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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1975-06-26, Page 79Remember. the battle of Duncan's Crossing? Seaforth bands have glorious histoiy (Continued from Page 5) would like to tell him something about Seaforth. He mentioned that his father had been a band leader so naturally I gave him all the infcirmatitan 1- could about fellow members. The citizens band started again after the war and in 1922 purchased a bunch of kilts and tunics off a Highland Regiment. The kilt was the MacKenzie Tartan of the Earl of Seaforth and that is when our local Seaforth Highlanders took shape and performed quite famously for many years until 1965. Symphony One of the leaders of the early 20's was Frank Novak who married Isobel Scott of Roxboro. After a short time in Seaforth they moved to Winnipeg where they had the Symphony Orchestra for many years. It is interesting to note that one of their violinists in lat er years was a lad called Al Cherney who carne east, played for the C.K.N.X ranch boys, won the fiddlers championship and now performs on the Tommy Hunter,' T.V. Show. I remember Mr. Novak coming here one summer for a visit. Naturally he was asked to lead the band in the park one Sunday night and the thing that stands out was the fact he spent over half an hour tuning us up before he was satisfied that we were ready to play. In the early fall of 1929 the ° band had a bit of a break up so Ernie Box decided to start up a Junior Highlander Band. My brothers D'Orlean and Tom- and myself along with the Rennie boys, Jack Habkirk, Harold Free, John Cardno,Eugene Duncan and some others 1 can't retail at the moment practised all winter until spring. The Senior Band decided to form again under Milne Rennie for a short time and then they persuaded their old leader Billy Freeman to take over once more. He was in his late sixties at this time but still a terrific musician as well as being a gentleman of the old school. Bill Freeman originally started out as a violinist , until he lost the tips of his fingers on the left hand in an accident at the' Broadfoot and Box factory. As, look back on that practise room on the second floor of the Town Hall in the spring of 1930 1 can very vividly recall Billy Freeman standing in the centre of the room in front of his music standliis snow white hair and his habit of looking over his glasses and trying to attract the attention of everyone that he was ready to start by tapping on the stand with his short black baton and at the same time issuing a few dry coughs. I never saw anyone like him that could play an intricate part on a cornet with one hand and alt the same time beat perfect time with the baton in his and. Th rest of the members at that e e also quite real in my mind d starting in the south east corn r with the comets there was Dot eid, Milne Rennie, Charley Stewart (now President of Simpsons;, Percy Hoag, Irvin Trewartha, Roy Oke and Ross Rennie. Next was Pat Box on Tenor. He was always ready with a laugh-and-his favourite song was "Are you the O'Riley that runs this hotel". Leo Jo3rnt was alongside of hint and in the north east corner you found Gerald Stewart and Bob Tyndal on saxaphone. The first concert in the park I had to sit on Gerald's saxaphone case because there weren't enough chairs. Next to the saxophones was Bill Kerr on trombone - his favourite piece off music was one called "Sliding dam" becuase it had so many slur notes that could really roll out. Beside him was Frank Johnston, Tom Sills and Evan Rennie - the latter developed one of the smoothest trombone tones that you would likely' hear, Al Close was next on baritone and I will mention him later as a leader - needless to say he was terrific on that instrument and followed in the footsteps of another good baritone player - Dovvson Reid. The bass section was along the north windows with Mac McPhee playing the big Sousaphone and Der Sills and Chester McNall on the E flat basses. In front of them were the altos with Malcolm (Mac) McLeod - Mac had been playing for about 40 years at that time and still kept at it even with his false teeth. He used to put small rectangular black pieces in his mouth and for some time thought it was tobacco until someone told me that they were pieces of rubber designed to keep his teeth from dropping down. It is too bad he never had an opportunity of using some of these marvellous televised aids. Next to Mac was Russell Bolton, his brother Louis, then Jack Habkirk, Bill Trewartha and me. Bass Drum In the corner t the back was Gibby Reeves on bass drum. Harry Hinchely and tiny Parkes on snare drum and along the west wall was the clarinet section of Davey Gemmel], whose favourite was "Devil's Dream"; the Snow on brothers Cyril, Oswald and Je , Eugene Duncan, Ed Daly, and the two Picks Bad Boys - Sam Rennie and John CArdno. These latter two were always giving nick names to kids around town including the one of "Putt-Putt" that they gave to me. The last but by no means least person next to the clarinets was Gar Sillery on piccolo. Through the years personnel was continually changing but that band alw^ays maintained a nucleus that was augmented by fellows like Keith Sharp, Walter Scott, Harry Pethick, Fred Willis, Basil Duncan, some fellows from Hensall and some from Blyth as well as a host of others not mentioned. Any'Instrument After Billy Freeman gave up the band the next leader was Al Close. Here was a man who could play practically any instrument. He learned his milsic by playing the hen scratches used for notes on the musical score for vaudeville shows in Stratford. Five of his brothers played in the famous Guy Brothers Band so he came by his ability honestly. Al was also a lacrosse player and Seaforth lured him away from Galt where he played trombone for