As your President it gives me great pleasure to first welcome you all here this evening for our Annual General Meeting and also to present to you the annual report for the year 2005/2006.
We ended the year 2005 by participating in the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal Launch, the Poppy Appeal Concert at a packed St Lawrence Parish Hall and of course Remembrance Sunday itself, all of which were highly successful.
The Concert at St Lawrence saw the first public appearance of our B Training Band at a major event, and all credit must go to Peter Drelaud, Chris Le Maistre, Julie Rees and George Goncalves for the extreme efforts they have gone to in producing what was a very enjoyable and highly entertaining appearance.
The concluding engagement was the Fete de Noue and the usual carols at St Ewolds.
2006 has proved to be one of our busiest years which saw the Band celebrating its 130th Birthday. We commenced our programme with a concert at Grouville Parish Hall which was very well attended, although the space provided for the Band to perform was extremely limited.
Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th of February saw the Band performing in France at the Grainville Festival. The boat trip across to Grainville will always be remembered by band members as one of the roughest sea crossings they have ever experienced. Thank god common sense prevailed and they came back to the Island on the larger and more stable, Condor from St Malo. All in all a very cold and interesting experience for everyone!
This was also the first engagement for our new Drum Major Bob Elcock who joined the Band in January. This was a brilliant coup, obtaining Bobs services hot from his leaving the Air Training Corp. He has certainly proved his worth over the months following his appointment and is a credit to both the Band and the Island.
The highlight of his first year was working alongside the Royal Marine Drum Major from HM Royal Marines Plymouth at this year’s International Military Tattoo in Birmingham.
It is sad to note that one of the Bands biggest supporters left the Island in the April of 2006, it goes without saying that all members of the Band will miss Sir John and Lady Cheshire and I have sent them a Band Christmas card wishing them both well for 2007. They will be sadly missed by all concerned.
We opened up our 2006 season proper on the 4th May with a town march and concert in the Royal Square followed shortly after with the usual Liberation celebrations on the 9th May.
We performed our first concert and display in the Howard Davis Park on the 22nd May followed on the 28th May with our now traditional concert and display at the RJA&HS in recognition of the generous way in which they allow us to utilize their facilities throughout the year.
This was followed by a further concert and display in the park on the 5th June.
The 15th June saw the Band performing at Government house for the Queen’s Birthday Levee which was also our first performance in front of the new Lt Governor, General Andrew Ridgway and his wife Angela.
After a further town march on the 10th June and a concert and beat retreat in the park on the 3rd July, we performed a march card concert at the West Show in St Peter.
Monday 17th July saw the Chief Minister Frank Walker and Senator Terry Le Sueur attend a charity concert in aid of Headway at the Howard Davis Park. This certainly earned us many brownie points which we will need to call upon in 2007 re our funding.
The 30th July saw us carrying out our usual parade for the Minden Day Boys followed by our participating in the Jersey Battle of Flowers on the 10th August.
On the 13th August we carried out our first Jersey Veterans Day Parade, which has now turned out to be one of the more successful parades of the year. It saw our new Lt Governor taking his first salute at a major parade in Jersey after which he commented on his extreme admiration for the Band and its professionalism.
The Governor and his wife were again in attendance at our annual Battle of Britain Concert and display in the park on the 4th September, which once again proved to be highly successful.
On Saturday 16th September we held our 130th Anniversary Ball at the Hotel L’Horizon organised by Jane Tanguy. The Lt Governor and Mrs Ridgway, along with the Constable of St Helier and his wife were our principle guests. This proved to be a tremendous success and we are extremely grateful to Jane for all her hard work.
It was very remiss of me during my usual rambling speech not to mention the extreme efforts of Sandra Audrain and her hard working team of associate members.
It goes without saying that without their tireless efforts the band would indeed suffer and on a very personal note and on behalf of all the members of the band, I offer my deepest thanks for all their efforts and long may they last.
Congratulations must go to Julie Rees for being awarded the Presidents Cup in recognition of all her hard work over the year. Since she appeared on the scene, Julie has proved herself to be an invaluable asset to the band for which we are very grateful. I must also thank both Julie and Elaine Maton for their tremendous efforts in reorganizing and cataloguing the library. The band is very grateful to them both.
We concluded our summer season in the park with our final concert and display on the 18th September and then it was noses to the grindstone to prepare our marching display for the forthcoming Birmingham Tattoo trip at the end of November.
At this stage I must express our thanks to the RJA & HS for allowing us to utilize their facilities, without which we could have found ourselves in limbo.
The 29th October saw the Band once again head up the Royal British Legions annual Poppy Appeal Launch followed by our usual Poppy Appeal Concert at a very much overcrowded St Lawrence Parish Hall. The comments and praise that we have received from those who attended the concert do the Band great credit.
The 12th November saw one of the largest attended Remembrance Sundays in a great many years with the band turning out in large numbers and performing at their best, much to the delight of His Excellency, the Bailiff and all the other dignitaries that attended the event.
The highlight of our 130th Anniversary celebrations came at the Birmingham International Military Tattoo on the 18th and 19th November.
As your President I am extremely proud of the efforts that all our members put in to what turned out to be two excellent performances. The feed back has been tremendous and I must offer my sincere thanks to our Director of Music Nick Manning and our Drum Major Bob Elcock for all their hard work in preparing the Band for this very important event.
