contact us soon..

We are promoting as heavily as we can for new players to fill the above vacancies currently. A big thankyou to 4TO, 4TTT, & ABC Radio and the Townsville Bulletin for their support with interviews and mentions. You can read the Bulletin article here.

Preparations have now begun in earnest for our remaining engagements for the year. We will be performing at the Strand on November 11 and are planning a Christmas Concert at PIMPAC on December 2 to name the most notable. Contest preparation is also being incorporated into the rehearsal schedule to ensure we have a springboard into the contesting season.

Former Townsville Brass MD and now president of the QBA, Noel Cassels dropped in at rehearsal yesterday for a quick chat. It was good to get a few QBA issues clarified in person. Thanks Noel.

We welcomed Kerry White, formerly from the UK on baritone this week. Kerry hasn't played for a while but will no doubt be a big asset to her section in a short time. Chris Bartlett our solo eupho player returned from visiting his relatives in the US this week also, although he is much in demand as a consultant Marine Biologist and will be off on another marine adventure for all of November.

Both bands are now through the school holiday period and are looking forward to good attendances as we approach a very busy part of our year. Early preparation for the National Championships next year will be started soon and there are end of year Concerts and performances to prepare for. Carolling is also not that far away ! (Has it really been a year?)

Townsville Brass is performing this Sunday at the Friends of the Theatre Concert at Pimlico High Performing Arts Centre. These concerts are produced by Donna Ahlers, a well known local identity in the performing arts and good friend of our bands. As always this will be a sell out event and a great afternoon for all those attending.

Townsville Brass is taking a breath and having a few Sundays off at the moment. Wednesday rehearsals are continuing however, as we start choosing music for the Nationals in Brisbane next Easter. We have had good look at Fantasy for Brass by Malcolm Arnold and also High Peak from Eric Ball so far. The Christmas period is always very busy for us and is our most productive time of year from a fund raising point of view, so this slight easing of the rehearsal load is much appreciated by most of us in anticipation of the big effort to come.

The Brolga Brass page has now been updated with a new photo and a list of the current players. Note that Rob Jones and Martin Cervellin help out in both bands and also some of our young friends from Thuringowa Brass are also regular guests at rehearsals and gigs, especially Anthony Mc Govern and Chantel Inkster.

Well we have just had a very big weekend of rehearsals and then the Concert with James Morrison and the Barrier Reef Orchestra. Some of the arrangements were written for Black Dyke by Robin Dewhurst and we struggled a little with them with very limited rehearsal. This was not helped by the dry acoustic in our Civic Theatre and the fact that we were set a long way back behind the orchestra. Having said that however, the eventual result on the night was still pretty good and we received good comments from members of the audience.

James Morrison is just an awesome musician and finished the second encore to a standing ovation with Basin Street Blues on trumpet with his right hand, accompanying himself on Piano with his left. Australian and especially North Queensland audiences do not give standing ovations lightly or easily. James was assisted by Emma Pask on vocals and the Orchestra and Band were directed by Sean O'Boyle who did a great job as well. Special mention should be made of the contribution of the musicians from our locally based Army Band (1RAR). They provided the rhythm section (guitar, bass, drums) as well as other instruments dotted throughout the orchestra and they were sensational.

All up it was wonderful to be involved in this event and we must thank the Barrier Reef Orchestra for organising it and inviting us to be a part of it, especially Ben Fixter. Thanks mate and it will be good to have you back playing with us again soon.

The gig for the Townsville Business Women's Network Awards went very well with a lot of good comments from informed patrons. Stephen Broome led a group of display ballroom dancers, who did a great job and have passed their thanks to the band for the music supplied. They don't get an opportunity to dance to live music very often and it was nice to receive some positive feedback. Well done to all the players and backup staff and thanks to Tanya Roberts who did a super job managing the event and her husband John Carey, who was a big hit on vocals. Hope to post a couple of photos in a few days.

On August 26th Townsville Brass will combine with the Barrier Reef Orchestra to back jazz legend James Morrison when he presents a concert here in Townsville. We are looking forward to this opportunity to play alongside this great player and work on the specially commissioned arrangements. Before this concert however we will be performing in the Flinders Mall on Sunday 19th August at 10AM. Hopefully the shoppers at the Sunday Markets will enjoy our upbeat offerings.

