Parades to lose pomp in plan to axe bands

Laurel Stowell | Thursday, February 23, 2012 7:34

The combined military bands of the Wanganui's 5th and Napier's 7th Battalions lead the Soldiers Day parade down Victoria Avenue en route to the Wanganui War Memorial Hall in 2010. 080810WCSMPARADE-4

Stuart Munro

Anzac Days and Christmas parades will lose a lot of their flash and sparkle without the pomp of a military band, bandsman and former soldier Tony Cowan says.

The New Zealand Defence Force is proposing to axe seven territorial military bands in order to save money.

The Wanganui region stands to lose two of those, the 5WWCT Battalion Pipes and Drums Territorial Force Military Band based in Wanganui and the RNZAF Territorial Military Band based in Ohakea. Consultation on the proposal to disband them ends today, with a decision to be made by the end of March.

The Wanganui band is the only one in the country with both pipes and drums.

Getting rid of the bands would save $900,000 a year from the national military band budget of $5.9 million.

Three professional bands would remain, one each for the army, air force and navy, and would be based in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland respectively.

Joy McGregor, patron of the 5WWCT band, is upset at the possible demise of the band her late husband Don worked hard for. The Chronicle understands members of the battalion are also unhappy.

The band consists of 26 people, half of them civilian volunteers, and the other half part-time territorial soldiers. They play at ceremonial occasions 15 to 20 times a year and have travelled to the United Kingdom.

The band's history dates back to the 1800s.

The RNZAF Territorial Military Band, based at Ohakea, has about 30 members and similar duties.

Mr Cowan said communities would lose the ability to have ceremonial music provided if the bands were axed. Civilian bands like Brass Wanganui were good, but lacked "the pomp and ceremony that goes with a military occasion".

Military bands were in high demand on Anzac Day, because every Anzac service wanted a live bugler to play The Last Post.

"We need to be increasing the involvement of bands within these activities, and this is certainly going to crucify it."

He said he had not made a submission on the proposal, but had made his views known.