Registered Charity in Scotland No. SC033163 |
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Registered Charity in Scotland No. SC033163 |
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At this years Scottish Championships a new award is being introduced. This will be the Association's highest award. Nominees should be persons who have made an outstanding contribution to brass bands in Scotland throughout their lifetime which is deserving of special recognition. Potential recipients could be players, conductors, composers, teachers, adjudicators or officials. Due to the very special nature of this award, it will be limited to a very small number of recipients in any year. All nominations will be considered by the Association's Executive Committee which will determine and announce the recipients each year.
This year two stalwarts of the Scottish Brass band movement will be the first recipients to be presented with the award on Sunday 22nd March. Both have given 70 years service to brass bands and have been responsible for a high level of teaching of young people, as well as service to their respective bands.
Willie Tennant first joined The Kirkintilloch Band in 1937 playing Tenor Horn; he played his first concert with the band in Woodhead Park, Kirkintilloch in the summer of 1938. He was forced to give up playing for a time because of Diphtheria, but rejoined the band in 1942 under the Conductor at that time Tommy Lear mouth, this time on Cornet and then he moved to Flugel Horn. Willie took part in his first contest in 1948 in the Usher Hall in Edinburgh, in June 1949 he was called up for National Service when he joined the staff band of the Royal Army Service Corps, and while serving, played concerts in London's Royal Albert Hall on two occasions. He also played with the Aldershot Town Band when serving in the Army. He rejoined Kirkintilloch in June 1951, the same year they won their first 3rd section Championships in the Adam Smith Hall in Kirkcaldy. Willie then moved on to Euphonium when the band took part in the National Finals in Manchester in 1952.
He has served in all the administration posts over the past 70 years and was first appointed Secretary in 1952 at the age of 23, he then moved to Stirling in 1954. In 1958 he stopped playing for a time to take up a youth training course, he then went on to play with Bo'ness & Carriden band from 1959 till 1960, then rejoined Kirkintilloch in 1961. He moved to the Paisley area in 1963 and continued his involvement with The Kirkintilloch Band, or Kirkintilloch Silver Band, as it was known then. When he was made redundant from the Linwood Car Factory he took up a post of Brass Instructor with Lanarkshire Schools until his retirement in 1994.
Over the years Willie has conducted Kirkintilloch Senior and Junior Band and had great success, in particular at Solo and Quartet Contests, winning the Junior Quartet Championships in 1971 and the Senior Quartet Championships in the 1980's, he was also responsible for the teaching of a number of successful solo performers.
He moved from Secretary to Treasurer in 1986 and finished playing in the senior band that year and took over the training of the Junior Band. Up until this time he had played in every contest Kirkintilloch Band had entered, apart from one during his national service, and he has a number of Championship Medals from 3rd, 2nd, and Championship Sections.
Since 1954 Willie has travelled thousands of miles just to be involve with The Kirkintilloch Band, a devoted servant to the band in his many fundraising activities over the years, and it's true to say if it was not for Willie Tennant there would be no Kirkie Band.
He became involved with the formation Kirkintilloch Kelvin Brass in 1994, this came about because of the number of players Willie had taught over a long number of years moving on to other bands, there needed to be a base for all his hard work in Kirkintilloch. Kirkintilloch Kelvin Brass has moved up the ranks from 4th section to Championship Section, at present they have settled in the 1st section but I'm sure will be back competing against their senior partners in the Championship Section very soon. It was a great honour for Willie when Kelvin Brass won the National 3rd Section Championships in 2000, when they performed in the London's Royal Albert Hall. On this occasion it was a proud day for Willie in Particular as at the age of 70 he was playing Eb bass and his son Raymond was conducting, Willie gaining his first National Championship Medal at 70, not bad!
Willie Tennant has taught hundreds of young people over the years, some playing with other bands, some now teaching or performing music, and others have stayed with the Kirkintilloch organisation. His two sons Ronald and Raymond now earn their living from brass music and responsible for the very successful Band Supplies company. In 2001 Willie was presented with the Diploma of the Worshipful Company of Musicians, recognising 64 years of dedication and teaching of young people.
Willie, who celebrated his 80th birthday earlier this month, is now Honorary President of The Kirkintilloch Band organisation which incorporates Kirkintilloch Kelvin Brass, and the new youth project launched earlier this month Kirkintilloch Imperiam Youth Band.
The success of any band depends on loyal faithful servants with a commitment like Willie Tennant has had over the past 70 years, we thank him sincerely. In that time he has been ably supported by his wife Margaret, sons Ronnie, Raymond, Scott and daughter Arlene.