I must also thank Trevor Bougourd, Brian White, Malcolm Hamon, Christine Harrison and Hannah Quenault for turning up and supporting the Band at Birmingham, and to our two oldest musicians, Peter Drelaud and Roger Hayes for their usual tremendous support.
I must tell Jean Drelaud that at this time that there is no truth in the rumour that Peter will be carrying a pair of cymbals on parade next year, but that the possibility of a triangle has been raised, which I will look at seriously in the not so distant future.
Whilst I am on the subject of senior members I must pay tribute to the extreme efforts of our ex bandmaster Don Barnett, who, although no longer capable of marching, turns up religiously at all our rehearsals and concerts.
Although the attendance at the Drum Corps has been slightly up and down this year, I must congratulate them all on their performances, especially for their excellent showing at Birmingham. We have been informed that there is a possibility of Arthur Perrier rejoining the corps having returned from Canada. If this is the case, we will be having on board one of the finest parade drummers in the Island. I must congratulate Steve Tanguy and more importantly Jason Mildren for his extreme efforts not only on side drum but as the bands principle percussionist.
I must also note the tremendous improvement and efforts of young Chris Skelhorn on both side drum and percussion; he is now proving to be an asset to both the drum corps and the band itself.
Sadly we have lost two stalwarts of the band this year with our past Bandmaster, Les Le Marinel and Hon Life Member, Harry Fleuret MBE passing away. We all remember them with great fondness.
The year ahead could be a very bumpy one as far as the financing of the band is concerned and I am at this moment in discussions with Jersey tourism to try and obtain the necessary funding.
I can tell you that until such time as the funding issue is resolved I am not prepared to formulate a programme for 2007 because I am determined to ensure that we get the appropriate financial reward for any engagements that we carry out on behalf of the states of Jersey. I sincerely hope that the membership of the band will entrust me to continue the negotiations on their behalf knowing that I will only settle for the best deal possible.
My sincere thanks to all the members of the outgoing committee for their extreme efforts and tolerance of myself throughout the year and I extend a very warm welcome to all those members that have put their names down for the incoming committee.
I conclude this years report by stating that I have personally been honoured and proud by the way in which the band have performed this year, and this is mainly down to one man, Nick Manning who’s energy and enthusiasm has kept our noses above water. He along with the stalwarts of the band has performed brilliantly and for that I am very grateful.
Finally I recommend to you as a Vice President, Neil Britton who, in my opinion, has certainly earned his spurs over the years. I feel that he, along with my senior Vice President Peter Drelaud and my three other Vice Presidents Nick Manning, Chris Le Maistre and George Goncalves, will together prove to be the stable force that the Band needs for what could be a turbulent time ahead.
I am delighted to present this report to the Band and thank all members and associate members for their tremendous support over the past year.
Owen R Wiscombe.MBE.
President.
I have great pleasure in welcoming you to the Annual General Meeting, here, tonight and to present the Band of the Island of Jersey’s Annual Report for the past twelve months.
The year has proved to be, yet again, a very busy one despite having to struggle for numbers at times, all the Band members have risen to the challenge by performing to their usual high standard on every occasion and providing perfect entertainment for all to enjoy.
The Band began this year’s programme with its traditional participation in the Remembrance Day proceedings at the Cenotaph in November and this was rapidly followed by the start of the Fete de Noue and a very successful first ever Sunday Christmas Shopping Day on 1st December during which the Band performed their usual Christmas Carols.
The Annual Dinner took place in November at the Hotel Ambassador and it was pleasing to see so many Band members and their families and friends present, all of whom I hope enjoyed the evening, despite the rather slow service during the meal which resulted in the unfortunate short burst of wonderful music from Banana Fish. During the evening several trophies were presented, including the President’s Cup which this year was awarded to Bert Herve for the dedication and support which he offers to the Band.
Following the resignation of Michael Eouzan as Bandmaster in November, the Band has found itself without a permanent Bandmaster for most of the year despite advertising the position without success.
It is to his credit that Peter Drelaud, the then Deputy Bandmaster, stepped in to fill this role temporarily and continues to do so to this day. The Band and Committee are indebted to Peter for taking on the responsibilities of Bandmaster and for leading the Band in his normal very high standards.
During the winter months the Band performed their ever popular concerts at both the St Ouen’s and St Lawrence Parish Halls and already we have received requests for similar concerts to take place during next winter at Grouville and again at St Lawrence. I am sure that Band members will agree that these concerts provide an excellent opportunity to play during what is normally considered as a quite period in the programme.
The 2003 season and Jersey Arts Trust programme began on 1st May with the town marches and Howard Davis Park concerts, including the Liberation Day Parade. The concert in the Howard David Park held on 24th July proved to be an extra special event because it was performed in honour of Peter Watson and in recognition of his 80th Birthday, an evening which was enjoyed by Peter and his family. On behalf of the Committee, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all present and past Band members who turned out that evening to make it so special.
In June the Band performed its regular Beat Retreat at Government House to celebrate the Queen’s Birthday and during the first weekend in July in was off to France to take part in the Festival de Caen, this one of the better trips top France in that we had a very short programme on the afternoon, after which the members were left to enjoy some extended free time. Particular thanks must be given to Jason Mildren for standing in as Drum Major.
