2015 was an exciting year for the band, heralding the start of our sponsorship by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, and hence our change of identity from Perth Concert Band to the WA Fire and Emergency Services Concert Band. The new identity was accompanied by new uniforms, new relationships, new exposure and new performance opportunities. While we’re on a learning curve, it’s clear from our internal murmurings and from feedback we’ve received that the sponsorship has been greatly appreciated by all parties.
2016 is here and another change is upon us, although not nearly as earth-shaking as the sponsorship. Membership has grown dramatically in the last few years and we’ve outgrown our rehearsal venue in Mount Lawley, our home for the last seven years. We were so cramped that it was becoming difficult to squeeze in any more saxophonists, a dire and unacceptable situation. The committee have hunted around and secured a much larger venue in Morley, only about 5 minutes away from the old venue, and rehearsals have already begun there. So we can now relax, stretch out our legs, stretch out our trombones, and look forward to all the great things we’ll get up to this year.