Band turns 90

September 22nd, 2016

The Hahndorf Town Band is set to celebrate 90 years of community music in the town on Sunday, September 25.

For president Greg Francis, the 90th anniversary is a way of celebrating the importance of the band to the town, but it also has personal significance.

"My grandfather founded the band 90 years ago and my mother has always involved herself with the administrative side of things.

"You have some pride when you know your forefathers invested time and effort into starting the band up in 1926.

"I've found it inspiring that he saw the need and worked to gather together the community for the band," he said.

That legacy of bringing the Hahndorf community together continues today Greg said, and he's enjoyed his more than 50 years with the band seeing people of all ages joining to celebrate their love of music.

"There's a very disparate group of people coming together, because it's not limited by age - they all take a lot of joy in it.

"It's also a lot like a sport in many ways, because you're all working together as a team and you have to keep practising and working on everything," he said.

That practice has paid off for the band, as it regularly plays at events across Australia.

Over the last few years, it has been invited to play at the Wimmera German Festival and the local Schutzenfest and Octoberfest, representing the town's German heritage.

Currently, the Hahndorf band has also been invited to eight out of the 10 Christmas pageants being held in the Hills.

"It's about playing and entertaining for a wide range of people, and I've found it's an avenue for developing your love of music - there's a lot of personal enjoyment," Greg said.

Tuba player Debbie Jackson said that the band also tries to embrace more recent trends in music.

"We play those more traditional songs - traditional marches and so on, but we've also learned to play more modern songs.

"Not too long ago we even played a Pink song, and it was quite interesting to see some of our older players get used to it," she said.

It's that love of the community in the band which has kept Debbie involved for more than 42 years herself.

She first started playing the tuba when she was just 10 years old and has kept with the band ever since.

"I've grown up with it and it's developed into my passion through the years.

"It's like an extended family with everyone involved, especially as we get kids coming through the learning band and then joining up and going out to perform," she said.

While the band provides training for kids who want to learn to play an instrument, it also invites adults to join up for its instruction course.

"Anybody of any age who's interested in coming along is more than welcome to," Debbie said.

"We get adults who join up as well, even those who have never played before, and it's for people who want to challenge themselves and have fun."

It's this interest from both adults and youth which makes Greg so convinced that the band has a good future ahead of it.

"I'm sure that another 90 years from now the band will still be going strong and the tradition of live music will be preserved," he said.

"At the moment, we'd just all like to pass on that baton of opportunity to youngsters who are interested in a cultural pursuit."

The Hahndorf Town Band invites anyone who is interested in joining the band to come along to its rehearsals from 6pm on Monday evenings at the Hahndorf Band Hall, 15 Balhannah Road.

Anyone involved with the band is invited to a luncheon at the Hahndorf Resort to celebrate its 90th anniversary on Sunday, September 25.

For more information, contact Debbie Jackson on 0410 881 742.

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