Hugh Johnstone was born on April 1 1925 at 61 Craigmark, Dalmellington. With encouragement from his father he began his banding career with Dalmellington Band in the early years of World War II. Hugh recalls: "Seven of the older players stopped playing and three of the younger ones were called up for National Service. However, with stalwarts like Band Secretary, Robert Hill and Treasurer, John Smith, there was a determination that Dalmellington Band, formed in 1864, would continue despite this player set back. We struggled on to keep the band alive during this difficult period, but has really flourished over the years, despite occasional periods of difficulty."
The player problem was exacerbated by the band hall, and all the other halls in the village, being requisitioned by the Army for billets for army units based in Dalmellington. With the added burden of having no official home, the band members met and practiced in a quiet cul-de-sac during the summer. However, the local Co-op had nine horses they used for deliveries and they were housed in a large stable in Croft Street. This became the band's temporary headquarters. The players sat on bales of hay whilst they made music in the relative warmth of the stables, to the delight of their captive audience. Said Hugh with a smile: "Our conductor made sure there was no horsing around during practice and we had to ensure that the stable door was bolted when we left."
In 1944 Hugh was already a dedicated bandsman and Eb bass player and every Saturday with his instrument in a canvas bag, he made the 36 mile journey in two buses with wooden seats taking him from Dalmellington to Newmilns for private lessons from the redoubtable George Hawkins, a top class band trainer, professional conductor and composer of that period and top bands throughout the UK used his services. Hugh, who worked as a miner, was given permission from the pit manager to work on a Sunday to enable him to attend these lessons with George Hawkins. He received 10/- out of which he paid 3/- for a one hour lesson 1/9d for his bus fare and 3d for a bag of chips when he changed buses in Ayr on route home to Dalmellington. Hugh carried on this epic weekly journey for 4 years until 1948, but in addition to honing his playing skills, he also learned composition and became an expert writer of band scores, a skill he still regularly uses today.
In 1960 Hugh took over the role of bandmaster at Dalmellington Band and for the next 20 years he successfully applied the Hawkins teaching methods. Great success followed in the contesting field and the band were regularly featured on radio and television. Hugh said: "This period was for me the halcyon days of banding. We had some excellent players and a great influx of young talent many of whom went on to make their mark as top musicians. The band also took part in concerts far and wide building up a reputation as a first class band. These were very happy times." After 30 years working underground in the pits in Dalmellington, Hugh left mining in 1969 and joined Ayrshire Education Authority as a brass tutor at Dalmellingon High School and Auchinleck Academy. He spend 25 years in this role which he remembers as a wonderful pleasure never to be forgotten, again seeing many of his young pupils go on to become very fine players. Having worked for 55 years in the pits and in brass band tutoring, Hugh retired in 1995 age 70 years.
Along the way his dedicated work earned him the MBE for services to brass banding and he made a special mark on those players who fell under his influence. In particular he is very thankful for the encouragement he received from his late wife, Jenny, daughter Ucilla and son-in-law, George Galloway. Brass banding has been Hugh Johnstone's life and his contribution has been simply enormous. Bert Ritchie, President of Dalmellington Band said: "Hugh Johnstone is the giant original man of brass banding. Hundreds of young players owe Hugh a debt of gratitude. He has literally spent a life time in banding showing a level of dedication which is quite extraordinary. We are thankful that Hugh was born in Dalmellington and dedicated his life to our band."
Nowadays Hugh Johnstone continues to spend endless hours in Dalmellington Band's flagship headquarters with junior band members. Their wholehearted efforts to do well is all the encouragement he ever needs and in an uncertain world, playing a brass instrument provides young people with a degree of stability, challenge, dedication and great fun.
Hugh has also been a dedicated member of SBBA for many years. At every major contest over the past 30 years and more, Hugh will be seen on stage quietly helping to ensure that contests flow smoothly. As in all aspects of banding, he simply wants to make things happen efficiently and with no fuss enabling bands to perform to their full potential. And what of the future? Hugh said: "I am 83 and fortunate to enjoy good health. I have plenty of mileage left in me and I hope to continue my work with young players as long as I remain fit. I have so many happy memories of amazing young folk and I simply feel privileged that I had a hand in helping them enjoy the magical world of brass banding and in the process made ever lasting friendships."
What many folk may not appreciate is that Hugh, in addition to his life time in banding, has been the long-time and totally dedicated secretary of Patna Golf Course. In addition he has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the history of Ayrshire's Doon Valley where he still lives today.