An inscribed presentation mounted photographic portrait of A. Le Mesurier Australian champion bandsman and trombonist in 1915 to a young Ballarat boy, fourteen year old Michael Taffe who later became Australian champion junior cornet soloist.Script printed on front mounting board Richards & Co Ballarat. Inscribed on back of mounting board, "To my little "mascot" Michael Taffe, Wishing you and yours the "Compliments of the Season". from Yours Sincerely A. Le Mesurier. Xmas, 1915.le mesurier, taffe, ballarat trombone, south street competitions, australian band championships.

Ten Pretty Girls was composed by Jimmy Kennedy and Will Grosz wrote the lyrics. The song was written in the 1930's. Broadcasting from Sydney from 1936, Jim Davidson’s ABC Dance Band, with the trumpeter Jim Gussey, the vocalist Alice Smith and the trombonist and arranger George Trevare, became the most popular in the country. It presented dance programs on Friday and Saturday evenings and played for other ABC shows including `Out of the Bag’ and `A.B.C. Parade’. In 1937-39 the band made three interstate tours, with a variety of artists including Bob Dyer, Tex Morton and Gladys Moncrieff. Davidson was a strict but encouraging leader who inspired great loyalty in his players. (ref adb.anu.edu.au/biography)This is an example of the kind of music popular in the first half of the 20th century.Sheet music for "Ten Pretty Girls". The front cover is red and green and has a photograph of Jim Davidson from the A.B.C. National Dance Orchestra. There are details of the composer and lyricist and in the bottom right corner the price -2/-.sheet-music-ten-pretty-girls music

The brass cornet was owned by early Australian Jazz musician and multi-instrumentalist Benny Featherstone Benny Featherstone is considered "one of the most fascinating and gifted musicians in the history of Australian jazz" (Johnson, Oxford Companion to Australian Jazz, p 154). Once described as "Australia's Louis Armstrong"Buescher brass cornetTrue tone. Pat. Oct 89.07 287335 LP 262 The Buescher Elkhart Ind. U.S.A.benny featherstone, prince of good fellows, thirties, jazz musician, melbourne jazz musician, drummer, 1930 s, buescher cornet, trumpeter, trombonist, clarinetist, pianist, early australian jazz

Published: 7 Dec 1934 Published title: A FIJIAN TROMBONIST. Published caption: Although the young Fijian here for the Eucharistic Congress had no uniform, he did not feel out of it with the members of St. Vincent de Paul’s Band at the Sacre Coeur, East Malvern, this week. Trove article identifier: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205071643 Description: A young Fijian boy sits with young members of the St Vincent de Paul’s Band, all seated on the grass in sunshine. The three young band members are jauntily dressed in braided hats, long pants and smart dark jackets, white shirts, dark bow tie, and dark long trousers and boots. One holds a French horn, one a trumpet. In contrast, the young Fijian boy is shoeless, hatless, and dressed in white – a white shirt, and possibly a white “skirt” as observed to be worn by Fijian policemen in their home country at that time. He carries a trombone, which perhaps belongs to the young band member sitting beside him. Research by project volunteer, Louise McKenzie: A photo in the Argus on the previous day shows “two Papuans, Aloysius and Bernard, … talking to Archbishop O’Shea of Wellington (N.Z.).” In a turn of phrase which would be far from acceptable today, the caption notes that the juxtaposition of the dark skinned boys and the white skinned Archbishop makes “A picturesque Contrast”. The photo is also staged in a way that has the two dark skinned boys (wearing white shirts and white “skirts”, and no hats), standing, looking down on the Archbishop in his elaborate clothing and headcovering. The Age caption advises that they are at Sacre Coeur, East Melbourne. The reason for the event – a garden party – was held as part of the National Eucharistic Congress which took place in Melbourne from Sunday 2 – Sunday 9 December 1934. An initiative of the Roman Catholic Church, it was their contribution to Melbourne’s Centenary Celebrations. At this garden party the Papal Legate, Cardinal MacRory, accompanied by dignatories including the Papal Chamberlain, met Old Girls of Sacre Coeur Convent. The Cardinal’s sister was at one time Mother Superior of this Convent. The featuring of Fijian and Papuan boys in these articles reflected the diverse nature of Catholic Church representatives worldwide who attended the Eucharistic Congress which featured as part of Melbourne’s Centenary celebrations. Notable visitors to the Congress included the Papal Legate, His Excellence Cardinal MacRory, several Monsignors from Rome, the Archbishop of Liverpool representing England, Scotland and Wales, together with representatives from New Zealand, China, South Africa, Ireland, the Islands of the Pacific, India, Malta, USA, and of course from across Australia. St Vincent de Paul “Our History” advises that the Society was founded in France in 1833 by a group of dedicated Catholics who put their faith into action to support the poor in their community. The “Vinnies” website “1854 onwards” sets out milestones of the Society’s close involvement with Melbourne from its infancy in March 1854 up to today. A well researched blog by Jeremy de Korte dated February 28, 2024 – Band Blasts from the Past – Anecdotes, Stories and Personalities, notes: Orphanage bands in Australia were a copy of practices in England where the teaching of music in boys’ institutions was commonplace (Sheldon, 2009). There was, however, a major difference to the outcomes of this musical education between the two countries. Boys who were trained as musicians in English institutions readily found themselves recruited into the bands of the British Army and Navy (Sheldon, 2009). Whereas the musicians that graduated from the Orphanage bands in Australia found themselves positions in the wider band movement. … We know that Orphanage bands in Australia have had a long and distinguished history, as well as enviable reputations. The St. Augustine’s Band from Geelong is probably the most famous of them all, and it is mentioned that by 1898 they were already putting the call out for a new set of instruments (“ST. AUGUSTINE’S ORPHANAGE BAND.,” 1898). St. Augustine’s went on to win many competitions at South Street in Ballarat and toured extensively – in one instance, in 1906 they won the A Grade Championships at South Street (Royal South Street Society, 1906). The band at St. Vincent’s de Paul in Melbourne was no less famous than their counterpart in Geelong and in 1921 they gained the services of Mr. Leslie Hoffman, a graduate of the St. Augustine’s Band, as their conductor (“St. Vincent’s Bandmaster,” 1921). This slide is quite badly damaged, reminding us of the fragility of this photographic form. The colour is washed out across most of the slide, and the left of the slide is badly degraded as if the photographic solution hasn’t quite taken. But the culprits are most likely time and mode of storage. References: A FIJIAN TROMBONIST--SUITE FOR DOLL'S HOUSE--LUNCH TIME AT THE SPORTS--A FULL SLIDE. (1934, December 7). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 3. Retrieved April 9, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205071643 "INTERSTATE TENNIS -- EUCHARISTIC GARDEN PARTY" The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) 6 December 1934: 9. Web. 9 Apr 2024 Photographer notations on slide: "Boy bandsmen B61".1930-1939, bands, catholic church