Obituary

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 54, 11 June 1948, Page 4

Obituary

ME J. FLJ2ETWOOD

Well-remembered here as conductor of the Whakatane Boys’ Band from 1932 to 1937 and as a bandsman whose. association with music at Whakatane dated back to his arrival here from England in 1922, Mr J. Fleetwood has died at Feilding where he was up to the time of his death conductor of the town band.

While he was here, Mr Fleetwood was a leader in starting the Boys’ Band in conjunction with the then existing Citizens’ Band and built it up to the point where it succeeded in two . contests. He was also choirmaster at ’ Knox Church for two years. Some sixty bandsmen representative- of the RiN.Z.A.F. Band., the Feilding Municipal Band and the Feilding Salvation Army Band, paraded. in uniform for the funeral which took place from St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church, Feilding. In this massed band parade was paid a most fitting tribute to the memory of a bandsman who had had a • distinguished career. The service at the church was conducted by the Rev. Ferguson and the representative congregation included the town clerk (Mr C. H. Tate) and councillors, the chairman of the Municipal Band committee (Mr T. Collins) and many citizens. Many floral tributes were received. Pall bearers' 1 at > the church were representative of the Church and Band Committee, namely, Messrs A. C. Buist, T. Collins, A. Wood, R. J. J. Campbell, A. V. Svendsen and O. Evans. At the cemetery members of ' the band and R.S.A. officiated. Mr Fleetwood left a wife and two sons.'