Townsville Brass will perform this Saturday in Showband format for the awards function of the Townsville Business Women's Network. We will be backing local singer John (New York, New York) Carey and will be also providing the music for a ballroom dancing display troupe. The background and dinner music will also be supplied by the Showband, boosted by the inclusion of Electric Bass by Rod Peters. All up we have about 90 minutes of popular program music which has taken some effort to polish over the last few weeks.

The Annual General Meeting of the Association was held last night and a new management committee voted in: see the make up of the committee here. Congratulations to all and we hope you have a very rewarding year. The President, Treasurer and the Musical Directors of both bands presented reports and thanked those who worked so hard this year including all the players and especially Derek Larsen who worked his proverbial off getting the library system up to date over many months of lonely Saturdays. Thanks must also go to the band widows who sacrifice so much to allow us to go banding.

Don't forget the AGM this Wednesday night at the hall. There will be a short rehearsal before the meeting from 7.30 - 8.30PM. Any Brolga members who were going to attend the meeting are welcome to have a blow at the rehearsal beforehand if you want.

Noel Price and Toney Magner were the only members to brave the cold and work on the painting of the Hall last weekend and got quite a bit done. Thanks to both of you for your stirling effort. We will take a break from painting for a couple of weeks so that we can work on our own houses.

There will be a working bee this Saturday 21/7 at 9AM to finish the painting of the outside of the hall and begin preparation inside. Anyone who is able to come along, even if only for a couple of hours will be most welcome.

The Band Hall is starting to look loved again as the painting of the outside is all but complete. Next weekend should see that finished. Then it is on to inside. The landscaping and fencing is also done apart from the fencing contractors coming back to tidy their work up and a shade structure is to be erected over the newly lain concrete slab shortly. Thanks to all those who are turning up regularly to help.

Unfortunately, we have had some mix ups with bookings for a couple of gigs in recent weeks and will not be doing the trip to Julia Creek, although a few of our members will still be going. Also the "Brass on the Grass" Concert scheduled for the 28th July has had to be postponed due to a double booking of the venue and will be rescheduled at the earliest possible date - but probably early September - tentatively 8th. It will be a bit warmer by then as well, hopefully! This has been our coldest winter for ages.

Prior to the Northern Zone Contest we were lucky enough to have the opportunity to work for 2 weeks with visiting conductor Bryce Gordon from New Zealand. Bryce brought his lovely wife and young family with him for the visit and we hope they enjoyed their stay in North Queensland. Bryce was extremely enthusiastic and animated and brought a new level of excitement to coming to rehearsal. Thanks Bryce we appreciated your efforts and hope things are going well for you back home.

Since the State Championships at Easter, both of our bands settled down to preparation for the Northern Zone Championships which were jointly hosted by Townsville Brass and Thuringowa Brass Band. The competition was held in a variety of venues including the new Riverway Theatre and Kirwan High in Thuringowa and the Townsville Civic Theatre and Pimlico High in Townsville. Noel Price and Andre Melville did the majority of work for this event and received some assistance from members of the Thuringowa Band and Townsville Brass. Thank you to all involved as it was a very good weekend. The majority of results are in the newsletter with Townsville Brass winning the serious section of the competition, including NQ Band of the Year and Cairns cleaning up in the entertainment section.

We are all very proud of Brolga Brass as they put on a good showing in the serious section - well done everyone.

Kirwan High entered 2 bands in the Concert and Stage Band sections and performed creditably. It would be nice to see a few more school bands involved.

Congratulations to all the soloists as well, especially Fiona Murakami who has won the Open Solo 2 years in a row.

Have added a street directory of our Band Hall location (courtesy of Google Earth)

Townsville Brass has been engaged to perform at the Centenary celebrations at Julia Creek on the 20th & 21st July. Julia Creek is a small rural town about 7 hours drive west of Townsville and will require our members to get a day off work or school / Uni.. Only a small band of about 16 will be required and we will be performing as the Showband. Intensive rehearsals for this, a Brass on the Grass concert on the 28th July and the awards ceremony for the Townsville Business Womens Network on 11th August begin on Sunday 8th July.

A new page of photos from our trip to the State Championships is being uploaded currently and should be available soon. Also the latest newsletter is up on the site now..

The Calendar page has been updated with the current proposed schedule for both bands for the rest of the year. This, of course may be subject to change from time to time.

A big thank you to Jeff Bird, who although not currently a playing member of the band has continued to host this website on his system and resolved a few issues with some of the graphics yesterday. Much appreciated Jeff.

