Volume 48, No. 7, May 04, 2006
By
Rebecca Codey
STEEPED in tradition, the Last Post and Reveille have the power to blanket large crowds in complete silence, and to bring tears to the eyes of generations of Australians and New Zealanders.
No less immune to the gravity of the music are a handful of the men responsible for its delivery this year.
Central Band Members CPL Ben Mansted, LAC Michael Fraser and CPL John Collinson and Air Command Band members CPL Brenton Burley and CPL Brendon Tasker. CPL Steve Temple did the honours in the Middle East.
Name: CPL Ben Mansted
CPL Mansted traveled to Gallipoli as part of the Central Band contingent and played the Last Post for the Anzac Dawn Service at Anzac Cove.
Air Force career: I joined the Central Band as a trumpeter in 1999.
Career highlights: There are quite a few experiences I would call highlights.
I played the Last Post at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for Anzac Day in 2000 and at the Dawn Service at the Melbourne Shrine in 2001.
I have also been to Korea as a member of the band. Being at Gallipoli this year is the biggest gig of all.
What does it mean to have this responsibility for Anzac Day? This was something I had hoped I would be lucky enough to do one day.
It was a huge honour. It meant so much to be part of the Anzac tradition, to play the last post here and honour those men who lost there lives for their country.
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Name: LAC Michael Fraser
LAC Fraser played the Last Post and Rouse (short version of the Reveille) at the Australian Memorial Service at Lone Pine.
Air Force career: I joined the Central Band in 2002 as a trumpeter.
Career highlights: The tour of the Middle East in September 2004 to entertain troops was a real highlight for me. The experience was surreal, and opened my eyes to the job our people are doing.
What does it mean to have this responsibility for Anzac Day? I feel terribly lucky and honoured.
To play the Last Post anywhere for such a significant occasion is a great responsibility and challenge, but to do so in Gallipoli on Anzac Day is the granddaddy of them all. It was an awesome experience.
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Name: CPL John Collinson
CPL Collinson sounded the Last Post and Reveille in a packed MCG before the Australian Rules Anzac Day Test Match between traditional rivals Essendon and Collingwood.
Air Force Career: I joined the Air Force as a trumpeter with the Central Band in 1999. In February this year I transferred to the Reserves and now play with the band when I'm needed.
Career highlights: A trip to South Korea not long after I joined the Air Force was fantastic.
I have now played the Last Post and Reveille before the Anzac Day Test Match twice — the first time four years ago — and on both occasions it was amazing.
The silence is the most incredible thing, almost eerie, to know that you are surrounded by tens of thousands of people yet you could hear a whisper.
What does it mean to have this responsibility for Anzac Day? It is always an incredible privilege and responsibility to represent and pay respect to those that have passed, whether at the MCG or at military funerals, but particularly so on such a significant day.
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Name: CPL Brenton Burley
CPL Burley played the Last Post before a 29,000-strong SCG crowd at Sunday's Melbourne v Sydney clash, and again during the Anzac Day Dawn Service and parade in the heart of Sydney.
Air Force career: I joined the Air Force as a member of the Air Command Band in 1998, auditioning and securing the position of trumpet player.
Career highlights: I have had so many great experiences, including a couple of trips to Papua New Guinea , New Zealand and South Korea , that it is hard to name just one.
Performing the Last Post is the most important thing you can do as a military band trumpet player, but another standout experience was performing as a soloist for the 1999 Australian premiere of Bruce Broughton's Excursions for Trumpet and Band.
What does it mean to you have this responsibility for Anzac Day? It was a great honour, I felt privileged to have been given the responsibility.
While I have played the music many times during memorial services and funerals, this was the first time I had played the Last Post and Reveille during the Dawn Service at the Cenotaph at Martin Place.
It was also my first experience performing at the SCG in front of tens of thousands of football fans.
Both the SCG performance and the Dawn Service are moments my Air Force career that I'll never forget.
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Name: CPL Brendon Tasker
The first ever Air Force trumpeter at Anzac Day commemorations in Gallipoli, CPL Tasker traveled North to flood-ravaged Northern Territory to play the revered music during local ceremonies in Tindal and Katherine.
Air Force career: I first joined the Air Force as an Air Command Band trumpet player in 1996 and left to join the police force in October 2002.
In January this year I joined the Air Force again as a trumpet player with the AC Band.
Career highlights: In 2002 I was given the honour of being the bugler at Gallipoli, playing the Last Post and Reveille at the Dawn Service and at Lone Pine — the first ever Air Force person to do so.
It was absolutely amazing, and eerie. The sun hadn't yet come up and there were so many people there, but during the services you could hear a pin drop.
I will never forget standing on the beach, looking up towards the hill and playing that music.
It was an absolute honour, I was lucky to have been given the opportunity and for a member of a military band, it is the pinnacle of my career.
What does it mean to have this responsibility for Anzac Day? Without a doubt it was a true honour.
Whether on the beach at Anzac Cove, at the Cenotaph in Sydney or Tindal, playing the Last Post and Reveille on Anzac Day is important.
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