This year the Band again took part in the Battle of Flowers Parade during the Thursday afternoon, with His Excellency making a presentation to Peter Durham-Waite on behalf of the Battle Association.
The 11th September saw yet another very special concert in the Howard Davis Park. The final concert and marching display in the Park was the last public performance by Peter Durham-Waite as Drum Major in the presence of the Bailiff, Sir Philip Bailhache, and his family. Also in the band stand that evening was young Shaun Durham-Waite who was showing off his potential as a future Band member.
Finally the Band performed a Beat Retreat at the Aviation Ball which took place at the Airport on 26th September.
Following on from last Friday evening’s Vin d’Honneur and never ending presentations at the Town Hall to celebrate Peter Durham-Waite’s retirement from the Band after 36 years, the last 16 years as Drum Major, we would like to thank Peter for his generous gift of the newly designed Coat of Arms belt buckle and all the extraordinary efforts that he has made over the years in support of the Band and we take this opportunity to wish Peter the very best for the future in the hope that his relationship with the Band will continue in some shape or form.
The President has asked that his minuted thanks go to Nick Manning for his extreme efforts in support of the Band this year; he has been a credit not only to himself but to the band as a whole. He would also like to thank the B Band Training team for their on-going commitment to this essential part of Bands annual programme, the dedication shown by this small team should prove an example to us all.
On behalf of the outgoing Committee, a very big thank you to all Band members for having given their time and effort in making this year a very successful one.
It gives me great pleasure to present the Association’s Annual Report for 2001/2002
The year was a busy one for the Band, particularly at the start of the season but the Band again undertook their duties to much acclaim and to the credit of all those members who put in so much of their free time to enable the Band to continue to be the respected organisation it has become.
The Band started its year with the traditional Cenotaph Remembrance Day performance in November and this was followed by the Band’s 125th Anniversary dinner at the Hotel de France, attended by the Bailiff and other distinguished guests. It was very nice to see so many of the Band’s old members and supporters present to celebrate this impressive milestone for the Band. At the dinner, the President introduced the President’s Cup, a new award to be presented by the President Annually to the person or persons who he felt had given beyond the call of duty in the past year. In 2001, the Cup was awarded to the B Band training team who had worked so hard to get the B Band and training morning up and running.
In the “off season” the Band performed concerts at the Town Hall and at Georgetown Methodist Church, both of which were well received. The members have expressed their eagerness to continue to don their uniforms out of the normal summer peak months. The best form of practice is well known to be performing itself.
In May we also commenced our programme for Jersey Tourism and undertook town marches and Howard Davis Park Concerts, as well as heading up the Liberation Parade through St Helier on May 9th.
On the weekend of 17th to 19th May, the Band travelled to France to take part in perhaps the highlight of their year- participation in an international musical tattoo in the town of St Quentin, a 6 hour drive up towards Belgium. The Band performed admirably amongst semi professional Bands to a packed stadium of 3,000 people. Everyone very much enjoyed the buzz of success and achievement emanating from the hard work. The crowd was particularly appreciative and the organisers gave us much praise. Special thanks must go to our new French liaison specialist Betty Cadoret, without whom we would have ended up with even fewer beds than we did!
The first half of June was extremely busy with the Queens Golden Jubilee celebrations seeing the Band performing at Grouville Common (where we received the freedom of the Parish) and at Peoples Park. We also did a concert and Beat Retreat at the TA Centre and another at Government House for the Queens Birthday. The next day saw the Band travel to Guernsey to slog up a few hills before doing a nice concert and display at the Flower Show. We have already received our invite back there for 2003.
Other engagements included Samares Manor on World Cup final day and a day trip again to Port Bail which went down well. The camaraderie of trips away is one of the main things which keeps players loyal to the Band. Long may they continue.
In August we were at The Battle of Flowers and at the evening march trough St Helier on the preceding Tuesday with the Battle Parade. Finally the Band performed a Beat Retreat at Victoria College in September to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the school.
The Band are still looking for additional members and are pleased that Anna Davis has decided to learn kit drum following Jason Mildren’s departure. Thank you Anna for your great commitment to the Band and good luck! The Band are very grateful to Paul Clarke and Fiona Le Goupil who have been invaluable this season as special guest stars on occasion.
Chris Le Maistre, Peter Drelaud , George Goncalves and their helpers have done a fine job teaching new players on Saturday mornings. We have recently seen the first possible promotion of one of the B Band players up to rehearsing with the main band.
Thanks must also be made to Sandra Audrain and her Associate Members who have yet again worked tirelessly to raise funds for the Band. We appreciate that it is becoming harder for them each year. Their efforts are very much appreciated.
The Band continues to be financially stable and there are no anticipated demands on funds that should cause problems in the near future. The Band were grateful to The Trustees of the Godbolt Trust who donated £2,000 and to The St Helier Youth Committee who donated £2,500, both of which were specifically for the training of the future members.
May I take this opportunity on behalf of the outgoing committee to express our thanks to our President Owen Wiscombe for his leadership and guidance during the year. His maturity, experience and independence are invaluable to us.
Thank you also to Peter Durham-Waite and Michael Eouzan who have lead the Band in their various capacities in the year. The hard work that their roles demand cannot be underestimated. Special thanks also to Albert Herve in his new role as a Band Manager/ Liaison Officer.
