FOREWORD
It has been a great honour and also a great pleasure to have been a member of the Brisbane Excelsior Brass Band for over forty years since I first joined in the early 1950s.
On behalf of the current members, I would like to express our gratitude to the Founders of the Band, and to the many people who have contributed to its well-being since 1912.
My fondest wish is that Brisbane Excelsior continues to be inspired by its motto - "Excelsior" - and strives to even greater heights in the future.
Colin Topp,
President, 1984-2003
INTRODUCTION
BRISBANE EXCELSIOR BRASS BAND
On 4 December 1992, the Brisbane Excelsior Brass Band formally moved into its own home, the very first that could be called its own in its eighty-one years of existence. From the beginning, the Band's one nagging worry which never seemed to go away was where to meet for the mandatory rehearsals and practices expected of first-class Brass Bands. At the end of 1992, as a direct consequence of the Herculean efforts of President Colin Topp and Secretary Pam Schryver, Brisbane Excelsior acquired a permanent home: the historic Windsor School of Arts. The old timber building which was actually facing a bleak future with ominous rumblings about imminent demolition was procured from St. Andrews' War Memorial Hospital and swiftly restored to its former glory. Massive renovations were organized, with major repairs to woodwork, measures for fire protection and security, new plumbing and electric wiring, a brand-new kitchen, five new stumps to prop up the sagging construction, and fresh coats of paint. All work was performed free by band members, the donations of materials by companies such as Taubmans, Dulux and British Paints helping to ease the huge financial burden of the undertaking. Not a cent in government grants was involved in the project, nor years of wasteful procrastinating over what had to be done. In four months, from initial approval of the concept, the old Windsor School of Arts was given a facelift by its new owners to become once more an attractive and vibrant part of community and cultural life. The historic name, Windsor School of Arts, was retained by these new owners, themselves a superior band of amateur musicians who have already earned a permanent and considerable niche in the history of music in Brisbane and Queensland.
It is of historical interest that the original Windsor School of Arts, was opened in 1911 by the Governor of Queensland, Lord Lamington. That was but one year before Brisbane Excelsior itself was born. In 1925, the year in which the Town of Windsor became amalgamated in the Greater Brisbane Municipal Council, open verandahs were added on both sides, the southern verandah (on the City side) being subsequently enclosed with casement windows. In its chequered career, the historic building was once the very hub of town activities, used not only as a community hall, for dances, public meetings, and other social functions but also as home for the second Windsor Brownie pack, and a major centre for dog, pigeon, fowl and flower shows. It is fitting that its life should be saved by a contemporary, a Brisbane band born almost at the same time.
President Col Topp (or "Toppie" as he is known) has been one of the many huge contributors to Brisbane Excelsior over the years since his first admission to membership in 1956. So has his wife Dulcie who has constantly backstopped from the beginning as fund-raiser, ticket-seller, sheet-music custodian, and general organizer. From his start with the Band on Euphonium, Col Topp was elected President of Excelsior in 1984, but his input as player, Trustee, and Concert Master has long predated his elevation to the top office. Banding is in his blood, his forebears of the Fassifern Valley having introduced him to brass bands as a boy.
Pam Schryver, wife of Principal Baritone player, K.C. ("Kasey") Schryver, has served as Secretary only since 1990 but to her belongs much of the credit for Excelsior's new-found success. Back in the 1960s, Kasey and Pam had relinquished active involvement with the Band with Kasey's transfer by T.A.A. to New Guinea. At the time, the Executive refused to accept the resignation of their Baritone (and occasional Euphonium) player, opting instead for an indefinite period of leave of absence. When eventually the Schryvers returned to Brisbane, Kasey rejoined his former music-making colleagues, and his wife repaid the earlier favour with massive interest. Through indefatigable effort, she helped to procure a permanent home for the Band, today the envy of other bands across the nation.
The Topps and the Schryvers are but two families associated with Brisbane Excelsior Brass Band. There are other outstanding contributors in its eighty-two years of life. The following pages seek to unravel the story of the Band from its humble birth in 1912.