Kim Lofthouse, who has been working on a professional basis with Townsville Brass and Brolga Brass for the past 5 weeks is now on his way back home to the UK. As mentioned in previous posts, Kim's skill and musicianship has been inspirational to all who have had the pleasure of working with him and it has been great to see that his expertise has translated into contest success for both of our Bands. We will miss you Kim and hope that it will not be too long before we can have you back.

We have also had to say goodbye to our Principal Euphonium player Brad Johnston who is moving interstate in the near future. Brad has improved out of sight as a player in the last year and has almost single-handedly carried his section both in general band work and now to contest success. Good luck Brad and we hope you hook up with a good band in the big smoke.

8/4/07

Under the inspirational guidance of Kim Lofthouse, Townsville Brass emerged winners of the B Grade Championships at the Queensland Brass Band Championships at the weekend. Townsville won the Hymn, Test Selection, Stage March and Entertainment Sections and finished a close second in the Own Choice.

Brolga Brass also performed with great honour to win the Test Selection and finish in overall 4th place in the D Grade, which was a wonderful result considering the age and experience of the majority of members. This was due to the hard work of resident conductor - John Hamilton and the polish and patience of professional conductor Kim Lofthouse.

All band personel are leaving today either by private car or coach to travel the 900 km or so to the contest venue. We are looking forward to meeting all our old friends and enjoying a spirited weekend of music making. Good luck to everyone. Kim will be leaving for the UK immediately after the competion concludes and on behalf of everyone associated with the Townsville Brass organisation, thank you so much Kim for your hard work and infinite patience. We all hope that we will see you in the not too distant future. "Let's Go Townsville, Let's Go! "

The last month has seen both of our bands work very hard under the expert direction of Kim Lofthouse from the UK. Kim will lead Townsville Brass in the B grade and Brolga Brass in the D grade sections of the Queensland Championships this weekend in Bundaberg. Bundaberg is a small coastal town in southern Queensland renowned for it's sugar cane, rum factory and the birthplace of the famous aviator Bert Hinkler. Bundaberg holds the Championships regularly and are expert at it. It is always a pleasure to compete there and the whole town gets behind the event. That is sometimes missing in the large centres where band contests are just one of dozens of events dividing people's attention.

The photos at left are from the Queensland Youth Band Camp held in January. Three of our young members went down and from all reports had a great time, learnt a lot and made heaps of new and probably life-long friends. Martin Cervellin won the "Best Bandsman" award - well done Martin and good on you Rob and Cameron also.

As can be seen from the notices above we have filled some of the vacancies that have plagued us recently. We still need a few more players though, so if you are a brass or percussion player or would like to be, click on the enquiries icon above and contact us. Go on, you know you want to. It is great fun !

We haven't reported here before that Kim Lofthouse our most recent Musical Director who had to return home to the UK last year, has agreed to make the journey back down under to prepare our 2 competition bands for the State Championships at Easter. Kim will then lead both bands at the contest. It will be great to have him back as he is a truly gifted musician with a knack for getting the best possible sound out of a band, no matter what standard. We are all busily getting in and doing the practice that we should have done weeks ago, because we know we can't get away with anything - damn it!

Everyone is very happy with the news that little Mitchell Lewis, son of President Brendon and Robyn, is now out of hospital and although he has considerable rehab ahead of him and will need to be carefully monitored, everything is pointing towards a full recovery. That is better news than winning the Nationals !! We are all stoked and I know Robyn and Brendon have appreciated the good wishes they have received from all their band friends and family of course.

Hi to all our faithful members and supporters. We hope everyone had an enjoyable break and are ready for an exciting year of music making and fun.

Before giving a run down on what has been happening in the last few weeks as we have been settling back into rehearsals, we have to mention a tragic event that has affected the family of Brendon Lewis our President.

Brendon and Robyn's 13 month old son Mitchell had an accident at their home and had to be resuscitated. He has been in a serious condition in hospital for the past week, but is at last showing some signs of recovery. I am sure that everyone will join with us in wishing Mitchell a full and speedy recovery. All our best hopes and wishes go to the whole family in this extremely stressful time.

Last Saturday night saw the Band's presentation dinner held at our hall. This dinner is held every 2 years and gives us the opportunity to recognise the length of service of some of our members and also to present awards for the most outstanding members for the year.