It is also worthy of note that every engagement this year involved both the Brass and the Drum Corps and I feel this may be a first.
Thank you again to all the Bandmembers themselves this year who have continued to commit themselves to attending rehearsals and engagements. The committee hopes that you have all enjoyed playing in the Band of the Island of Jersey this year and hope that you will all continue to do so for many years to come. I hope you will all be able to attend the Annual Dinner on 16th November at the Ambassadeuer Hotel and as a token of their thanks to all your hard work the Committee have agreed that all uniformed members will be able to go to the dinner free of charge.
Ladies and Gentlemen, this concludes the annual report for 2201/2002.
Mark Godel ,Honorary Secretary
It
gives me great pleasure to present the Association’s Annual Report for
2000/2001, in this our 125th year.
The
Band have again had a busy and successful season and have performed to audiences
in both Jersey and France.
The
Committee are very appreciative of the effort put into the activities of the
Band by the core membership. The dedication needed is high and the number of
hours put in by members is truly commendable. As an additional thank you, the
Committee have agreed to fund a social trip to France on 29th
September.
The
Band started its year with the traditional Cenotaph Remembrance Day performance
in November and then played at two Parish Hall concerts at St Saviours and St
Helier pre season in an attempt to spread the word that the Band were on a
serious recruitment drive. The concerts went well under the Baton of Michael
Euozan who as Deputy Bandmaster was entrusted with the responsibility of the
Band’s musical direction for the season. I am sure all those present will
agree with my own assertion that Michael has done a superb job in this his first
season conducting the Band.
In
April we were lucky to be asked to perform in Ploermel in Brittany for the
weekend. Despite the coach taking us half way to the Atlantic by mistake we all
had a very successful trip and it was a great way to start the season for the
small Band able to make the journey.
On
11th May we undertook our most prestigious assignment of the year for
which we received rave reviews. The Band put on a beat retreat at the Airport
for the Aviation Ball for the Flying for the Disabled Charity in front of
Royalty and many distinguished guests including our new Lieutenant Governor. It
is always a pleasure to undertake engagements which are just that little bit
special and for which the Band are highly praised.
In
May we also commenced our programme for Jersey Tourism and undertook town
marches and Howard Davis Park Concerts. We also headed up the Liberation Parade
again through St Helier and helped out the local Headway Charity by performing a
routine at the Charity football match they organised at Springfield on May 19th.
The
Band were also performed in Port Bail in June at the invitation of the Grouville
Port Bail Association. You will all recall with fond memories the local French
Band attempting to perform the National Anthems! A French Trip is surely the
highlight of a season and is always seen as a reward for the hard graft put in
for the rest of the season. Long may our links with the French continue. I am
pleased to report that we already have two invitations for French Trips next
season, one of which is a weekend to mid France to take part in a
large festival of Bands. Hopefully the expectations of such trips will
encourage new players into the Band so I urge you all to continue to spread the
word that we are always on the look out for players to strengthen our squad!
The
Band also performed at Government
House for the Levee to mark the Queen’s Birthday, and despite the torrential
rain, a large crowd were able to see us close up for the display routine. In
August we were at our old favourite The Battle of Flowers and for the
Minden Day Parade and in September we
were through St. Helier to lead the parade held for St. John Ambulance.
Mention
should also be made of the Queens Visit in July where the fanfare team took a
central role in the day’s activities and the Band entertained the crowd and
performed the National Anthem for Her Majesty.
The
Band are once again very grateful to Trevor Bougourd and Paul Clarke who have
been invaluable this season as special guest stars on occasion. We are also very
pleased that Sue and Steve Brehaut and Malcolm Noel have joined or indeed
re-joined the Band this season and have proved to be first class attendees and
committed members.
Our
main concern for the future appears to be our lack of a Kit Drummer given that
Jason Mildren has moved to London after having been such an outstanding Band
Member. Jason will be hard to replace but we must all try to keep looking for
that opportunity to bring someone in to play kit drum as soon as possible. There
has been good news lately with new potential Brass players attending rehearsals.
New players always give the existing players a boost of enthusiasm. After some
particularly small Bands this year, things are on the up.
Added
to this, special mention must be made of the new B Band. Chris Le Maistre, Peter
Drelaud , George Goncalves and Sue and Steve Brehaut and their helpers have done
a brilliant job teaching new players on Saturday mornings. The future of our
Band has to lie in the hands of new young players and the dedication of the
above Bandsmen/Bandswomen over and
above their normal commitments should be recognised now with a round of
applause.
Thanks
must also be made to Sandra Audrain and her Associate Members who have yet again
worked tirelessly to raise funds for the Band. We appreciate that the task is
becoming harder and harder for them each year. Their efforts are very much
appreciated.
The
Band continues to be strong financially and there are no anticipated demands on
funds that should cause problems in the near future. The Band are fortunate in
this respect and the Committee can thus continue to concentrate its efforts on
the more pressing problem of recruitment.
This
year saw a major change at the head
of the Band with a new President ,
Mr. Owen Wiscombe. Owen’s contacts, straight forwardness and enthusiasm for
our Band have in my opinion made him the ideal man for the role and the
Committee pass on their thanks to Owen for providing them with direction and
control throughout the year.