the Galt Kiltie Band. Al always claimed he could play a coronet that was hanging from a string because he only used lip pressure. He also read his notes 3 bars ahead of what he was playing and this is a remarkable feat. When you were marching on the street there was no one who could lift you along like Al on his coronet because his lips never tired. Al led the band until the second World War when the band lost most of its members. he then formed the Seaforth Boys and Girls Band and the fairer sex entered the brass band picture for 'the first time. These girls proved very proficient and quickly showed that they were in to stay. Some of them were Alice McIver, Beth Campbell, Marjorie McKenzie, Marian LilIlco, Diane Mowat and later the Hae.kwell Girls, Audrey and June and Doris Johnston. Some of the boys were George Hildebrand, Bob Scott, Oliver and Les Pryce and Gord Pullman, The Flannigan, boys Gord Rowland, the Willis boys and Jim Sills, plus a host of others all played their part in succeeding years. In the 1950's Al Close left to take over the Goderich Band and he was succeeded here by Stan Smith who had originally moved here to play the organ at the Presbyterian Church. He was one of the originals in what became the famous R.C.A.F. #1 Air Command Band. After Stan came Ernie Whetton, an Englishman who learned his trade in the Collier Bands of Britain before coming to Canada. After a stint in B.C. he joined the famous Millionaires Band of Huntsville. This band was the pet of a local millionaire, who liked music so much that he hired the entire clarinet section from Sous's Band in the States. Ernie died in harness and was' followed by Lyle Hammond of London who successfully converted himself from trombone to cornet. He was also an accomplished organist and pianist and played the orga_n for the Egmondville United Church. Lyle stayed with us for several years until the call of the wild lured him to a government job in Baffin Island. ft was becoming harder and harder to keep the young folks interested in band work - as many as forty might start in the winter classes but when summer came around you were lucky to keep 2 or 3 to stay with you. The pull of T.V.,, organized ball games, summer cottages , all seemed to entice them away. Combine this with the fact that the older uniforms had become shabby and some members were embarrassed about wearing them out on parade. Quietly Folded As a result the old band quietly folded and it has dnly been these last couple of years that a young oldster by the name of Dr. Charles Toll has been attempting to revive it. Doc has boundless energy ,so there is no telling what might happen. No doubt the call of T.V. has waned a certain amount and if the right man can hit the right time I feel that brass bands will come back into their own. All this time we have been talking about brass bands but there is another band that has been carrying Seaforth's name to many points of the province and that is the High School Trumpet Band. George •Hildebrand became leader and has led it ever since except for a year when Nancy Berger was the leader. George has enlarged the band threefold and added quite a large colour party. With their precision marching and smart appearance they have been an attraction at all local functions and over the last 10 years they have been a favourite at all the International Plowing Matches in the province. The members are very loyal. 1 know because four of our daughters have, been in it and a fifth hopes to get in next year. Over the years they have filled a gap in our musical requirements, especially in all the parades that are so much a part of every community. Brass Band It is to be hoped that a Brass band will also come to the fore and a rising generation can enjoy that feeling of comradeship that is so much a part of a musical group that loves to harmonize. The close. associations that ar e formed there are never lost and the quiet chuckles that come from reminiscing about various happenings within the band are an everlasting source of enjoyment. Socks For instance, the time after a Warriors Day 'Parade in toronto, brother Der and I had" a terrible time dissuading a member front buying a milk horse hitched to a cart in the C.N.E. grounds - or the time after a service at the Cenotaph Walter ,Stott never noticed the pine stump cut off just at the height that caught the bottom of his bass drum and rolled him right upon topof it like a cork - or the time Ernie Box picked up Harold Free's alto horn to show him how to blow it and never noticed Harold had been chewing on some of Chris, Cheoros' famous sticky candy - or the Englishman who complained to me as a Property Chairman that his socks didn't have any feet in them - kiltie socks never do - or the many times some' innocent came on parade with spats on the wrong feet or kilts on back to front - or the time the head came off the drum stick in Brussels and almost beaned a spectator - or the fellow in a kilt that had to be boosted up on the back shed roof to the bedroom window because his wife seemed to have forgotten that he .,was still out - or the Garden Party in Sebringville when they had a race for the band members and the fellow who came fourth got 15 cents but it cost him five dollars to have the cinders taken out, of his knees and hands .when he fell at the finish line - or the fellow that borrowed the snare drum so he, could go down to Little Scotland and serenade his girl friend. There are some that I recall and I know there are a host of other - happenings that other members recall. It was a real privtig; to join the band and the person, who did so never forgot it. Memories are happenings that OMIT under certain circumstances. Fortunately they are often happy ones that give (Continued on Page 8) esi 6—THE HURON EXPOS1TOR,JUNE 26, 1975