A Special Presentation
Congratulations John Cornish!
While we were all gathered together at the footy gig, a special presentation was made by our President Kathryn: John Cornish was thanked for his dedication to the band, as he steps down from contesting with us.
You'll still see John performing with us in concerts, as well as with Western Brass.
Thank you John for your many years of contesting with us- you're the epitome of a team player.
FYCB Welcomes New MD!
FYCB would like to officially welcome Louisa Lawless to the position of Musical Director. We've already set to work on our repertoire for States, and we're really excited to be guided by Louisa's expertise.
Read more about Louisa here.
Footy Footy
The Scraggers were delighted to be invited to play for footy fans at the 140th Anniversary of the Western Bulldogs. Playing a selection of covers the crowd were cheered by our fun beats, and swooned by Mr. Byron Crump.
ANZAC Day Parade 2023
It is an honour to march up to the shrine on ANZAC day, to remember and show our endless gratitude to those who suffered so much that we may thrive today. Congratulations to Stuart McCorkelle on his first ANZAC day as Drum Major and well done to our new percussionists.
Scraggers Nationals Campaign
We are absolutely thrilled to have placed 5th of 12 at the Australian National Band Championships, 2023. This year held in Newcastle, Dr. Bob Childs adjudicated the following works:Hymn: CrimondMarch: RavenswoodOwn Choice: Tracing Time, Oliver WaespiTest Piece: Siege (by Western Brass' wonderful MD Jared McCunnie)Our incredible interim conductor Brenton Burley skilfully and strategically prepared the band over the last few months towards a relaxed, professional, and uplifting performance. Congratulations to all involved!
Bakehouse Gig, December 22
It's always so glorious on a sunny day to play in the cool green glow beneath the trees at Alfa Bakehouse, Yarraville. A lovely final gig with Louisa Trewartha out front as MD. And as always- it went off!
AGM and Awards
We recently held our AGM. It was wonderful to celebrate our band members who have gone above and beyond this year:
Absent: Andrew Boyle who was awarded Most Improved Player
FYCB Local Tour
What a wonderful local tour it has been!
On Friday April 1st, we played our first formal concert since 2018, with a crowd of real-life people(!) who flattered us with rapturous applause. We made two Australian premieres: Where She Sings Freely composed by Lucy Pankhurst and text by Clara Price, with Ramona Downie Berry jumping up from the horn section to be our Narrator. The second work was Flight by the band's MD Louisa Trewartha. After the interval we heard three works from students of the Footscray-Yarraville City Percussion Academy, lead by MD Katie Thomas. We closed the evening with 'Mid All the Traffic' (see below). The evenings soloists included principal cornet Stuart McCorkelle, principal euphonium Peter Murnane, and the ever-entertaining Byron Crump.The next morning we were up early to perform our second concert of the local tour outside of Alfa Bakehouse, Yarraville. Many folks put their morning plans on hold as they stopped to listen, while those at the cafe were pleasantly surprised by the free, high-quality performance. We'll be back!
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Yarraville Station: 150th Celebration
Scraggers were back in fine form on Saturday November 20th, celebrating the 150th anniversary of Yarraville Station.
Performing under the shade of some beautiful trees next to the station, passers-by and customers at Alfa Bakehouse were pleasantly surprised when the band started up with some fun charts. As an audience gathered, curiously drawn to the sounds of FYCB's fine playing, kids were dancing and adults were tapping their toes.