Thank
you also to Peter Durham-Waite for continuing to be the main man on parade. It
would be difficult to imagine the Band without Peter up front and indeed behind
the scenes where he puts in many hours on the Band’s behalf. Thanks must also
go to Peter for arranging another successful drum training weekend with Martin
Williams in February.
I
would now particularly like to single out Michael Eouzan who has taken on the
responsibility of conducting the Band this year. Congratulations and a big thank
you to Michael for all his hard work leading a
sometimes “as small as can be” Band. Michael’s ability as a player
was never in doubt but I am sure you will all agree that he has impressed us
with his skills as a Bandmaster over the last 12 months.
Last
but by no means least, thank you again to all the Band members themselves this
year who have continued to give up their precious free time to attend rehearsals
engagements and for some also Committee meetings. I hope you have all enjoyed
the season and are looking forward to the celebration Dinner on 17th
November which promises to be a large reunion of old members to commemorate this
special 125th Anniversary year
for the Band of the Island of Jersey.
Ladies
and Gentlemen, this concludes the annual report for 2000/2001.
Mark
Godel
Honorary
Secretary
It
gives me great pleasure to present the Association’s Annual Report for
1999/2000.
The
Band have again had a busy and successful season and have performed to audiences
in both Jersey and France.
We
have worked together well despite the number of active members falling slightly
from the previous year. We now have a strong core membership and it is hoped
that the flow of players will soon be in the opposite direction. Membership of
the Band and participation in it’s events has been and will continue to be an
honour and an enjoyable pastime for young and old alike.
The
Band started its year with the traditional Cenotaph Remembrance Day performance
in November and continued on 12th
March with a concert for the Jersey Society for the Disabled at St. Clement’s
Parish Hall. This is becoming an annual tradition for the Band to entertain the
Society’s members out of season and the Band are grateful for the collection
made by their members towards the Band’s funds.
In
May we commenced our programme for Jersey Tourism and undertook 4 town marches
and eight Howard Davis Park Concerts. On 3rd September we were
pleased to play in the presence of our hard working and loyal supporter Mr. Owen
Wiscombe. Owen has continued to provide the Band with guidance from the wings
and his efforts are greatly appreciated.
The
Band also performed at the Jersey Good Food Festival in May, at the Albert Pier
in June for the Anniversary of the Jersey Militia leaving the Island at the
start of the Second World War and at Government House for the Levee to mark the
Queen’s Birthday, in August at our old favourite The Battle of Flowers and in
September again at Government House for Battle of Britain Week and through St.
Helier to lead the parade held for St. John Ambulance.
The
highlight of the season has to have been the Band’s performances at the Foire
de Caen in mid September. The Band were very fortunate to have been invited to
open the Foire and to perform on the Friday and Saturday. The workload on the
trip did not overstretch any of those concerned and the weather was nowhere near
the high temperatures experienced on the last French trip the Band made.
Only
a relatively small Band were able to make the trip but the quality was in no way
diminished by the lack of numbers. The Band’s unscheduled 5-minute concert
slot in the now legendary Hall of Mirrors club will certainly not be forgotten.
The
strong link now formed by our President and Drum-Major Peter Durham-Waite and
Jersey’s official representative in Caen Damon Aoutain, will hopefully lead to
a continuation of interest from the French authorities to invite the Band to
France again.
It
is undoubtedly more difficult now to expect the French towns to pay considerable
amounts to bring our Band over for their functions. A special vote of thanks is
therefore needed here for Peter Durham-Waite’s hard work ensuring that such a
trip was found for this season to reward the Bandsmen for their efforts
throughout the year.
The
Band on parade continue to impress locals and visitors alike and our attendance
at major public and ceremonial occasions often brings comments along the lines
that for an Island of “9 miles by 5” we certainly have something of
unexpectedly good quality. Our current Lieutenant Governor has himself expressed
this view to us and is very appreciative of the Band of the Island of Jersey and
it’s level of competence. We hope to continue to impress our new Lieutenant
Governor over the next few years to the same extent!
The
Association is to hold an open meeting in the near future for all members to
informally discuss views and ideas about the Band and the future. As we enter
the 125th year of the Association, we should all be proud to be part
of such a respected organisation and all your views will be taken on board by
the new Committee as they represent you by organising the day to day running of
the affairs of the Band. There are many exciting ideas being discussed at the
moment including the possibility of making a CD, the possibility of taking part
in the Lord Mayors Show in London, and the lure of trips to France and possibly
elsewhere.
Our
thoughts went out to our great friend and past President Frank Connor this year
whose dear wife Sybil passed away.
We
were are also sorry to see Serge Le Moeligou leave the Band at the end of the
season to pursue exciting academic and business interests. Serge has been a
central member of the Band for many years as a player and official and we wish
him every success in the future. To mark our appreciation of his past services
the Committee agreed to make Serge an Honorary Life Member.
The
Band are very grateful to Trevor Bougourd who has been invaluable this season
playing Bass. It would be too much of course too ask Trevor to move back to
Jersey permanently but we hope that his visits back to the Island continue for
as long as possible!
The
Drum Corps were lucky to secure the training services of Martin Williams for a
weekend early in the season. The Drummers always appreciate outside experience
to add to the hard work put in by both Jason Mildren and Peter Durham-Waite who
have turned them into a high quality unit.
