A Most Memorial Day At Carisbrook Ground

Chronicle (Levin), 23 February 1948, Page 7

A Most Memorial Day At Carisbrook Ground

Press AssociationJ

( Per

■ DUNEDIN, Feb. 22. The St. Kilda Municipal Band which had tied with Wellington Watersiders in ,fhe A grade eontest and scored an impressive humber of successes 'in the soloists' section, linished up in a veritabie blaze of glory by wxnning the A grade q-uickstep competition at Carisbrook on Saturday. It was a great triuinph for Bandinaster Ken Smitli, Drum Major J. McKnight and the talentcd bandsmen. The. announcement of the band's success was greeted witli salvos of cheering. The estimated attendanee at Carisbrook on Saturday was 15,000 and there appeared to be about 2000 more people lining the ra-ilway embankment and other spots overloolting the ground. The Uovernor-General, Sir Bernard Freyberg, who is patron of the New Zealand Brass Bands' Association, arrived shortly' before the A grade competition started and was enthusiastically reeeived. His Excellency took a keen interest in the proceedings, staying until the end. ' Twenty-live bands, 55 divided into three grades, provided oue of the most inspiring displays seen in Dunedin for years. The public was not slow in its appreeiation of the soldierly beafing and remarkable yirecision in which they car- } ried out the series of complicated milijtary evolutions. The nvusic, too, was of the type that made an instant appeal land better performances could hardly ' have been wislied for. The test this year was a much more thorough oue than at any other quickstep competitions held in the Domfinion. In all eight. turns had to be made instead of two as previously and the left and right inelines would assuredly have been found a real test by the best British regimental bands. These turns gave the koen-eyed militarly judges additional opportunities of discovering any weaknesses. Earlier in the afternoon a strong south-west wind made eonditions difflcult, particularly for the drummers, but eonditions improved eonsiderablv by j the time the B grade bands appeared. iThp Dunedin Ladies' Band. whie.'h has | enelianeed its reputation at the eontest, was the lirst oue to appear and it finished a verv creditable third in its section.

The O grade s'eetion was won by tlie Christehureh Band, Crichton Cobbers' j Club, which won the O grade own ' choice seleetion the previeus night. jTliis band. led by Drum Major E. B. j Gibbons, earned frequent rounds of ; applause for a facile performauce and j it had a good" margin of points for its imilitary work- over Rangiora which had been the runners-up to Crichton Cobbers in the band test. * The Ashburton Silver Band gave an outstandipgid,is,playj.in,.Ihe B grade, Th jmarching it was not quite in the same elass as tlie band of lst. Battalion Houthland Ttegiment which gave .ivithout doubt the best military display of the afternoon, but was well .down the list for its plhyihg;-' and I .Ashburton scored a comfortable> win in 'thiS ■ sCcI tioa. | St. Kibla was fesponsible for, a line . all-round display in the A grade, being j six points ahead of Wanganui Gartison : and Kaikorai in the points- for drill but: it outclassed all its six competitors for I its pluying. Oue of the disappoinl- ' ments was the eomparatively poof showing of last year's champions. Wanganui Garrison, who- 'fmislied seventh, and Woolston, oue of ihe most eonsistent bands in the Domiuion over a long period of years. linished in a much lower place than usual. Wellington Watersiders was another band not seen and heard at its best.

The musioal judges w( re Dr. Vernon Grilliths, Mr. T. B. Gray *and Mr. J. D. Gofiin. The militif.y .ndges wore Cap j tain J. A. McPherson, Lieutenant P. W. Rudd. ytalf Gerg lant A. T. Matliie, ytaff yergeant W. T. yhiels, Sergeant R. W. iSmitli, W.').l kiurj'hy and Sergeant McGregor. The extremely complicated task of working out the placings from thi formidable lists of figures, was in ihe liands of Mr. John G. .Osborn, national sec-retary, and Mr. C. G. Baaer, a member of the executive. A1; short intervals relays of Seouts pilcd up the offieial table op the main grandstand with the points awarded by the various judges, but it was not Idng after tlie last band in the grade had linished, that the placings had been .worked out. The bands assembled in front of the main stand with the Dunedin Ladies' Band in pride of place and under the baton of Mr. Goffin, played twice the nlost popular of all band marches "Invercargill." About 650 bandsmen play i ed with the greatest spirit and it provided a iitting finale to a memorable occasion. There was a large attendanee in the Town Hall at night when, after an entertaining programme by the winning bands and vocal and instrumental iteins by leading local artists, the prizes won- at the festival were presented Dy the Mayor, Mr. Cameron, who commented that he did not think -the public appreeiated the worth of bands as they should do. -

'Mr. ykoglund, Association President, in the course of his address. said that one of-'tlie things. that had dmjjfessed him most was the fact that the , eontest had started with a hymn test on Sunday week. "It was fine thi-ng liearing the bands playing those .hymns in thankful ■recognitioh of the ihanifold' blessings that God has cohferred on our fortunate people," he said. The bands througnout the eontest had given expression through music to thoughfcs- whieli were impossible to express through the spoken word — -music which had inspired the listeners to contemplate the highest spiritual and moral values. He expressed his"thauks for the- support aceorded tlie eontest by.the Dunedin public aiid also to those who had heipea make it a snccess. At the eonelusion of the evening programme" there was a social gatliaring in

the supper rooin organised by the local eommittee. Results: —

Military. Music Total •St. Kilda Municipal 180 138 318 Queen Alexandra 169| 122 2914 Well. Watersiders 167 123 2904 Kaikorai 174 116 '290 " Palmerston North Garrison 164 126 290 Woolston .. 166 123 289 Wanganui Garrison 174 113 287 Invercargill Civic 1684 118 2864

A GRADE.

Ash burton ...... 176 .13S 314 1st Battalian Southland Regiment 182 116 • 298 Auckland Watersider 160 122 282 Palmerston North City 1594 119 2784 Wellington Boys' , Institute 161^ 113. 2744 Hastings Citizens . .1644 107 2714 Nelson Garrison .. 1564 113 2694 Christchurch Municipal .. . . ' 1564 133 2694 Caversham Citizens .158 98 256" Lowet Hutt .... 142 1 106,. 2484 Greymonth . .. .. 1404 101 24.1*

B GRADE.

Criehton Cobbers 171 , 110 281 Rangiora* .. ... .. .^1574 109. 2664 Dunedin Ladies . 1524 '98 2504 ' Motueka ... . . , . 156| 89 . 2464 j Port Chalmers . . 1524 89 2414 1 Temuka 1514 88 239-| ! West Harbour . . . , 138 ' 97 235 |

C GRADE.