From left, Kathryn Illsley, bandmaster Neil Williams, Ngaroma and Paddy Driver, Ray Phillips and Dave Barrett entertain in Woodville. Photo / Christine McKay
From left, Kathryn Illsley, bandmaster Neil Williams, Ngaroma and Paddy Driver, Ray Phillips and Dave Barrett entertain in Woodville. Photo / Christine McKay
The Dannevirke Brass Band is a treasured community asset, built up and supported by countless individuals and families over its long history.
And three band stalwarts, Kathryn Illsley, Dave Barrett and Ray Phillips, have clocked up a total 126 years of music making, matching the 126 years the band has been in existence.
"It's an amazing achievement," band president Nick Hill said. "It's hard to imagine life without music. But our early settlers had no musical instruments and in 1872 the first Dutch settlers spent their first Christmas here consoling themselves with a violin."
Mrs Illsley and Mr Barrett have both been with the band for 39 years, while Mr Phillips has been playing e-flat base for 48 years.
Mrs Illsley has followed in the footsteps of her grandfather, Bill Tougher and father Barry Tougher, who were both former conductors with the band. She began playing when she was 13-years-old.
"I love it," she said. But along with being the longest serving officer in the band, clocking up more than 30 years, Mrs Illsley has another another claim to fame.
From left, Kathryn Illsley, bandmaster Neil Williams, Ngaroma and Paddy Driver, Ray Phillips and Dave Barrett entertain in Woodville. Photo / Christine McKay
"I marched in a parade in Napier when I was nine months pregnant," she said. "I had a suitcase in the car, just in case, and afterwards I was told I really did show that women can do anything."
Friendship and the delight in seeing young players come into the band means Mrs Illsley won't be stepping down anytime soon. After all, her father Barry only retired after 67 years of playing.
Currently the band has a membership of about a dozen, Mr Hill said and thanks to the great brass band fraternity, they're often helped out by bandsmen from other districts.
"If we've got a need for a good turnout, like Saturday's Christmas parade. Feilding came and play with us and we return the gesture," he said. "It's important to keep our band alive."
For Mr Phillips, playing in the band for 48 years is "just something you do."
"I first started learning with Ian Hendy at his home in Princess St and then joined the brass band in August 1967 and just like Topsy, it's grown and grown," he said. "When I first joined the band we had 30 players and went to contests. I don't mind that we don't compete anymore because it was a bit tedious spending months learning a new piece."
Mr Phillips said he has fond memories of playing at garden parties at Dannevirke's old hospital and sports days at Makotuku.
"A lot of those old events have disappeared now, but I'll keep on playing for as long as the band survives," he said.
The band plays on:
* The Dannevirke Brass Band was formed in 1888 by William Haines.
* The band started with only one instrument and members met in a hut in Rawhiti St, taking turns to practise scales and tunes.
* Six weeks before the railway link to Woodville was established, the band got its hands on enough instruments to compete at a contest held to celebrate the opening of the railway. They could only play one tune and failed to win a prize.
* When performing outdoors at night, torchbearers held kerosene lamps so the musicians could read their music.
* There was a budget of three shillings for the torchbearers and eight shillings for the kerosene.
* In 1911 the band began to receive an annual grant from the Borough Council and became the Dannevirke Municipal Brass Band.
* One of the band's greatest triumphs came in 1921, when it won the B Grade section of the North Island Brass Band championships under conductor Joe Harris.
* The band was promoted to A Grade and the following year new band rooms were built by public subscription.
* In 1927 the band won the quickstep title at the Dunedin Exhibition, and several soloist championships.
* In 1928 band members Les Willicombe, Bill Payne and Sam Francis again won solo championships.
* In the late 1930s the band under conductor Bill Tougher won many contests, culminating in winning the 1939 Open Hymn championship.
* After the difficult war years, the band was rebuilt by Mr Tougher and later Wally Gibb, Alex Ramsay, and Ian Hendy.
* Mr Hendy served as conductor from 1950 to 1960.
* In 1969, Vic Priday an experienced Welsh bandsman, led the band to the Central Districts Brass Band championships in Napier, where it scooped the pool, winning the hymn, march and selection sections, as well as taking out the aggregate trophy and leading the parade of eight bands through the streets of Napier.
* Mr Priday also took the band to second place at the Dunedin championships in 1970, second at Wanganui the following year, and finally to D Grade champions at Christchurch in 1972.
* Barry Tougher, son of the late Bill, served as conductor from 1976 to 1983, until the post was taken over by Dave Edmonds in 1986.
* Neil Williams is the present musical director of the band.