Thanks
must also be made to our Associate Members who have yet again slaved away over
piles of junk and old clothes etc. to raise funds for the Band. This year the
Associate Members have helped towards instrument purchases and Bandroom repairs.
Many thanks to their Committee and all their enthusiastic helpers.
The
Band were also fortunate to have been granted £7,886 from the Jersey Lottery in
February. Along with the funds received last year from the Defence Committee and
the Godbolt Trust, the Band is in a healthy state financially and luckily there
does not appear to be any urgency to focus our energies towards this area in the
near future so that we can concentrate on important issues such as recruitment
and ensuring that members’ interests are well catered for.
This
year saw major changes at the helm of our Band with a new President, a new
Bandmaster and new Deputy Bandmaster.
Peter
Durham-Waite has had the right character, enthusiasm and dedication to take on
the role of President this year and I know all Band Members have appreciated his
hard work fundraising and developing useful contacts for the Band while still
being the visual figure head of the Band on parade in his role as Drum Major.
Our
sincere thanks also go out to Peter Drelaud who has stepped in for another stint
as Bandmaster. We know that it is really only past Band Masters who can truly
appreciate how much work and responsibility goes with the position. Despite
this, we thank Peter for all the work we know he has done, and also for all the
work we don’t realise he has done.
Congratulations
also to Michael Eouzan who has taken on the important responsibility of Deputy
Bandmaster this year and lead the Band in a successful Howard Davis Park concert
and also lead a small group playing at a local wedding that received high
praise.
Last
but by no means least, thank you to all the Bandmembers themselves this year who
have continued to give up their precious free time to attend rehearsals
engagements and for some also Committee meetings. I hope you have all enjoyed
the season and are looking forward to taking part in the continued success of
The Band of The Island of Jersey through its 125th year and beyond.
Ladies
and Gentlemen, this concludes the annual report for 1999/2000.
Mark
Godel
Honorary
Secretary
Ladies and Gentlemen
It
gives me great pleasure to present our annual report for 1999.
Once
again the Band has had a very busy season, although this year all events have
taken place in Jersey. Unfortunately
we were not successful in securing any engagements in France this year, either
because tide times made travel within a weekend impossible or the townships
prefer to keep their funds available for the millennium.
Hopefully next year these engagements will come our way.
From
May to September the Band has been doing regular Thursday evening town marches
with concerts in the Royal Square and also Howard Davis Park concerts sometimes
with marching displays, on both Thursday and Sunday evenings.
The audiences once again have been enthusiastic and appreciative and the
Band video has continued to sell well. In
addition to the regular performances, the Band also took part in a TA Parade in
the Royal Square in May, the Government House Levee and the Jersey Sea Cadets 50th
Anniversary Parade in June, the West Show in July and the Minden Day Parade and
Battle of Flowers in August. The
Band also performed at a Growers’ Open Day at Herve’s Nurseries and a small
group of members played at Becky Hall’s Wedding in July. Our congratulations go to Becky and Andrew.
The season will be brought to a close this year with the Band’s
participation in the Armistice Day Parade in November.
We
have been delighted this year to welcome Sir Peter Crill and Mr Harry Lapidus as
patrons of the Band. We are sure
their interest and support of the Band will be of great benefit to us.
Over the past year the Band has been accepted as a charity and hence is
now eligible to apply for funds from a variety of
sources. Our first success in this area was in obtaining a grant of £5000
from the Herbert & Jesse Godbolt Memorial Trust, which is to be used towards
the much needed renovations of the Band Room. The Band also received a grant of £10000 at the end of
last year from the Defence Committee, which is to be used for the benefit of the
Band. Our thanks must go not only
to the Defence Committee for this, but also very much to Owen Wiscombe who acted
on our behalf and put forward our case. His
continuing and loyal support of the Band is much appreciated.
I
think you would agree that much regret was felt by all this year when the
Bandmaster Nick Manning decided to resign from that office and return to playing
in the Band. All his hard work and
enthusiasm during his years as Bandmaster is very much appreciated.
However, credit must go to Chris Le Maistre for taking over the baton at
extremely short notice. He has done an excellent job under difficult circumstances
and our sincere thanks go to him. It
has not been an easy year for the Band, several members have left for a variety
of reasons, leaving gaps in some of the sections, but we are at the same time
very pleased to welcome the new members who have joined us this year. We
must now look to the future to build up the Band and take it into the next
century.
On
a personal note, after nearly ten years of being President and four of being
Secretary, Serge and I have
decided to resign from the Committee to concentrate on his new business venture. Serge will still be playing in the Band and I am sure I will
still be involved in some way, but we would like to thank everyone for an
enjoyable and interesting time on the Committee and wish the new Committee every
success for the future.
Our
thanks must also go to the Drum Major who puts in an enormous amount of time for
the Band all through the year in many different ways. We
are also extremely grateful once again to our Associate Members who work
tirelessly in organising the Annual Raffle, jumble sales and car boot sales.
Funds raised by them this year have gone towards drums and drum cases and
their efforts are much appreciated.
Finally,
a very big thank you to all Band members for all the time and effort you put in
to ensure the Band is a success, also not forgetting your families who tolerate
such a time consuming hobby. Thank
you to one and all.