About 52 members and friends attended the awards and enjoyed a meal and a few drinks together. President, Brendon Lewis presented the main speech of the evening and commended the teaching and recruiting effort of John Hamilton (Brolga Brass) and the months of work that Derek Larsen has put into the library with help from Jenny Duce and a few others. The MD of Brolga Brass, John Hamilton and MD of Townsville Brass, Roy Hosking both gave short addresses thanking everyone for the support they had received this year and expressing the belief that next year will be very busy and rewarding for all concerned. [Click here for pictures - Courtesy Rob Jones]

For those ex-members who check in here occasionally you will be interested to know that the long awaited renovations to the band hall and grounds have finally begun. An underground sprinkler system has been installed and a concrete pad lain for a BBQ area out the back. It is expected that fencing and landscaping will be done in the next couple of weeks. Also we have now blasted all the old paint off the outside of the building and will start repainting in the near future.

The hall is now 36 years old and this is really the first major overhaul, apart from a paint job during Doc Cassels' presidency in the mid 80's. So the upgrade will make a huge difference to the look and feel and should make it a place we can once again be proud of.

Next weekend we will join with the Salvation Army band for a joint concert. Both bands will perform individually for around 40 minutes each and then join for some massed items. We will be rehearsing Friday night, Saturday and Sunday afternoons and the performance itself beginning at 6PM Sunday night. This will be a heavy weekend but the results should make it totally worthwhile.

Last weekend Townsville Brass was pleased to be able to assist our friends from the Army with an important ceremonial occasion as the Army Band was away on tour. This involved performing at the historic Saint James Cathedral on Saturday morning, including a slow march for the entry of the colours, a hymn for the laying of wreaths, Last Post and Rouse performed by Dale Hosking and a stirring rendition of John Peel as the congregation was leaving. John Peel is their regimental quick march. In the evening we performed prior to their formal dinner including the slow march for entry of the colours again, light incidental music and a performance of the "Kennedy Regiment Waltz" which we arranged from the piano music for them. (Many hours of hidden work)

Townsville is often referreed to as a garrison city as we have a large Army base here (Lavarack Barracks) and also an Air Force Base. These services are extemely important to the fabric of our city, both socially and financially and we are happy to be involved with them whenever we are asked. Comments from the organisers complimented us on our professional attitude and first class performance. (That is always nice to hear)

I know it has been a while since our last update and for the faithful that check in regularly, I apologise. Since our last post we have been rehearsing both bands in readiness for our final engagements for the year. Brolga Brass is slowly building up in numbers under the guidance of John Hamilton, whilst Townsville Brass is struggling for players due to some key personnel currently taking leave to attend to personal business.

Please see the vacancies above. We are looking for (preferrably) experienced players who would like to play with Townsville Brass either short or long term. It is our intention to attend either the State Championships in Bundaberg or Nationals in Melbourne next Easter and will begin preparations in the near future. Click on the Enquiries icons to get contact details.

Ben Fixter, Derek Larsen, John Hamilton and Fiona Murakami ran 2nd in the Open Ensemble.

Congratulations to all who competed in the solos, whether you were placed or not. You are very brave and we are proud of you.

I know the committee is very keen to have a lot more of our members competing in the solos and party items and we are going to have a big drive to have everyone involved from now on.

The Band travelled to Cairns, which is about a 4 hour drive north of Townsville at the weekend to perform in the Northern Zone Band Festival. The standard of music from all the competitive bands present was very good and Townsville Brass performed very well. Once again we did not get the result that we were hoping for, but then it is only one person's opinion on the day.

The competition was held in a sound shell in the middle of the city centre and acoustically was excellent. All the bands had obviously put in a lot of effort and rehearsal in preparation for this event and to have a great standard at this time of year is a huge plus.

It was great to be out of town with the team and everyone pulled together really well. A big thanks to Chris Baldwin who travelled up from Brisbane to help our depleted cornet line out when Ben Fixter had to perform with the Army Band at the same time as we were scheduled.

Townsville Brass is now in heavy rehearsal for the Northern Zone Festival in Cairns on the 26th and 27th August. Although not strictly required, we are going to do a serious number as well as the mandatory 30 minute concert program. It is hoped that Brolga Brass will have sufficient members so that they will be able to play at next year's event. John Hamilton is working hard with them and I am sure they will be a force to be reckoned with in the coming months.

Our Annual General Meeting was held last night and the newly elected executive is: President: Brendon Lewis, Secretary: Andre Melville, Treasurer: Glenn Gough. Congratulations to those people and also to all those on the committee. We look forward to an enterprising year from you all.

