HASTINGS BAND RETURNS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIII, Issue 67, 1 March 1933, Page 4

HASTINGS BAND RETURNS

WITH £9O PRIZE-MONEY. NAPIER CITIZENS’ SPLENDID SHOWING. The Hastings Citizens’ Baud aud the Napier Citizens’ Band returned together last evening from the Dominion band, contests held at Dune din last week. Both bauds distinguished themselves by winning various events, and worthily upheld the province. Cheers were given for the Hastings Baud by their friendly rivals from Napier as the train was about to leave the Hastings station, and were heartily responded to. Theer was a fairly large crowd to welcome the band home again, aud au official reception was given by the Deputy-Mayor, Mr K. Henderson, in the absence of the Mr O. L. Roach, who is attending the Municipal Conference at Rotorua. Mr Henderson congratulated the bund on the very considerable successes that they had achieved, and Mr Chas, Bryant, speaking in reply, said that although the band had uot dune as well as had been hoped, it was well pleased with its success, and particularly with having won more prize-money than had been won by any other of the B Grade bands. The band did its very best, and hoped to do better next time. Mr Bryant concluded by offering his own and the band’s congratulations to the Napier Citizens’ Band on their splendid work in winning the B Grade quickstep. The Hastings Band won a total of £9O prize-money, and deserve the town • congratulations on the success of their efforts. The rules of the contest, said Mr Bryant to-day, are such that although Hastings won £4O more than was won by any other H grade bund, the} were not adjudged to be the champion bund. The championship was won by the Westport Baud, which took a third place, a fifth, and a sixth in the three mam events, and won £l7 in prizemoney. Mr Bryant explained that different rules will apply from now on, and that in future the band which has the greatest aggregate, as the Hastings Band had last week in the two test selections, will be adjudged the champion baud. The music in the march will in future not be counted as a championship event. Among bandsmen themselves, Mr Bryant concluded, the two test selections are the real criterion of a band’s quality.