- 199 – After the parade had finished the musicians made their way to the buses and it was back to the band studio for a quick lunch. The busy day continued as members of the New South Wales and Queensland detachment stage bands combined for a public concert at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Darling Harbour. All other members made their way to Admiralty House to rehearse for an evening performance of Beat to Quarters and Ceremonial Sunset. The Ceremonial Guard and Band for the Beat to Quarters and Ceremonial Sunset were made up entirely of members from both the Sydney and Melbourne detachments. For many of the musicians in the Guard it was the first time they had held a weapon and not an instrument during a Ceremonial Sunset performance. The ceremony commenced with the Drum and Bugle Corps marching the Drill Team (with SLR weapons) and Fanfare Team onto the Quarterdeck. The Ceremonial Guard, under the command of Chief Petty Officer Camille Martin, and Drill Team had all worked very hard rehearsing with Chief Petty Officer Greg Morris and Leading Seaman Craig Elston from the Systems Command Ceremonial Cell ensuring all of the drill was in perfect unison. The Band marched on and played United We Stand followed by the Drill Team performing a drill display to Proud Echo and the massed Drum Corps Beating to Quarters. Able Seaman Damian Dowd and Able Seaman Bryony Dwyer sang a stirring rendition of I am Australian and My Country. The guard fired a volley at five minutes to sunset and as sunset was called the Governor General and her guests stood and all officers in uniform saluted the Australian White Ensign as it was slowly lowered. The Director narrated throughout the entire ceremony outlining various key elements of Navy’s heritage. Towards the end of the performance, the sky put on an impressive display of its own. The weather across the harbour changed dramatically with thunder and lightning and just as we marched off heavy rain soaked everyone and everything in sight. This certainly made for an eventful closing to a rather hectic week! The feedback received from all who attended the performances, in particular at Admiralty House, was exceedingly complimentary with strong and emotive accolades from the Governor General, Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce, the Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Russ Crane and fellow dignitaries. Having so many of our musicians working together in Sydney for these performances certainly made for a great atmosphere for everyone involved. It’s not often that so many of Navy’s musicians have the chance to catch up with each other; so this event provided the perfect opportunity.
NORTHERN TRIDENT Article by Petty Officer Brett Douglas Welcome from the musicians deployed in HMAS Sydney, as part of Operation Northern Trident. The operation is a five month international deployment aimed at supporting Government of Australia priorities in selected Western European, Northern American and Asian Countries. We have had quite a trip so far, with the first leg of the deployment encompassing countries such as India, Egypt, France and Spain. With the exception of overnight stop-overs in Cairns and Darwin, 16 days were spent at sea between Sydney and India. It was during this time where the musicians established themselves as productive members of the ship’s company. We achieved this by getting involved in a variety of tasks including; walk rounds for Ship familiarisation, participating in auxiliary duties such as laundry, scullery and Quartermaster watches, getting stuck into Damage Control training and securing regular times for rehearsals. We also utilised what little time was left to participate in a number of activities including; an ANZAC Day service at sea (which was covered by Navy News), a Cocktail Party and Ceremonial Sunset in India and a ‘crossing the line’ ceremony where fun was had by all personnel involved (albeit covered in a variety of non-toxic substances).
Royal Australian Navy Band: A Musical Voyage