The NAIDOC Concert 2 July, mentioned earlier was a fun experience for everyone concerned. The standard of many of the performers was surprisingly high, especially John Nicols. John is a highly experienced jazz guitarist/singer. He was fantastic. Our Band played in our Showband format and was very well received. We did numbers like Sing, Sing, Sing, Birdland, Glenn Miller etc. The organisers estimated the crowd at around 400. Jenny and Catherine took some photos which are now posted. Our thanks to Vicki Saylor and the Townsville City Council for organising the event and inviting us to participate.

Townsville Brass and Kirwan High School combined this week to host a group of American students and teachers as part of a tour by the "People to People" organisation. "People to People" organise tour groups to enable students from other countries to experience the different cultures. Townsville was the only home stay destination of their 18 day tour and host families from Townsville Brass and Kirwan High took the students into their homes for 2 nights and plied them with vegemite - mostly unsuccessfully !. Townsville Brass organised a BBQ dinner on Tuesday night which was to be at the picturesque Strand Park, but unfortunatly had to be moved to the Band Hall due to unseasonal rain. An enjoyable night was had never the less.

This was a very pleasant experience for all who were directly involved and we hope the students and teachers enjoyed their visit. It is planned to host at least 1 tour next year - maybe more.

Thanks to Allister Crocker from Townsville Brass and Leeanne Thomson from Kirwan High for coordinating this event. Special thanks to Jenny Duce for organising the BBQ dinner!

Sunday rehearsals have begun for Townsville Brass members in preparation for the showband gig on Sunday 2nd July at Rossiter Park. We are also welcoming back former member Geoff Bolster for this gig and also for the Northern Zone Festival in Cairns in August. Geoff will provide quality support in our somewhat depleted Eupho section and will be travelling from Proserpine on weekends to attend rehearsals.

Member Shuan Smith married Melanie Courtney in a ceremony in Dan Gleeson Park at Thuringowa today. Congratulations to the happy couple from the Townsville Brass family.

Last weekend Townsville Brass performed to an enthusiastic crowd in Flinders Mall and although we had a few players away, the sound was solid and everyone enjoyed the experience.

We are now preparing for a Showband Gig at Rossiter Park on the scenic banks of Ross River. The date for this job is Sunday 2nd July and it will be in conjunction with NAIDOC Week and was a request from our major sponsor, the Townsville City Council. NAIDOC week is a celebration of indigenous culture and it is hoped that our appearance will attract a different audience to that which would normally attend a NAIDOC function, hopefully introducing more people to and creating an appreciation of the cultural diversity of our community.

Our regular reader would know that we have not had a new post for some time and for that we apologise - computer problem!

As mentioned previously our English MD, Kim Lofthouse has had to return prematurely to the UK to attend to an urgent family matter and although he would like to return as soon as possible, can not predict how long it will be.

His farewell function was very well attended ( a sure indication of his popularity) and a good time was had by all.

To allow the band to continue to function while Kim's future is determined at home, we are pleased to announce the following appointments:

Townsville Brass will be led by Roy Hosking and Brolga Brass will be under the reigns of John Hamilton. John will also assume the task of providing the teaching for those in need of instruction.

We will be holding a farewell function for our MD Kim Lofthouse this Friday 21st April , 6.30PM at The Band Hall. The BBQ will be provided by the association. Kim will be returning to the UK shortly afterward to attend to urgent family matters.

Members are advised that there will be no rehearsals for either band this week, but everyone who is experienced at marching will be required for the ANZAC Day march next Tuesday.

Well, the National Championships for 2006 are over and we are all back home. Considering there was significant doubt as to whether we could even field a Band for this contest, our 4th placing from 8 starters is a commendable achievement. Congratulations must go to Cairns Brass for a convincing victory, testiment to the hard work they must have put in.

Thanks must go to Kim Lofthouse for his great work with our band and also to our Brisbane based players for their efforts. Also, to those involved in the logistics of getting the band there, Skondy, Brendon, Allister and Ben especially, thanks a lot. Finally to all the hard working players who worked well together to put up a solid showing, full of promise for a golden period ahead, good on ya!

This was a great trip and even though we didn't get the result we really wanted, it will be one we remember fondly for a long time.

The Band farewelled past president Wally Bolster today at his funeral service. A large combined band comprising members from Townsville Brass, Thuringowa Brass and the Salvation Army bands performed several hymns both at the funeral home and at the graveside.

We all wish Margaret, Geoff. Julie-anne and their families our deepest sympathy and thank them for allowing us to celebrate the music filled life of Wally.

We will have our Brisbane based players home this weekend for sectional rehearsals, full band rehearsals and our Concert on Sunday afternoon in preparation for the Nationals. Scondy (our Drum Major) will also fit in 2 marching practices which we are all looking forward to.

Date: Sunday 2nd April, 3PM Cost: Adults $10 Conc. $8 Venue: Saint James Cathedral

The program will feature compositions by famous brass composers from the early 20th Century to the early 21st Century. The band will explore the full range of colours available to the ensemble and will feature it's new rich tone and powerful dynamic range, skillfully directed by world class Conductor - Kim Lofthouse.

This concert may be the last chance to see the band with Kim at the helm for the time being as he will be returning to the UK after the Nationals to attend to a pressing family matter.

During the past month or so we have been very busy preparing for the upcoming National Championships in Brisbane over the Easter Weekend. We have farwelled 4 members who are attending Universities in Brisbane, welcomed back past members Fiona Morukami (will correct spelling if it is wrong later, Fiona) and Craig Millar and new members Rob (Tuba), Gordon (Trombone), Ben (Solo Cornet) and Cathy (3rd Cornet). In Brolga Brass, Roma has joined the ranks and Keith Hebden is coming along to have a blow and lend a hand as well. We will have some photos and bios on the new members over the coming weeks.

Brendon Lewis who has been our Secretary for the last 3 years has reluctantly relinquished his position for the time being to concentrate on family and work. At our most recent committee meeting, Andre Melville was voted in as Brendon's replacement. Andre will need everyone's support while he learns this rather demanding voluntary position. Good on you Andre.

Whilst speaking of hard work, our Librarian and committee member Derek Larsen has begun the mammoth task of reorganising our 2000+ titles in our library into new folders and into our new compactus filing system. He has been supported by several other members, especially Glenda, Chris and Jenny and the work done so far has produced sensational results. I don't think I have seen a better organised library anywhere. There is a lot more work needed and all members will be asked over the coming weeks for some assistance.

As promised in a previous post, at left are a few photos of some of our members and supporters hard at work at a sausage sizzle at Bunnings Hardware. This activity, although a bit hot on occasion is one of ours and many other organisations' best fund raisers

Three more of our talented young people have decided to take up offers to Brisbane Universities and will be leaving us in a couple of weeks. All three are dedicated musicians and regular attenders and will leave a substantial void in our playing roster. They are Ben Crocker, Chris Baldwin and Sarah Carminati. I am sure they will be snapped up by the Brisbane Bands when or if they choose to further their banding careers whilst studying in Brisbane.

Townsville Brass and Brolga Brass as well as our teaching group Townsville Brass Academy have returned to rehearsals and lessons for 2006. All groups have vacancies and we would like to see as many new faces as possible - any age, any standard - we have a place for you. Heaps of fun making great music !! with a world class director - Mr Kim Lofthouse.

Our hard working Secretary Brendon Lewis has been busy in other departments recently and he, wife Robyn and son Lachlan, welcomed a new addition, Mitchell John to the family on 30 December. All are doing well. Congratualtions from us all.

Brendon has also signalled his intention to spend more time with the family and work commitments over the coming year and is looking to have someone take over the Secretary duties. Anyone wishing to step into the breach should speak with a committee member as soon as possible.

On behalf of everyone involved with Townsville Brass, we would like to offer our condolences and prayers to Shannan Lawrence and her family on the loss of her Mother and Brother in a tragic car accident. Shannan is also in a critical condition in hospital in Sydney and we hope she makes a full and speedy recovery. Shannan played permit with our Band in 2004 in Bundaberg and is a very talented musician and a great girl. Our thoughts are with the Lawrence family and the extended family of Brisbane Brass.

Good and bad news - First the good - We have been advised today that we have been successful in a substantial grant for funds to purchase some new instruments. This has been possible due to the Community Gambling Benefit Fund and also the diligence of our grants coordinator Andre Melville (Skondy) who has taken to this position with dedication and passion and is now getting the rewards for our association - tremendous job Skondy!!.

The bad news is that Matthew McGeachin, one of our long term trombonists, who will be studying music in Brisbane next year has been recruited by Brisbane Exclesior Band and has accepted the position of Bass Trombone. Brisbane Exclesior is the reigning Australian Champion A Grade Band and now boasts 5 ex Townsville Brass players. We may not deserve it but we are basking in some of their reflected glory and we must be doing something right up here. Good luck Matthew, we will miss you, although you are such a quiet young man we will hardly notice you are gone (yeah right) Let's hope Excelsiors can defend their title next Easter.

Hi all, it has been a while since the site was updated, but we have been extremely busy during this lead up to Christmas with at least 4 gigs a week and in the last week a whopping 6 !!. To the core of players and supporters who have been involved in all or most of these you are owed a huge thankyou and well done.

Carolling is now over for the year and we not only added something special to the community of Townsville/Thuringowa, but also to our coffers which were in serious need of a boost.

We are pleased to advise that Mr Kim Lofthouse has signed on as MD of Townsville Brass for an initial period of 2 years. This is an historic moment for our organisation and everyone involved is extremely happy. Kim has shown in the 5 months he has been here that he is emminently capable as an MD and teacher, has the strength of character and personality to build a musical force in Townsville capable of competing with the best in the land and is also an allround good bloke. Special thanks should go to our Secretary, Brendon Lewis, who has been the driving force behind getting Kim here and assisting him with the practical details and also the work done by our Treasurer, Glenn Gough. Well done Brendon and Glenn and welcome Kim.

In recent weeks we have been busy beginning our peak fundraising time of year. A sausage sizzle was held at Bunnings Hardware,(will post some photos soon) which is always very fruitful and can be fun and at the end of this month we begin our annual 12 nights of carolling, which once again, although hard work is very rewarding. It is rewarding not only in the dollars raised, but in the joy it brings to many people, especially the youngsters as we make our way through the suburbs.

This is a call to all our members and active supporters that we need your help to make the carolling a success. We need around 24 people every night, so that the load is not too great on the willing few. This requires a big team effort. Please put your name on the list in the hall - Santa will love you for it !!

Last weekend 30/9 - 2/10 Townsville Brass toured out to Hughenden, which is a very small town about 400km west of Townsville (much of the trip is like this) to workshop at the school and play a couple of other engagements. This trip was partially sponsored by the Flinders Shire Council but also by contributions from our own members. The idea of this trip is generally as a social activity for the band and also to give something back to the remote communities.

On Friday around 8AM all that could, met at the Bandhall to load the 2 buses and truck and got underway around 8.30AM. Two workshops were held at the school which were well received, especially the demonstration by Rod Peters, of the Bb Tuba. The rest of the day was mostly social and by all reports a good time was had, in some cases maybe a bit too good!! (hey skondy).

Saturday saw the balance of the band arrive in time for a 9AM Playout in a park overlooking the dry river bed - quite picturesque. The crowd however was outnumbered by the supporters who travelled with us.

In the evening we performed at the Grand Finals of the local netball competition and on the Sunday morning we performed at a Church service. We then headed home so that we would be in time to watch our team the NQ Cowboys' brave but unsuccessful attempt to win the National Rugby League Grand Final on TV. A sad end to a fun weekend.

Kim Lofthouse, our esteemed MD celebrated his Birthday during this trip. He may never have one in a more isolated spot - congratulations from all of us Kim and thanks to Jenny Duce

Today a small group of the management committee attended a meeting with City Council staff to discuss progressing long overdue renovations to our Band Hall and surrounds. It is likely that we will finally have some progress in the next few weeks.

Improvements will include: resurfacing the carpark, widening the entrances to allow coaches easier access, fencing, landscaping. irrigation systems, a stylised roof over the entrance, a roof over the back courtyard, bbq area, hoods over the windows, painting - inside and out.

Our committee is also allocating funds for improvements to the amenity inside the hall with floor coverings, window furnishings and improvements to the library and storage areas already beginning.

Brolga Brass are reminded that your rehearsals begin again this Wednesday at 6PM - see you there !

Townsville Brass will tour Hughenden from 30th September to 2nd October. This is a chance to thank our country cousins for all they do for the region. We will be doing 2 workshops at the school, playing at the netball and providing music at a church service. This is also a great social event for the band and is a good team builder.

Kim advises that student numbers at the "Academy" are building up, but we can always have more. So if you know of anyone who would like to learn or already can play but would like to brush up, point them in the right direction. enquiries

Last weekend the Northern Zone Championships were held in Townsville and were attended by 4 bands from the north - Townsville Brass, Brolga Brass, Cairns Brass 2 and City of Thuringowa Brass. Although the number of bands was quite small, a fine weekend of music making and catching up with old friends was expereinced by all. The results are probably immaterial but with handicap Brolga Brass was crowned the overall champion band. Congratulations Brolgas you are all legends.

