ANZAC Gallipoli Pilgrimage

The brass quintet setting a suitably sombre theme with renditions of "Danny Boy" and "Starlight", to the delight of the American crowds. The Memorial’s Superintendent Paul DePrey said RIMPAC was a great opportunity to feature musicians from another country. “The performance was great. The selection of music was really appropriate and set the tone for visitors to the site,” Mr DePrey said. “I like the fact that they were from Australia – another country that had such a strong relationship the US during the Pacific War.” Band Master for the Sea Deployment Group Chief Petty Officer Musician (CPOMUSN) Doug Antonoff said the performance had come about through a contact in the Pacific Fleet (PACFLT). “This was a good opportunity for the brass quintet,” CPO Antonoff said. “This site is steeped in history. It is a good opportunity to be here to perform for a lot of international tourists.” CPO Antonoff said tuba player Able Seaman Musician (ABMUSN) Adam Arnold had been responsible for the selection of music and this event had given him an opportunity to develop his leadership skills. “It’s always a challenge selecting music. We have a diverse repertoire with a broad range of music and styles,” AB Arnold said. “It has been a privilege to perform here.” Not all of the band’s performances were so serious. The band also played at the Australianrun Wet ‘n Wild Water Park, an afternoon concert at Hale Koa Hotel in Waikiki and they joined the Pacific Fleet Marching band in a special parade. 12 members of the RAN Band SDG have deployed on HMAS Kanimbla for RIMPAC and include the brass quintet, a jazz group and a rock group. On the way to Pearl Harbor, HMAS Kanimbla stopped in Apia, Samoa, and the Sea Deployment Group played a concert for the children at Vaiala Beach School. Vaiala Beach School in Apia Samoa, an independently owned company was established with one pupil, at Aggie Greys Flats at Vaiala in 1984. It steadily grew over the years until it occupies two flats, which was a far cry from the original beginning of a tin shack on the water's edge. Cyclone Ofa, in 1990, created havoc and demolished the school that pre-empted the hasty move to Apia Park. It was during this period that land was purchased at Vailima for the eventual establishment of permanent premises. January 1994 saw the fruition of these plans with the opening of the new premises at Vailima. The school have since added five extra classrooms, a library and sports shed.

ANZAC GALLIPOLI PILGRIMAGE

Article by Lieutenant Commander Paul Cottier, RAN

On Monday 12th April 2010, 16 very excited Royal Australian Navy Musicians and I arrived at the Sydney detachment rehearsal complex for preparations and rehearsal for our departure to Turkey for the 2010 ANZAC Commemorative Service held at ANZAC Cove on the 25 April. The touring party consisted of nine reserve musicians and eight permanent musicians. As part of our rehearsal schedule the contingent recorded all of the ANZAC music, in which Compact Disc copies of the music were given for distribution by Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Russ Crane who represented the Australian Defence Force at the ceremony. After four days of recording and rehearsals the contingent departed from Sydney to Canberra for pre-deployment briefs and the issue of our travel attire. This was also the first opportunity for us to meet the other members of the touring party which included members of Australia’s Federation Guard, Navy Chaplain and the winners of the Chief of Army scholarship. We departed Canberra by coach on Saturday 17 April and headed for Mascot Airport to catch our flight to Istanbul via Dubai. On arrival at Istanbul we then had a 350 km road trip to Canakkale where we would spend the next eight days.

Over the following three days we were fortunate to experience cultural tours which included visiting Troy, Island of Tenedos Bozcaada, Assos and the Skirts of Mount Ida. On 21 April we visited ANZAC Cove for the first time and joined the “I am an Australian Soldier” Scholarship Group for a day of Battlefield Tours. This was a day that I and I am sure the touring party will never forget. To see first hand the terrain and hear the stories of bravery from the ANZAC’s was indeed very emotional and rewarding. We visited The Nek, Chunuk Bair, Outpost No 2, Walkers Ridge, Shell Green, Quinns Post and Lone Pine just to name a few. We were able to stand in the trenches and remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice on the battle field. On 23 April we were joined by nine New Zealand Defence Force musicians for rehearsals in preparation for the Dawn Service at ANZAC Cove. We also combined and performed at the Turkey International Children’s Festival which was held at the Canakkale Football Stadium. This performance also included bands from the Turkish Armed Forces as well as Defence Bands from Pakistan and France. We performed to a full stadium of approximately ten thousand people as well as the performance being televised live on Turkish television. On completion of the festival each band marched along the Canakkale foreshore to an appreciative audience. The 24th April started with us performing at the Turkish International Service at Mehmetick. This performance also included the Turkish Defence bands as well as the Bands from Pakistan and France. On completion of the service, Leading Seaman Marcus Salone performed the Last Post and Reveille at the Commonwealth Memorial Service at Cape Helles. After an afternoon of rest we departed for Bagali to perform at the Bagali Peace Festival. The festival was held on the site of Gazi Mustafa Kemal ATATURK headquarters during the invasion and battle at ANZAC Cove. The festival was attended by thousands of young University Students who enjoyed a week-end of music and cultural dancing. Our performance included a mass bands performance as well as a 10 minute solo performance of Australian music. This event was also televised live on Turkish television. On completion of our performance we departed for ANZAC Cove in preparation for the Dawn Service the following morning. We arrived at ANZAC Cove at approximately 10:30 pm on the evening of 24 April and prepared the stage for the Dawn Service. At 3 am we combined with the New Zealand Defence Band and performed a 35 minute reflective music program which included music from the era. The highlight of the program was a performance of Un Peu D’Amour which was sung by Able Seaman Bryony Dwyer and accompanied by Leading Seaman Marcus Salone on Cornet. The origin of performing this work was that a Turkish Soldier who was a professional musician performed the tune from his trench every evening after the days fighting had finished. The work has become a part of the lead up to the Dawn Service. At 4:30 am members of the Navy Band Contingent were joined by Turkish String section musicians for the performance of “The Landing” written by Elena Kats-Chernin. Over the past three years prominent musicians have been asked to write a movement of a suite which will be performed in its entirety in 2015 at the 100th Anniversary Celebrations. The suite describes the journey of our diggers as they prepared, landed and fought the battle at Gallipoli. We were indeed fortunate to be involved in the third movement. The Dawn Service commenced at 5:30 am on a cold still morning. The service was very emotional and it was an honour to be part of it. It was amazing how quite such a large crowd could be. I could not have been more proud of the contingent’s performance. Warrant Officer Dale Granger performed an excellent rendition of the Last Post under very difficult conditions. After the Dawn Service at ANZAC Cove we ventured to Lone Pine for the Australian Service. This service was a lot more relaxed and was performed to a festive atmosphere. Once again the Navy musicians performed brilliantly and we were well received by the general public. Leading Seaman Marcus Salone performed an excellent rendition of the Last Post and Reveille. On completion of the service we attended the New Zealand Service at Chunuk Bair before returning to Canakkale.

We departed from Canakkale on 26 April and returned to Istanbul where we had the opportunity to enjoy the culture of the city and visit sites such as the Blue Mosque, Cistem and the Grand Bazaar. We departed Turkey on 29 April and arrived in Sydney on 30 April. I would like to thank all the musicians for their efforts and the high standard of music performance that they produced. We all now have fond memories on what was a trip of a life time.