‘Old timer’ returns to Dumfries Town Band
An old clock which was presented to a former member of Dumfries Town Band on the occasion of his wedding over 100 years ago has now been handed back to the band.
The ornate wooden case wall clock was a gift from the band to a Henry Wells when he got married on 16 July 1909.
Henry’s great grandson Calum Gray and his wife Julia decided to return the clock to the band for future generations of musicians to appreciate. It will now be hung on the wall of the Dumfries band hall for all to admire and enjoy.
A brass plate inscription on the timepiece reads: “Presented to H Wells by the Dfs Town Band on the occasion of his marriage. 16/7/09.”
Calum said: “The clock had been hanging on the wall of my parents’ house all of my life. It travelled with my mum and dad across all of the UK and also Turkey and Spain when they lived abroad.
“My granny lived in Dumfries and Glasgow so the clock would also have travelled to those places with her. It was an important part of family history for my granny who’d had a difficult life. She contracted polio when she was young and was only unable to walk with difficulty since then.
“I’m sure she could have sold the clock when times were tough but she kept hold of it as it had belonged to her parents.”
It is uncertain what instrument Henry played or what role he had with the band.
Dumfries Town Band chair Gillian Tweedie commented: “We were absolutely delighted when Calum and Julia offered the clock back to us for putting up in the band hall. It is such an impressive timepiece which represents a happy moment in our band’s history.”
On Friday 20th January, Coalburn Brass Band Family had our annual awards night at Chatelherault Inn, Ferniegair. We celebrated a year of dedication, growth, and excellent playing from our beginners all the way to our Silver Band. We began the night with an introduction to our special guests; Carrie Boax, the President of the Scottish Brass Band Association (SBBA) and John Boax, the Education Officer for SBBA. Carrie presented all of the awards during the evening and both were delighted to be a part of the celebratory night.
We began the awards with our Brass Beginners who all received a certificate and medal for their hard work and growth as blossoming players. In our beginners group receiving their awards were: Aleisha Ansell; Illithyia Martin-Barrera; Charlie Grey; Gabriel Hadley; Warren Noble; Issac Patterson and Sophia Patterson.
Next, we moved on to our Percussion Academy who all were able to accept their individual certificates and medals as well as receiving a copy of the Gold Award they won for their amazing performance at the Youth Championships at the Scottish Festival of Brass in November. The Percussion Academy’s tutor Robbie Bremner awarded Gregor Naismith for the Most Improved Player of the year.
After the Percussion Academy, our children’s Bronze Band was up next for their awards. Every member received a copy of the Gold Award certificate from the Scottish Festival of Brass and four other awards were given out.
The Children’s Choice Award is an award where the players in the band get to decide who should receive recognition for any reason which could be from great playing to being supportive. This year, the Children’s Choice Award went to percussionist Hollie Reid. The Band Person of the Year, chosen by the tutors and helpers, was awarded to Megan Cowan.
The best section of the year chosen by the Bronze Band’s Musical Director, David Fehilly was awarded to the Bronze Band’s percussion team, including William Glassford, Gregor Naismith and Hollie Reid. And to conclude the Bronze Band’s awards, the George Blackwood Memorial Trophy was awarded. This award was first presented in 2004 and is for the Most Improved Player. This year, the trophy went to Benjamin Angletti.
We then invited John Boax to talk to the audience made up of players and family from all our bands about the National Youth Brass Bands of Scotland (NYBBS) and what an amazing experience it is to be a part of. Shortly after, food was served before returning to the rest of our awards for the night.
Next up was the Intermediate Band’s awards. Their Musical Director David Fehilly took to the stage once more to announce the five awards to be presented. First up was the Conductors Award, and that was awarded to Principal Cornet, Matthew Howarth.
The Intermediate Band’s Most Improved Player was presented to Clare Symonds who only began playing percussion in 2022. Clare was also presented with the Players’ Player of the Year Award, which was voted by band members.
The Player of the Year chosen by David, was given to Principal Euphonium Mel Haldane.
And the Intermediate Band’s Best Section of the Year went to the percussion section (Megan Cowan, Raymond McGaghey, and Clare Symonds).
We moved on to the Silver Band awards presented by their Musical Director Gareth Bowman. The Conductors Prize went to five individuals for hard work, improved playing, and dedication. These awards went to Gary Allan, Anna Biggart, Marcie Boyle, Eilidh Court and Euan Roberts.
The Best Section award went to the Euphoniums and Baritones, including Ian Jamieson, Ross Abernethy, David Fehilly, Helena Dunsmore and Daniel Beadle.
The Band Person of the Year award voted by band members went deservingly to our band secretary Daniel Beadle.
The Player of the Year chosen by Gareth was awarded to Calum Blair, our Principal Cornet. Band members also agreed with this choice and Calum also received the Player’s Player of the Year award.
To conclude the awards, Carrie Boax gave a few inspirational words about the organisation and brass banding as a whole. We finished the night with a lengthy and successful raffle, and a vote of thanks given by Band President Alan Court.
