New Awards for Perth Contest
Two band stalwarts - Mike Butcher and Robert Bedwell - are to be honoured in Awards
The National Band Council of Australia has decided to inaugurate two new perpetual trophies for awarding initially at the Perth contest. The awards are for the Open Champion of Champion and Junior Champion of Champion in the Concert Band Solo’s section.
“The Council is pleased to name the Open Champion soloist trophy the Mike Butcher award and the Junior soloist trophy the Robert Bedwell award,” NBCA Executive Officer, Allen Woodham stated. “It is pleasing to have these trophies commissioned to recognise two incredible people within the band movement and also to give concert band soloists the same level of achievement as their brass colleagues.”
NBCA President Speaks with Brasszone
The President of the NBCA, Dr Kevin Cameron, recently spoke with Andrew Stone from Brass Zone on a range of issues reflecting on his observations as the chair of the organization.
Of particular interest are the comments on the subject of player and band registrations for the national contest and the increasing difficulty for committees in staging the national contest as costs continue to spiral particularly for venue availability. Organizing Committees are being challenged greatly by the increasing costs which can reach upwards of $60,000 for venues for the national contest.
Dr Cameron praised the extensive preparations that have been achieved for the 2013 national contest to be held in Perth which should ensure an excellent event for the banding community. The University, situated on the Swan River, is easily accessible and the performance auditoriums are superb. The Parade of bands venue is similarly an excellent area, in the city, with street cafes that will ensure a relaxed area for the bands to perform. “I would encourage bands to make the effort to come to Perth,” the President remarked.
The interview can be viewed in its entirety here:
http://www.brasszone.net/players-people/166-guarded-summation-from-nbca-president
Parade of Bands Regulations & Drill Handbook Updated
A revised Parade of Bands Regulations document and a Drill Handbook have been produced for the NBCA and are available in the Downloads area for reference. The regulatory document will form the basis for operation of the Parade of Bands at the 2013 Championships in Perth.
The Parade of Bands Regulations have been overhauled and updated following an exhaustive exercise involving selected representatives from all states. The committee, chaired and guided by David Peters, undertook an extensive consultation process with various representatives from state Drill Advisory Boards to compile documents that would serve as a standard reference work for Drum Major’s and as a regulatory guideline for the Parade of Bands at the Australian Band Championships.
The documents were tabled at the NBCA conference in July and accepted for adoption as NBCA standards. The NBCA considers this to be a good outcome and is appreciative for the many hours of work that David Peters and the team expended to achieve this outcome.
Regulation Changes Posted
The NBCA contest regulation changes which were approved at the July annual conference have been posted in the revised 2013 NBCA Yearbook which will be applicable at the 2013 National Championship to be held in Perth over the Easter weekend in 2013.
While the alterations are mainly administrative in nature it would be wise for secretaries to familiarize themselves with the requirements that apply when submitting entries for bands and soloists for 2013.
The alterations adopted came about after consideration by state bodies and debate by Councillors at the conference and were designed to resolve issues that had become apparent over time. A wider explanation of the adopted changes can be ascertained by consulting the conference minutes which are also posted here.
AGM & Conference Minutes Posted
The minutes for the NBCA AGM and Annual Conference held in Perth on July 20th to 22nd have now been posted to the NBCA Web Site.
Some changes/updates were approved to the Contest Regulations which will be gazetted in the 2013 Yearbook which will be available on 1st September for download from the Web Site.
Preparations for the 2013 National Band Contest to be held in Perth were presented to the Council and illustrated the excitement already building for what will be an iconic event for everyone involved.
Executive Officer Recognised for Service
The Executive Officer of the NBCA, Mr Allen Woodham, was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list on 11th June 2012. The citation stated the award was for services to music, particularly through band organizations and for service to the City of Mount Gambier.
Allen is well known in the city for his arranging of the Blue Lake Brass Band Festival for many years and for his involvement in the Lions Club and other community groups. The Executive and Councillors of the NBCA congratulate Allen on this achievement.
NBCA Conference in July
The NBCA AGM and annual conference will be held in Perth from July 20th to 22nd to consider arrangements for the National Band Championships to be conducted over Easter 2013 in the city. This will be the first National Championships to be held there for some 33 years and already expectation is building that the 2013 event will be an exciting spectacle.
Councillors will discuss various issues emanating from the recent Melbourne contest and consider what, if any, changes/updates are required to the contest regulations.
Robert Bedwell Honoured for Service
Mr Robert Bedwell was recently recognised for his outstanding contribution to the world of performing brass and concert bands by his induction as a life member of the National Band Council of Australia.
Robert, a former President of the Council, has contributed to the world of performing bands over a long and dedicated period with his guidance and leadership within the world of the military, education and music administration generally.
His leadership and direction guided the National Band Council for many years in various roles and assisted greatly in advancing the activity of community banding throughout Australia.
Robert was nominated for life membership at the Council’s AGM in June and this was recently recognised at a function of the Band Association of NSW, where Robert also held the position of President for some time.
The NBCA executive and councillors have much pleasure in announcing that Robert has accepted this award which recognises an extraordinary service to the band movement generally and the Council in particular.
Allen Woodham
Executive Officer
Call for Nominations to the NBCA Executive
The National Band Council of Australia advises that nominations from interested persons are now being received for the position of President and Vice President of the Council as outlined in the Council’s constitution.
Nominations should be directed to the Executive Officer and all nominations MUST be received by the close of business on Friday, 10th June. Nominations received after this date will be rejected in line with the NBCA Constitution.
All nominations received will be considered by the Council at its AGM as part of the annual conference to be held in Melbourne from Friday, 24th June to Sunday, 26th June.
Nominations should comply with the NBCA Rule 14 in particular 14.6.1 and 14.6.2.
These rules can be referenced in the constitution which is available from the Downloads area of the NBCA web site.
Allen Woodham
Executive Officer
