RN Volunteer Band HMS Seahawk
BdCSgt D Clarkson BMus(Hons) MA PGDipLTCL AMusTCL ATC LLCM Royal Marines
Greetings once more from the Volunteer Band of HMS Seahawk, where the sun always shines but usually above the rain clouds! This is a round up of our exploits since February of this year under the watchful eye of Band Sgt Doug Clarkson.
In February, the usual list of suspects joined the annual trip to Cologne. This year we were to have 3 Cologne ‘Virgins’ but due to last minute complications, Bandy waved us off with the promise he would be with us next time and we would behave ourselves honest! So it fell to Harry Lane, one of our drummers and a RAF cadet to perform the duties required! He passed with flying colours, standing to attention and saluting EVERY time someone sang the Dambusters March! Good to have you aboard Harry! We also had the chance to assist in the initiation of our other first timer, in the guise of piper AEM Dave Galley who was given the dubious honour of carrying the piper’s beer kitty all week! Well done Dave; not an easy job where pipers are concerned!
The Band was again invited to provide music for the Gweek panto, which happens in March! Renowned for its loose approach to rehearsal and performance, the Gweek panto has become a local tradition, which entertains for many reasons! Amongst this year's points of note were Debbie’s inability to time a cymbal crash with the on stage collision and Bandy managing to romp home in first place in the under 5’s colouring in competition! Hardly any crayon outside the lines too!
A contingent of only 5 performed at the Flight Deck Ops pass out parade during March, meaning Bandy had to dust off his clarinet and re-visit Tune a Day. The music was well received as usual despite the challenges of running a Volunteer Band being made all the more obvious!
Flight Deck Ops pass out
There was a better turnout, however, for the next Band social event; a curry night at the local Indian restaurant. Funny how the promise of food and possibly a small glass of wine brings us all together! Mention must be made of Nathan our Tuba player who arrived late having been at a rehearsal for the town band. Despite not carrying an ounce of fat, he sat down, ordered ‘What ever he’s got!’ and then proceeded to demolish not only his own food, but also the leftovers of two other peoples meals! We’ll fill you out yet, Nathan!
An unseasonably hot Sunday afternoon provided the backdrop for a fantastic gig for the Seafarers UK at the beautiful Tregothnan estate where the Band entertained a large crowd of visitors and stallholders. The Band played well and was thanked by the organisers for their contribution to the day.
April began with a concert in the station cinema. This was a first for the band and an opportunity to show the serving community at Culdrose that we don’t just do parades and pantos! Captain MacKay attended and was very impressed, telling us that his wife and daughter are both musical but unfortunately not living locally at present. We hope that more concerts will follow and this will become a regular feature of station life.
HMS Seahawk's pipers during the station concert
During April our marching practices began with most of us looking perplexed at the seemingly complicated routine that Bandy was trying to explain to us! With the promise that it would get easier when we had a full band, we dutifully marched up and down the MT department hangar trying not to wheel into the parked up fire trucks!
June saw the marching practice moving into the open as the routine got measured out more accurately by CPO Stu Patterson, our Drum Major. Captain MacKay again supported the Band by attending a marching practice and was nearly roped in to fill a gap!
Gigs in June began with the decommissioning of 792 Squadron, which has provided training at RNAS Culdrose since 2001. The guest of honour was Rear Admiral Snow RN who inspected the Band as well as the Divisions present.
The Freedom of Helston is always a favourite parade of the Band. As Helston has its own very successful brass band, many engagements in the town are taken on by them. The Freedom Parade is about the ties the town has with the Navy, so naturally only a Naval Band will do! The parade meet in one of the car parks for inspection and speeches from the Captain and the Mayor then takes up position and marches proudly through the main street, drums beating and bayonets fixed. Somehow this year, we managed to set off on the wrong foot and consequently did the entire march out of step! No names mentioned but we know who it was!
Freedom of Helston Parade
Having enjoyed each other’s company so much on last December’s trip to the Falklands, Debbie Williams and PO Mark Rooke set off again to represent HMS Seahawk at the massed band parade at BRNC. They appeared to have had a good time on a gloriously sunny day and enjoyed seeing friends from other bands.
This brings us bang up to date! With 3 more rehearsals for the Band before travelling to Portsmouth, last minute preparations are well in hand with a flurry of polishing, rehearsing and of course socialising! We are due to have a dress rehearsal in front of the Commander and other personnel another first and we are looking forward to the heady cut and thrust of competition!
Other news from the Band includes the aforementioned Harry Lane having been accepted into the Army Music Service as a drummer. Well done Harry we will miss you!
Another happy event within the Band is the impending arrival of a 3rd Rooke! Jo and Mark met through the Band and some may remember him proposing at a band festival a few years ago. They have announced that their first child together is due this September. As they will be performing a duet at the band festival, this means there will actually be 3 Rookies on stage together! Our congratulations go to them.
By the time this is published we will all have met again at this year’s band festival and hopefully had another enjoyable weekend of Volunteer Band fun!
Until we meet again though
Dalghenna hemma rag vy rag ha mynysenn!
Last updated January 2010
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