Ladies
and gentlemen, this concludes my report for 1999.
Liz
Le Moeligou
Honorary
Secretary
Ladies and Gentlemen
It gives me great pleasure to present our annual report for 1998.
As ever, the Band has had an extremely busy year, taking part in many events, not only in Jersey, but also in the UK and France.
On 6th and 7th December last year the Band, for the second time, took part in the Birmingham International Tattoo, which proved to be as successful this time as it had been when taking part in 1995. The Band played alongside other Bands, such as the Grenadier Guards and the Hungarian National Guard, giving excellent performances to very appreciative audiences. Once again they were extremely well supported by a group of associate members, who travelled over for the weekend, this time in larger numbers than before. Also at the end of last year, the Band took part in the Royal British Legion 75th Anniversary event at Fort Regent on Saturday 8th November, a major event for the British Legion and the Band's participation was much appreciated and praised.
From the beginning of May onwards the Band did regular Thursday evening town marches with concerts in the Royal Square and also Howard Davis Park concerts, sometimes with marching displays, on both Thursday and Sunday evenings. The Band has played to enthusiastic and appreciative audiences, both local and tourists and during the course of the season a new video of the Band's participation at the Birmingham Tattoo has been available for sale, around 100 copies of which have been sold to date. The highlight of the Howard Davis Park season was the Concert, Beat Retreat and Fireworks Display, which took place on Sunday 16th August, the proceeds of which went to the Jersey Branch of the National Asthma Society. The weather was perfect for the occasion, it was extremely well attended and the Asthma Society were delighted with the outcome, not only for the money raised, but also for the publicity it gave them. In addition to the regular Royal Square and Howard Davis Park engagements, over the past year the Band has taken part in the Government House Levee, the West Show, a Beat Retreat at TA Headquarters, the Battle of Flowers, the Golden Classics Family Day, John Brisset's Silver Wedding party and a 'Red Arrows' Fireworks party at Gorey. The Band's participation at all these events has been received with much enthusiasm and praise. Still to come is the Armistice Day Parade and a concert for the Jersey Disabled Society. After a break of sometime without a French trip, the Band went to France twice this year, the first weekend being at Les Pieux on 18th and 19th July and the second to La Haye-Pesnel on 8th/9th August. While both trips were a great success, it has to be said that, after 3 hours of marching in temperatures of 38 degrees on what must have been the hottest day of the year, it left bandsmen looking a little exhausted when stepping off the boat at Gorey on the Sunday evening. Well done to everyone for surviving the event!
In an effort to allow all band members to make their views known on how the Band should be run and where we are heading as we make our way towards the millennium, in April the Committee sent out a questionnaire to all band members, asking for their opinions on a variety of subjects with regard to the Band, and this was followed up by an open meeting on 15th June. Several subjects have been further discussed as a result of this questionnaire, but I expect the most radical change that has already been made is that, for the first time ever, ladies are now permitted to join the Band of the Island of Jersey. A lot of press publicity was generated once the decision was made public and we are delighted to welcome our first two lady band members, Gillian Noble and Emma Wilton. On the subject of new members, we are also delighted to welcome Neil Baal and just joining the Drum Corps is Rebecca Hall, who will be our first lady drummer. At this point I would also like to mention Darren Gayle, whose help playing in the Band when he was in the Island has proved invaluable.
It has been a very exciting year for our oldest band member, Harry Fleuret, who was awarded an MBE in the New Years honours list. A group of over fifty band members and associate members were at Government House on 30th April to see Harry presented with his award by the Governor, and this was followed a couple of days later by a social get together with Harry at Wolves Caves. Well done, Harry. A much deserved recognition.
On another personal note, it was Frank and Sybil Connor's Golden Wedding Anniversary on 15th May and a small group of Band members were able to play for the occasion, which, we are told, made their day. Congratulations to Frank and Sybil.
The money kindly donated by the TSB Foundation last year has now been put to good use and all band members have now been kitted out with a new uniform. We are also extremely grateful to the Associate Members who have also donated £2000 towards this extremely costly project. We do appreciate all the hard work undertaken by the Associate members in raising funds for the Band by organising the annual Raffle, as well as regular jumble sales and car boot sales. They are a small but very dedicated and hard-working group of people and our grateful thanks go to them all. Another thanks this year is also due to Fuel Supplies (C.I.) Limited who donated £1500 to the Band, which was used for a new drum kit, drum boxes and a leopard skin. This donation came about through a lot of assistance on our behalf from Owen Wiscombe of the British Legion and we are also extremely grateful to him. I am sure you would all also join me in expressing our sincere thanks to the Bandmaster and the Drum Major who put in an enormous amount of work all year round to ensure the success of the Band. Last but not least, our thanks go to all of you playing and non playing members who put in a great deal of time and effort to ensure the continuing success of the Band of the Island of Jersey.
Ladies and Gentlemen, this concludes my report for 1998.
Liz Le Moeligou Honorary Secretary
The AGM of the Band was held on September 25 at the Bandroom. The evening wen smoothly with three contested positions. These were for Deputy Bandmaster, Deputy Drum Major and Hon. Treasurer. Suffice to say we now have a new Treasurer who is also a professional accountant, but there were no other changes. The Secretary's report that follows sums up the year that the Band has had.
