And this one time, at band camp...

Here is a wonderful photo that I've had to scan from the original 10 by 8 black and white print. It's the only one I have, and as I didn't take it, I don't have the negatives either. But it's a precious shot to me, as it shows me (far left, flute) playing with 2MD band in Victoria Barracks.

After I left Newcastle university, and left my army reserve band, I played with 2MD for the better part of a year, as a "full time reserve". We were based out at Vaucluse at that time, as the new bandroom at Victoria Barracks was still being built. Vaucluse was wonderful because it was away from the constrictive overview of the upper echelon of the army, and the band could behave more like a band than a bunch of soldiers. (Of course we behaved ourselves sir.)

We'd play soccer on the park above the lighthouse, and when it came time to pass a fitness test we'd run along the cliffs before rehearsals.

Generally we were done by lunch time, and since most of our gigs were at night in the less busy parts of the year we had a lot of free afternoons. I was living in the barracks at randwick at the time, which in itself was quite an experience, quite worthy of an entire blog post to itself. I'd make it back there in time to have lunch at the mess, and then as others were going back to their units for the rest of the day I'd mention spending the rest of the afternoon on the beach. How they loved me.

Eventually they told me that I'd have to go to kapooka and join the regs if I wanted to stay, and I decided that the advertising industry was missing my expertise, (and who really wants to go to kapooka?) so I took my leave and went.

I think that was still one of the best years of my life though, wonderful people, music and places. Not many people get to play the 1812 overture and have real cannon's being fired from the other side of the green in time with you (or sometimes not quite!)