Making music

Not long after Auburn Salvation Army came into being, a small band was formed, and over the next few decades it became the nucleus of rich musical expression. Led by brother Archie Coyte, the first band blessed the city of Auburn with its presence at open-air meetings and street marches. By the mid-1920s, Auburn Salvation Army had a band of around 25 players and a songster brigade of around 30. They visited local hospitals (and continue to do so today) and held various programs to raise money for worthy causes (in December 1914 raising money for hungry Belgian children affected by the World War.) The corps music sections continued to expand and develop, and they added a young people’s band, home league singers, senior and junior timbrel brigades and a male vocal group. Over the years the band has been invited to perform at Salvation Army halls throughout NSW, Queensland, ACT and Victoria. During the 1970 Australian bicentenary celebrations, the Auburn band was chosen to entertain the many thousands of people gathered along the foreshores of Sydney Harbour, from Kirribilli to Bradley’s Head, playing while cruising along on a pontoon pulled by a tug-boat. At the time it was reported that during their cruise the tug came quite close to the Royal Yacht “Brittania” and there [the band] dispense[d] music to Her Royal Highness “The Queen” who was on board at that particular time to be able to appreciate it. Today, The Salvation Army in Auburn continues to foster a brass band and songster brigade, but music at the corps (church) has expanded to include a contemporary band and singers as well.

* More information about the Auburn Salvation Army band can be found in the article: Was it more than vaudeville, which first appeared in The Salvation Army’s Hallelujah! magazine.