Ladies and Gentlemen
It gives me great pleasure to present our annual report for 1997.
Once again the Band has had a very busy season which in fact is far from over at the time of writing this report.
From the beginning of May onwards the Band did regular Thursday evening town marches
with concerts in the Royal Square and a little later in the season they also performed
several times in Howard Davis Park, both concerts and marching displays.
The Band has played to enthusiastic and appreciative audiences, both local and tourists
and the Band video, made after the Birmingham Tattoo in 1995, has now sold out. Just
in time to make a new one after the Tattoo coming up in December!
Unfortunately the end of season Concert and Fireworks display, which was to be held in
conjunction with the Jersey Branch of the National Asthma Society, had to be cancelled,
due to the tragic death of the Princess of Wales on that day.
In addition to the regular Royal square and Howard Davis Park venues, the Band has also
played at a variety of other events during the course of the season, including a concert
for the Jersey Disabled Society last October, the BITOA conference at the Lido
de France when delegates from foreign countries met Tourism, the Jersey Airport 60th
Birthday celebration, a Beat Retreat at Greve de Lecq Barracks and also at the TA
Headquarters, the Government House Levee, the Battle of Flowers, and the Opening
Ceremony for the Island Games, all of which were received with much enthusiasm and
praise from the general public and various dignitaries attending these functions.
Fortunately the weather was with us on all these occasions. Despite a soaking at the
rehearsal for the Island Games ceremony on the previous evening, the Band was able
to lead on the teams in glorious sunshine on the night!
On a more personal level, band members have played at three weddings during the course
of the year, for Mark and Emma Coxshall, Mark and Rachel Godel and for Malcolm and
Kay Hall’s daughter Dani and Dave. May we add our best wishes for the future to
them all.
As mentioned before, the year is not yet over for the Band with a Royal British Legion
75th Anniversary event and Armistice Day Parade still to come, as well as what will no
doubt be the highlight of the year, the Band's participation in the Birmingham
International Tattoo on 6th and 7th December. We have been fortunate once again that the
States of Jersey Tourism Committee have supported us and are paying for the Band's travel
costs of £6000. Travel arrangements are now well in hand and I would like to
thank the Drum Major for all his hard work in arranging this and his involvement in
acquiring funds from Tourism. We hope to see plenty of Associate Members cheering the Band
on in Birmingham once again and look forward to what we hope will be an extremely
enjoyable and successful weekend for all.
We have been delighted to see several new young members from B Band coming up to join the main Band this season, namely Shane Jandron, Peter and Marc Le Maistre, John de la Mare, Jonathan Manning and Simon de la Cour. We would like to thank Chris Le Maistre for all his work with B Band, which has made this possible. The Drum Corps also has a new young member, Rick Biggs on cymbals, and we also welcome back Mark Godel and Ollie Audoire who have returned to the Band during the past year.
I am sure you would all join me in extending our thanks to the TSB Foundation for their very kind donation of £5000 towards the Band uniform fund. Peter Durham-Waite was instrumental in making TSB aware of our needs and we have him to thank for his enthusiasm and perseverance in raising this money, which is being put to good use replacing our uniforms.
I am sure you would join me in expressing our sincere thanks to the Bandmaster and the Drum Major who put in an enormous amount of work all year round to ensure the success of the Band. In addition, I would like to express our thanks to all our supporters, associate members, friends and families who have followed and helped us through the season, especially the associate members who work so hard to raise funds through regular jumble sales and other activities, including the Christmas Raffle. This year over £2000 of this money raised has been used to purchase a euphoneum case, a cornet and a tenor horn. Many thanks to you all.
Ladies and gentlemen this concludes my report for 1997 and it only remains for me
to thank all of you playing and non playing members who have once again put in a
great amount of time and effort to ensure another successful year for the Band
E M Le Moeligou
Honorary Secretary.
The Band of the Island of Jersey recently held their AGM at the Bandroom, Rue Crevcoeur, Grouville. The assembled members heard the report of the very successful year.
Votes for the committee positions in the band provided few changes, the only noticeable one was the replacement of our Treasurer of several years, John Le Moign, by Glen Beardshall. We hope that the transition will be smooth and thank John for his invaluable service.
Last year saw trips to France and the hugely successful Birmingham International Tattoo. This was at the National Indoor Arena (site of TV's Gladiators) where we played alongside the Royal Marines, the Red army and the US Air Force bands, amongst others. We have again been invited back to Birmingham in December 1997. A full calendar within the island, finished with charity concerts in the Howard Davis Park and at St. Clement's Parish Hall, kept our members occupied. Work is now underway to prepare for the coming season, where the fund raising abilities of the band and its Associate Members will be stretched to the limit. Unfortunately, our striking uniforms are getting old and are in need of replacement. This will be thousands of pounds in excess of the day to day running costs of the band. Then there is instrument replacement!
The Band of the Island of Jersey currently has a membership of about 50, young and old. Our age range is 12 to 86! The last year has seen members join and leave, one to the Royal Marines' Band Service. We are always on the lookout for Brass players and marching drummers.
Specifically we need a good bass drummer, but we are always looking for new talent, with full training, uniform and instrument provided. If you are interested phone the Band Room on Monday, Wednesday or Thursday evenings between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. for a chat, there is otherwise an answer machine. Tel 857769 or e-mail