MEDIA RELEASE

Band Brings Christmas Bounty to Bougainville

Major Ian McLean and 13 members of the Royal Military College Band are about to depart for the island of Bougainville on 15 December with 'Christmas Cheer' from downunder.

The band group will comprise rhythm and brass sections as well as three singers. Bands from Vanuatu, Fiji and New Zealand will also join the RMC Band for a two week tour.

In August this year the band travelled to Bougainville in the first overseas deployment of a Defence Force band since the Vietnam War.

Major McLean is one of only two remaining Army musicians left from the Vietnam era, and the trip to Bougainville was a highlight for him.

The success of the musicians in Bougainville can be judged by the reaction of the locals who found that music is the universal language of all peoples, and the Peace Monitoring Group men and women who were amazed at how the band was able to contribute to the peace process.

For those men and women of the 250 strong Peace Monitoring Group on Bougainville, the presence of the band means that a small part of Australia will be part of their Christmas, and for the band members the sacrifice of their Christmas holidays is their contribution to the Australian Defence effort on Bougainville.

For News Editors and Chiefs of Staff

Media intending to interview Major MacLean about the trip have an opportunity to see the band in action at 12:30 am at the Canberra Theatre for the Music At Midday performance.

Further information . . .

              Major Ian McLean: (02) 6265 9458
                                0412 254 601
             Mr Declan McGrath: 0419 448 100
Squadron Leader Mark Quilligan: 0419 220 890