CHANGE OF NAME FOR BAND

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28347, 5 August 1957, Page 13

CHANGE OF NAME FOR BAND

Amalgamation With Fire Brigade

I With its instruments in need; of urgent repairs or expensive re-| placement and a capital value of ■ less than £6OO. the former Christchurch Municipal Band has been close to liquidation, but now after months of worry the band is being rejuvenated as the Christchurch Fire Brigade Band. I An amalgamation arrangement jwith the Christchurch Fire Brigade has changed the name of the ‘band, and 75 brigadesmen and • bandsmen are already planning . ways of making the amalgamation a success. For the first time in many years the band has definite prospects of obtaining financial aid and an appeal for band funds will be launched by the brigade ■ soon. | “Hundreds of children taught ! with the band's instruments wrought havoc on them, said the .band secretary (Mr Wa Deer). “It will cost at least £2OOO to replace them all. If we had not managed to join with the brigade our chances of survival would have been slim indeed.” The band will not have to consider new uniforms for a number of years, as new ones were bought only four years ago. Mr L. R. Osmond, Chief Fire Officer, said that the band would cost about £4OO a year to run. This is the brigade’s first association with brass bandsmen, and seldom more than one or two firemen have been bandsmen. What has grown to be almost a characteristic of the band is the young average age of the members. There are 30 playing mem- ! bers, but only nine over 20. Tre|vor Bremner, a cornetist, is the i band’s youngest member. He is 113.

This is the third occasion that the band has changed its name lit was founded in 1915 to assist ' the Tramway Queen (Nurse ’Maude) in a patriotic Queen Carnival for the raising, of Red Cross I funds and in 1926 the band became known as the Christchurch Municipal Band.