Townsville Brass also performed very well and received many congratulations on the improvement in standard. This is due in no small amount to the skill and teaching ability of our MD - Kim Lofthouse. All the players also should be feeling very chuffed as you still had to come up with the goods under pressure. TB also won the marching convincingly - well led by Skondy, who lost his voice yelling at us.

The much desired "Mace" trophy for Band of the Year was won by Townsville Brass. The Northern Zone of the QBA is considering making this trophy the award for the Champion Band in coming years as it is reputedly worth up to $20,000 and as such should be the trophy that we all aspire to win.

Townsville Brass and Brolga Brass performed today at St. James Cathedral to a moderate but enthusiastic audience. Both bands performed the items that they have prepared for the Northern Zone Contest to be held in Townsville next weekend.

Townsville Brass's main work was Purcell Variations by Kenneth Downie while Brolgas performed Music for Greenwich by Edward Gregson.

This week the bands will put the finishing touches on the works and try to fit in some marching practice, somehow.

Thankyou to everyone who supported this event, including the general public, family and friends - we really appreciate it.

I was lucky enough to be part of a small group of members who ventured down to Brisbane to see the Concert by YBS last night. Our flight was delayed 3 hours and thought we might miss it for a while there. All I can say is "AWESOME". The intonation, control, balance, technical mastery just has to be heard to be believed. As Prof. David King said "make no mistake folks, they ARE the best in the world" and I can't argue with that. All their soloists are outstanding, but the sound their flugel player produces is pure nectar from the gods.

There were people from all over Queensland in attendance including Cairns, Rockhampton and Townsville and some who have travelled from WA for a second helping, as YBS have already played in Perth, in fact last night was their 6th concert in 6 nights with travelling across the continent in between.

We have just had a huge weekend with the VP60 (Victory in the Pacific) Parade on Saturday afternoon along our world famous Strand. The march was about 3 kilometres long. The photos currently at left show some of our players before the event. They were all a bit too sweaty by the end to photograph. The crowd numbered between 75 - 80,000 and the day encompassed an airshow and a huge skyshow afterdark which culminated in a fireworks display set to a sound track. This was done with a back drop of Cleveland Bay and Magnetic Island and was truly breathtaking.

This was followed on Sunday by rehearsals in the morning from 9.30 to 1.30 and then home to shower and change and down to the ferry to Magnetic Island. We travelled across the bay to Arkies Hotel which was the venue for a "Jitter Bug Dance". This was another VP60 function and we provided the dance music from 6.00 - 9.00PM. Everyone seemed to have a great time and I think we will all be left with fond memories of a very hectic but totally satisfying weekend of banding.

Marching practices started yesterday in a nearby park with Skondy at the helm. It was more than a little chilly and with an old dude practicing his golf and spraying a few in our direction, it was interesting to say the least. It is now about 3 weeks to the Northern Zone contest and both bands are rehearsing hard.

Townsville Brass and Brolga Brass will perform their serious and light entertainment numbers they have prepared for the upcoming Northern Zone Championships.

Anita Harris and Colin were married on Saturday and a small group from the Band played at the reception. Well done to those members. Had a bit of trouble reading the music as it got dark I hear.

Congratulations Anita & Colin, looking forward to a few new cornet players from you two in the near future.

We have had the pleasure of a visit this week from John Rimmer and his lovely wife, Helen. John is a member of the Royal New Zealand Artillery Band. We hope you both had a great stay in Townsville and enjoyed your rehearsals with us. It is wonderful to have visitors, especially from overseas.

Our Webmaster Brad Johnston (Euphonium) who has done a stalwart job with this site for the last few years has had to step back due to work commitments. This job will now be shared by several members and it is hoped we can keep the standard up. Thanks for your efforts Brad.

Townsville Brass has been lucky enough to secure the services of Kim Lofthouse previously from England and Norway as it's Musical Director for an intial period of 3 months.

Kim has a fine reputation as a Conductor and Teacher in Europe and is spoken of very highly by many well known brass identities including Professor David King with whom he has worked for many years.

The Band has been working with Kim for about 6 weeks now and is vastly improved and very motivated to play well at the upcoming Northern Zone Contest to be held at home in Townsville.