From the Director’s Desk

HMAS Anzac detachment of musicians has up to and including La Coruña Spain performed: 1 Freedom of Entry March (Albany) 3 memorial services on board (Kanimbla Helo crew, ANZAC day and the AE2 submarine) 4 memorial services ashore (Crete) 1 open day 1 Maritime Commanders Divisions (Stirling) 8 Cocktail parties (Albany - Australia, Goa - India, Alexandria - Egypt, Chania -Crete, Istanbul - Turkey, Valletta - Malta, Toulon - France), La Coruña - Spain) 7 Ceremonial Sunsets 1 Marching display (with guard) 2 Anzac Idol heats 25 Wakey wakeys 12 Procedure Alphas 2 Official receptions 1 Wardroom function 10 Public Concerts 3 Commanding Officer’s luncheons 4 Replenishment’s at Sea 3 Sail pasts (including the memorial sites on the headlands of Gallipoli) 10 Countries’ National Anthems and; 2 local songs: the Black Sea march supplied by Turkey and Rianxiera by Spain.

The officials and guests of both countries were very impressed by our renditions of their local songs of which all sang along with great gusto, the Turkish Chief of Navy in fact, asked for an encore!

I have to admit that some of my very favourite parts of the deployment did occur whilst I was on leave. I had the opportunity to travel to Paris and see some of the world’s greatest artworks at the Louvre and the Musee d’Orsay. Notre Dame Cathedral, the Eiffel tower (where I did have one of many chocolate croissants) and I climbed the Arc de Triomph (all 284 stairs). I strolled along the tree lined Siene and Champs d’Elysees. All the things I had imagined about Paris… the food (I did not however eat frogs legs or snails) the sights, the stylish (and those who think they are stylish) people, the extravagance, the expense! Catching the train through the provinces and across the Pyranees and the Spanish border to Barcelona where the fantastic (in the truest sense of the word) constructions of the master architect Gaudi were on every street corner. In Madrid I visited Picasso’s most famous, massive and moving painting “Guernica” (of the unprovoked bombing of the small Provencal town of that name). I also attended a bullfight in Madrid (which I will have to explain in depth at another time) which was, at the very least, a fascinating insight into Spanish tradition and custom. Others in our detachment travelled into Italy, to Monaco, into Provencal France and Spain and even back to Malta. As I walked with one of my shipmates from the train station to meet up with the ship in La Coruña (we had no idea where the ship was berthed) we crossed a large overpass and through the buildings I could see HMAS Anzac lit up like a Christmas tree. It was strangely like coming home. At the halfway point of the deployment it feels like we still have a seemingly long way to go before we are “home” home, but if the first half of the deployment is anything to go by the next half will be truly amazing!

RAN BAND NEWS EDITION NUMBER 7 9 JANUARY 2006

RAN BAND DETACHMENT ON DEPLOYMENT IN IRAQ CHRISTMAS 2005 FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK

The articles in this edition of RAN Band News highlight a very high period of activity. All of our detachments were busy with the usual remembrance ceremonies, ship open days and social functions, and public engagements. Many were involved in some way in supporting an unusually high number of ship commissioning and decommissioning ceremonies. In and amongst all of this activity, the band played an important role in ceremonies marking the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar and the 60th Anniversary of Victory in the Pacific. Interestingly, the band’s national output (tasks within Australia) for the July to December 2005 period was twice the level for the same period in 2004. During this period we commenced recording music for All Hands on Deck and released our first Christmas album, Do You Hear What I Hear? All Hands on Deck, scheduled for release in March 2006, will contain tracks featuring each of our detachments and will showcase the full range of our music capabilities. Our first Christmas album was released just in time for Christmas, and showcases our choir (the Sea Chanters) in company with the Wind Orchestra. The album has been distributed to libraries across Australia. During this period, elements of the band performed with a large number of high profile civilian artists and bands including, the Hoodoo Gurus, Yothu Yindi, Little Pattie, Beccy Cole, Marcia Hines, Todd McKenney, John Paul Young, Guy Sebastian, Deborah Cheetham and Jane Rutter. This level of exposure broadens our reach within the music industry and adds to our usual range of activities promoting music within schools and the community. Despite the heavy demand for its services, the band continued its sea deployment initiative with elements from the Sydney and Melbourne detachments embarking for short voyages in HMAS Stuart and HMAS Kanimbla. These two sea deployments followed on shortly after we welcomed back eight of our people from their posting to HMAS Anzac for its highly successful NORTHERN TRIDENT deployment. We look forward to continuing our direct support to the Fleet during 2006 with planned deployments in HMAS Tobruk and HMAS Manoora. Two particular highlights for the period were our involvement in supporting Australia’s Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands, and our deployment to the Middle East Area of Operations (MEAO). The deployment to the Solomon Islands in July, sponsored by the Forces Advisory Council for Entertainment (FACE), was a resounding success.