City of Ballarat Municipal Brass Band

Those magnificent folks in their almost-flying machine.

Now over 125 years old, and a popular fixture at Meredith since 2005. According to the band they’ll be:

‘Starting with some marching through the campsite to wake everyone up after a big Friday night, we move onto the stage for a romp through some classic hits! Hopefully you might even recognise a few old-school tunes and be able to have a dance or sing along, and get your bodies moving for the amazing artists that follow.’

With a steady membership sitting strong around the 30 mark, the band took out first place in their grade at the 2013 Victorian Brass Band Championships.

The band’s origins can be traced to one formed in Ballarat by Thomas Bulch, who had arrived from England with a group of his musician friends in 1885 at the age of 22 years. Bulch became a leader in the local banding scene, creating “Bulch’s Model Brass Band”, which was renamed The Ballarat City Brass Band in October 1900.

The band has been a staple at Meredith for many years now, and it is one of their favourite gigs of the year.

Here is some footage from 2008:

Here’s a couple of photos: