The Ipswich Model Band is one of the longest operating bands in Queensland. Established in 1906, the band has continually evolved into the community band it is today.
Operating from the H J Harper Band Hall in Basin Pocket, Queensland, the group of talented, enthusiastic musicians, regularly appears in concerts, festivals, and parades in Ipswich, Queensland and South East Queensland.
This unique band performs in concert format, as a marching band, and occasionally in the more intimate jazz band style. This provides the members with an ever changing repertoire and exposure to the music of Bizet, Glenn Miller, The Beatles, Rodgers and Hammerstein and everything in between.
History
Notes by Lifetime Member A.E. (Bill) Booth - Written 1980
I have been asked to give some information, regarding the history of the Ipswich Model Band, being the son of the late Samuel O Booth.
I will go back one year before the birth of the Model Band which is 1905. In that year S.O. Booth was conductor of the Ipswich City Band and led that band to victory at the contest held in Ipswich in that year. The citizens of Ipswich presented him with a huge enlargement photo of the Ipswich City Band, it stood on an easil for many years in our old home, that photo has been presented to the Ipswich Model Band and is now held securely on the wall of the Model Band Hall. For some unknown reason he resigned from that band in the same year 1905.
Regarding the Ipswich Model Band, I have always held the belief that what I know and have been told by old bandsmen is correct. It transpires that on a certain public holiday early in 1906 there was a procession down Brisbane St., and in among the floats etc. were a gathering of young lads marching with kerosene tins being banged with pieces of iron and anything else that would make a noise. After the procession ended, it led to the idea of getting the lads together and get them interested in forming a brass band, very soon after a meeting (public) was called and out of the meeting a committee was formed to see what could be done about procuring instruments etc. and the appropriate offices were elected. Since his resignation from the City Band, S.O. Booth accepted the position of Band Master of the Blackstone Band (Ipswich) which had been active for some time. I have had talks with Mr Hugh Brown, who with his father were members of the Blackstone Band, Hugh is 86yrs of age now and he is the oldest exbandsman in the town, he gave me some of the history of the Blackstone Band. Now everything was ready for the Model Band to get started, but somebody had to teach those lads, S.O. Booth was invited to a meeting of the band, and I can very clearly remember my mother telling me that he had promised to teach these lads and it was to be known as the Ipswich Model Band, gradually he had to hand the Blackstone Band over and a Mr Kerr took the band as band master, S.O. Booth could spend more time with these lads.
Now we are still in 1906, well they must have made very good progress as four years later the Q.P.A. Society held a contest and the Model Band won, the Blackstone Band also played in this contest, it was New Year 1910. In the Easter of 1911 the contest was held at Maryborough both the Blackstone Band and Model Band went to this contest in the B. Grade, and the Model Band won again, this now had put them into A. Grade in the space of 5 years, an enlargement photo was presented to S.O. Booth by the Model Band and now it also hangs on the wall of the present Band Hall. He was known as a genius as a band trainer and conductor, but they never went to the next contest as A Grade. When they returned to Ipswich after the Maryborough contest a sudden change came to the Model Band, I can remember my mother telling me that some anti-Model person wrote an anonymous letter to the Queensland Times paper regarding the band and S.O. Booth took extreme exception to it. As he was always a fiery kind of man he said well let somebody else have a go and thoroughly disgusted threw the lot in. He took them from a bunch of amateurs to B Grade win, which put them in A Grade.
Now the problem was, who was going to carry on as band-master. Over a period of years there were four men, had a term of keeping going, they were Mr W. Grainger, Mr W. Bergemeister, Mr C. Taylor, and Mr May, it came to a situation where the band looked like folding up, but there was a horn player in the band, a Mr Horace Harper, although he was only about 27 years of age, he said he would carry it on temporally. Well he didn’t know at the time that he was to go on and conduct the band for 50 years. Naturally as by now it is 1917, and the band had slipped back in the grades, they were now back to D. Grade with Horace persevering with the job, he won a D. grade and now they were C. grade (I was a junior member of the band now).
In 1947, Horace won the C. grade, now this puts them back to B. grade, well although they contested for several years, they could not win a B. grade, they did go to one contest B. grade, also entered for A. grade, to make up for poor entries (few) in A. grade.
Now Horace was aging and not in the best of health, so he retired as conductor in 1967, an unbroken 50 years and the man that did a colossal job of holding the band together. Mr J. Wardrop was deputy conductor and he took over after Horace. He was conductor for 9 years, when said he would rather go back on cornet, as Mr J. Marriner was deputy conductor, he stepped into the conductors position in 1976.
Now during the time that Mr Wardrop was conductor at approximately 1972, the City Vice Regal Band wanted to wind up their affairs, of the long disbanded band. There was a meeting of the Trustees of the City V.R.B. and the Model Band to come to some arrangements regarding the assets of the C.V.R.B., the trustees wanted to handover these assets to the Model Band on condition that their name be incorporated in the name of the Model Band, well the assets were not of any great value, except a sum of money they held that had been publicly given to be used as a memorial to their late organiser, Mr Will Jones, it was decided at that meeting that a modern brick front would be put on to the Model Band Hall and a plaque built in stating it was to the memory of Mr Will Jones, this was agreed to and the name of the Models, would now be changed to “Ipswich Vice Regal Model Band”.
Since then some powers that be have had this money directed to be used for a totally different purpose, definitely contravening the conditions of the meeting, obviously the band have not had any advantage by having their name changed and now the wording of Vice Regal should rightfully be deleted. The money had been challenged by Mr Ray Jones (son of Will) to be used to supply St. Paul’s Church with a new bell. This was done.
It was in 1975 when Mr Wardrop decided to go back on cornet and give the deputy conductor all his assistance, Mr J. Marriner officially took over in January 1976. It is appropriate that the 1981 Contest is to be held in Ipswich, as that marks 75 years of continued activity and service to the public of Ipswich and surrounding districts by the Ipswich Model Band.
Now with the 1981 contest over, the Model Band have held their Annual Meeting, in the election of officers Mr J. Marriner explained that owing to ill health he would like to hand the position as conductor over to Mr G. Cox, who has been playing with the band, Mr Cox accepted and he is the present conductor.
Also the constitution has been revised, and the words “Vice Regal” deleted. It is now back to the original name:
“Ipswich Model Band”
This is the correct history of the Model Band – Lifetime Member A.E. (Bill) Booth
P.S. 1981 Mr Cox lasted for approximately 10 months and resigned, he had not made any improvement in the band. Mr Gary Lawrence took the band over and is now the present conductor, 1984.