Scottish brass banding is set to lose one of its most valuable assets with the news that their highly respected Development Officer, Alan Edmond, is to emigrate with his family to Australia in the next few months.

Fruits

Over the past five years Alan has spearheaded the Scottish Brass Band Association’s far reaching development programme, the fruits of which will see over 40 bands taking part in the Scottish Youth Championships this year.

Opportunity

Alan told 4BR: "My wife Laura has been offered a once in a lifetime opportunity to move to Melbourne with a leading recruitment company, which she could not turn down.

We will be sad to leave behind all our friends and family in the brass band world. I have been involved with the SBBA since 1994 and have seen many changes in that time.

The last five years as the Development Officer has been a fantastic experience, which I have enjoyed immensely. SBBA’s support of my role has been immense."

Not lost

Alan’s influence will not be completely lost however as he has accepted SBBA’s invitation to continue in an advisory role until a replacement is found and the next stage of their long term development plans have been implemented.

Key element

George Burt, President of SBBA told 4BR: "Alan’s work has been one of the key elements in the banding revolution we are delivering in Scotland. When we were awarded a development grant from the Scottish Arts Council five years ago, it was on the basis that we’d create two new youth bands in the first year.

In fact it was 10 new bands, and overall we’ve created some 45 new bands, all thanks to Alan’s hard work, dedication and inspiration. He will be a great loss to banding in Scotland, but Australia will be the beneficiary. I know I will greatly miss him as a colleague and a friend."

New appointment

Alan’s departure means that a new appointment will be made in the near future, to a role that he has developed through networking and collaborating with many agencies, conducting courses and groundbreaking modernisation of the running of contests and other events.

George Burt added: "The structure of SBBA is robust, and development work will continue to be delivered by our Area Associations and our part-time Regional Development Officers, as well as our Events committee and Education and Youth Committee."

...we’ve created some 45 new bands, all thanks to Alan’s hard work, dedication and inspiration. He will be a great loss to banding in Scotland, but Australia will be the beneficiaryGeorge Burt

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4BR understands that an advertisement will shortly appear for a Development Manager who will deliver SBBA’s youth programme and manage the 5 part-time Regional Development Officers.

Final task

One of the final projects Alan will work on is the completion of a Training Manual for development work in banding, based on the highly successful result achieved in Scotland over the past five years.

SBBA hopes that the publication that will be used in by domestic Area Associations and Regional Development Officers will also make it available outside Scotland.