Frank Wright was a renown resident of Smeaton, where he was born on 2 August 1901. He lived at Laura Villa, and attended Smeaton State School. His father William was a gold miner and his mother's name was Sarah. Their family won many singing and instrumental awards. Frank was tutored by Percy Code and was awarded a gold medal for the highest marks in the ALCM examinations in the British Colonies at the age of seventeen years. He became the Australian Open Cornet Champion by the age of eighteen. A year later, Frank conducted the City of Ballarat Band, and later the Ballarat Soldiers’ Memorial Band. He formed the Frank Wright Frisco Band and Frank Wright and his Coliseum Orchestra. These bands won many South Street awards, and Frank as conductor won many awards in the Australian Band Championship contest. In 1933 Frank Wright sailed to England to conduct the famous St Hilda’s Band and was later appointed Musical Director of the London County Council, where he organized many amazing concerts in parks, in and around the London district. He was made Professor of Brass and Military Band Scoring and conducted at the Guildhall of Music and Drama. Frank was often invited to adjudicate Brass Band Championships around Europe, in Australia, including South Street and in New Zealand. The Frank Wright Medal at the Royal South Street competition is awarded to an individual recognized as making an outstanding contribution to brass music in Australia. He died in England in 1970 at the age of 69.Black and white photograph of three men, two wearing band uniforms and one in a suit, hat and fob, sitting on chairs outside a building. The men are Spencer Peady, Earnest Bolitho and Frank Wright. The place is at the back of the Queens Hotel in Toowoomba, Queensland.Written in pen on the back - At the back of the Queens Hotel (Toowoomba) (Q), Spencer Peady, Earnest Bolitho, Frank Wright, Easter 1922, Taken by Percy James.city of ballarat band, brass band, frank wright, spencer peady, ernest bolitho, percy james

Collection of newspaper published obituaries, collected in 1960's. Obituaries mostly from the 'Bendigo Advertiser' and 'The Age' and relate to Bendigo people or those who were born in Bendigo. Index of names attached, with date of publication in newspaper, not date of death. Hamilton, Alexander John 27.4.64 Harvey, Gordon Alan 30.9.64 Hill, Lucy 13.7.63 Hurry, G (Lieut-Colonel) 9.2.51 Jorgensen, Christian 6.6.52 Lee, Norman 10.1.62 Mackay, George 24.5.48 Matchett, Robert 13.5.67 McNeill, Stan 12.6.67 McPherson, John Craig 15.4.66 Mueller, Ernest G 14.9.63 Mumford, Sarah 17.8.32 Mundy,Bert 19.2.63 Murray, Harold 7.2.62 O’Hoy, Que 28.9.64 Pethard, George Albert 22.9.63 Pidgeon, Brian Frederick 28.2.64 Smalley, Johathan 23.8.61 Taylor, Cecil Claude 25.5.69 Trenear, Elizabeth 1916 or 1917 Trengrove, Jack 18.10.62 Turner, Noel 25.9.64 Vicars Foote, R.J 26.9.60 Ward, Charles Edward 20.7.61 Watson, Robert 3.4.62 Weeks, Story M 16.9.67 White, Walter Bolitho 27.4.62