VISIT OF AIR FORCE BAND

Southland Times, Issue 24868, 7 October 1942, Page 6

VISIT OF AIR FORCE BAND

Programme Arranged

Three concerts in the Civic Theatre, an open air concert at the show grounds, a dance at St. Mary’s Hail and a recruiting parade in the city are the chief items on the programme that has been arranged for the visit of the band of the Royal New Zealand Air Force to Invercargill next week. The band will arrive in the city by the afternoon express from Dunedin next Monday and will give a concert in the Civic Theatre that night. The following morning there will be another concert at the theatre for primary school children and in the afternoon the band will play at the showgrounds, to which a charge will be made for admission. A special attraction will be demonstration flights by six Kittyhawks over the showgrounds. The afternoon concert will give country people a chance of hearing the band, and it is Intended to ask the Railways Department to delay the departure of trains to the, country that afternoon. On Tuesday night the dance section of the band will play at a dance to be held in St. Mary’s Hall. On Wednesday morning the band will visit the Boys’ High School. The units taking part in the recruiting parade will assemble at Victoria Avenue at 11.30 a.m. These are the Air Training Corps, the High School Cadets, the Technical College Cadets, Boy Scouts, Sea Scouts, and about 40 members of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force from Dunedin. The Air Force band, the High School band and the Technical College band will also take part in the parade, which will be in charge of Major H. Slater. The parade will march along Dee street. Dr A. Owen-Johnston, president of the Invercargill R.S.A., will take the salute at the Great War Memorial. Mr R. N. Todd, president of the South African War Veterans’ Association will take the salute at the South African War Memorial, and Lieuten-ant-Colonel H. C. Mackenzie, officer commanding No. 12 military area, accompanied by the Mayor, Mr A. Wachner, and a representative of the Air Force, will take the salute at the Town Hall. The parade will turn at the Town Hall and march back to the South African War memorial where recruiting speeches will be given by Squadron Leader S. L. Gilkison and the Mayor. The units are due to be played off the parade ground at 12.45 p.m. In the evening the Air Training Corps, Home Guard and Lines of Communication Company will march through the city to the Civic Theatre, where the Air Force band is to give a concert. All proceeds from the visit of the band to the city will go towards the effort that the Invercargill R.S.A. is making to raise money for the prisoners-of-war fund.