Marching Teams To Tour Australia

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30948, 3 January 1966, Page 11

Marching Teams To Tour Australia

Three of Christchurch’s leading marching teams—Downings Red Robins (senior), Motorways Royal Guards (junior) and Blue Star Taxi Midgets—will be embarking on an extensive Australian tour this month, culminating with the Australian marching championships in New South Wales on January 23.

The touring party, accompanied by its manager-instruc-tor (Mr R. M. Cairns, of Kaiapoi) and several other officials, will leave Christ church by air on Friday. Mr Cairns said yesterday that the teams were travelling to Australia to further their experience and to try themselves out against top Australian teams before competing in the South Island and New Zealand championships, to be held in February and March, respectively. The three teams had been chosen to represent Canterbury in their respective grades at the island and national championships, he said. Extensive Tour For some time now, the teams have been in solid training for their forthcoming tour, which will extend as far north as Brisbane and as far south as Wollongong. The Red Robins are aiming for a particularly high standard for

they have been selected to take part in a special composite display at the Australian championships. One rank from the Red Robins, one rank from the Melbourne Pioneers and one rank from the Australian Golden Eagles will combine for a demonstration of the march plan to show that no matter what the distance between teams, the detail is the same. The composite team will be led by the Australian champion leader, Miss Joy Simpson.

More than 1000 girls will be taking part in the Australian championships. A massed display of 100 teams will take part in the march past. The Christchurch teams will be away for about three weeks, returning on January 30. Throughout their tour of New South Wales and Queensland they will be giving demonstrations and parades in the towns they visit.