Brassbanned catches up with Robert “Bob” O’Brien, former President of Warringah Concert Brass.
Bob talks with us about Warringah’s new rehearsal studio, nationals preparation, intensive street march training as well as some of his plans to take down opposing band members in the Sebel’s carpark.
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Transcript
Auto-generated from the live stream, expect the occasional robot mishearing.
[Music] hello once again loyal brassband viewers I’ve made the Trek up here to Sydney to have a chat with Bob o’ri who is the immediate past president of wiing a concert BR us Bob how you going very well very well um never SE things bigger broader more beautiful um frankly wouldn’t be dead for quids Tim yeah could to be here yeah excellent and
Sydney’s turned on a lovely day is the weather always this good up here oh it’s always like this I can’t remember the last time I saw rain in Sydney um Tim it’s uh it’s it’s basically like this all the time as you can in the background that’s just U one of our small icons we have here in
Sydney and um just over to the side which you can’t see but Tim you can quite clearly it’s uh the new waringa band hall which uh which really is uh quite sufficient for for what we we need but um but yeah yeah it’s day it’s gorgeous and that’s a fantastic little band hole you’ve just got over there
I can see you guys doing some good work in there I imagine yeah it’s fairly handy I mean um I think he used to be known as the the opera house um at the front there we’ve got the cafeteria We’ve Got U you know car parking for 1,200 cars down below so it’s um yeah it’s adequate and what what about a a marching venue for rehearsing where do you rehearse your marching at the moment well actually we we actually use the deck of the
Sydney Harbor Bridge over there here uh so what we find is the we we like to increase the degree of difficulty when we March uh purely because uh well particularly in light of uh the the developments with the march of the Nationals this year where uh there is actually a traffic Island placed in the in the middle of the turn we we just try to to bring a bit of realism in so
Ju Just to be clear that’s actually marching up over the top of the bridge or do you march just along the well we we go along the deck to start with then we come back over over the top and um but during the the moving we change lanes in the in the traffic and it just sort of brings in that sense of realism fantastic we really look forward to seeing what you guys can do down in
Melbourne for the national Street match oh most definitely I mean we take it very very seriously and uh and yeah we’re we’re looking for a good day in that yeah fantastic and tell me a little bit more what else are you looking forward to down at Nationals this year oh I think it’s the um you know the trade stands um
I think U that’s something that’s always a big attraction to me um I’ve I also find on a serious note that the comad with the other bands uh particularly with uh with a few uh bands getting together I believe on the Saturday night uh yeah I believe there might be a semiofficial Afterparty at the elephant wheelbarrow is what
I’ve heard I have heard that it’s apparently the the wers got around from from the foots gray gaville band and um was very happy that we were invited to that and she’ll be a great evening me how did you get started off playing in brass bz ah many years ago when uh in in mland I was uh went into the
Junior band in the Salvation Army in mland and uh and had quite a long time in in Salvation Army bands and uh finishing up with the Sydney Congress Hall band yeah fantastic and now you’re just rehearsing that little Hall over there with with ringa that’s that’s fantastic it’s a bit of a walk from the car park but it’s uh it’s it’s okay
I’m sure he can do something about that soon sure and tell me I’m I’m a Victorian I always get very confused with the New South Wales bands they all start with W there’s Willoughby there’s wara there’s waringa is that all actually the same band with three different names or are there a couple of different bands there all part of a grand plan and
I don’t know what that plan is but now in New South Wales for those that don’t know we we have a number of bands starting with W there’s Willoughby uh who rehears at Chatswood there’s warar which is in Newcastle uh just up in the hunter region uh there’s us we on the Northern beaches which is a a beautiful part of the world uh it’s beautiful one day and you know better than
Queensland the next it’s yeah very very nice place up there um New South Wales we also have um St Mary’s uh the uh the mecca of brass banding and we also have gadar and uh we have um a number of bands who have two bands and uh yeah yeah it’s a a good strong uh band support in your
South Wales so you mentioned St Marys I believe they get quite a bit of money from the pokes they’ve got in their venue do you have many pokes over here in some what used to be the opera house to fund your operations no no we don’t we don’t we we’re we’re not strong Believers in uh in that and um but we uh we have a number of other sort of things that go on that fund the band yeah and
Nationals coming up you’re fairly confident you’re going to come first roll it in Fairly easily you reckon uh I never never count the chickens before they hatched um it’s it’s all a bit of a game I think it’s uh it’s a case of uh how the the adjudicator sees everyone on the day and just by the way love you
Peter yeah um and um it’s I won’t make a prediction sure and you mentioned you love the comaraderie do you have any sort of sworn enemies out there in brassband land that you’re looking to really trip up in the Halls before they go on stage oh no we we don’t trip them up in the Halls so I’m very strong strong believer in using adjacent car
Parks it’s it’s not not all the contesting is done on stage and I just find that uh car parks are very very convenient absolutely absolutely watch out for Bob in the car Parks if you do see him maybe start walking a bit faster Bob anything else you’d like to add about Nationals and what you’re looking forward to and your thoughts no i'
I’d just like to say that I have enjoyed looking at uh brass band.com and uh particularly having look at the picture of you Tim here on this this microphone and um it’s giving more of an insight and it’s also great for those people family and supporters that that uh don’t make it to the Nationals uh I know that my family is is actually watching
Nationals and the live food and I’d like to congratulate you on your work that you’ve done thanks I’m just glad people are watching and enjoying it well Bob thanks very much for joining us good luck at Nationals we’ll look forward to seeing you for a lemonade afterwards but maybe not look forward so much to seeing you in the car park no no don’t avoid the car park at all cost thanks
Tim thank you [Music]
