Madge King
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Madge and her husband Ron emigrated from South Africa to Tasmania in 1975 where their sons David and Greg were born.
David started playing the trumpet at school in Woodbridge. The family moved to Brisbane in 1992, and by chance heard Sunnybank Junior Band playing at the Warrigal Road State School fête later that year. Both boys then joined the band, Greg as a complete beginner on tenor horn. Madge would sit reading at their band rehearsals but couldn’t concentrate watching everyone having fun and enjoying themselves. Not to miss out she bought a tenor horn at an army and navy auction and challenged Greg to see ‘who could learn to play five notes first’ to egg him on a bit. Madge having played the piano since the age of eight certainly helped. When Madge decided she could play about ten notes, she joined the No.2 band in 1993 and the rest is history. On a trip back to South Africa she learned that her Dad had also played in a band before he was married – Flugel horn and later Euphonium so it seems to have been in her genes! |
Madge transferred to the No.1 band as she became a more accomplished tenor horn player and continues to enjoy herself in this role also having helped out on Baritone for a short stint.
She tells us her time in the band has been a real joy learning along the way and certainly getting a lot of pleasure out of it. She has played in every contest for the past 26 years and the bands trip to Shanghai in 2018 was an experience not to be missed. Madge has diligently served on the committee and was band librarian for twenty years (she says she couldn’t help herself) having worked as a librarian for years in a number of local schools. That is such an outstanding contribution to the band! More recently Madge has undertaken to write up a number of grant applications, most important in maintaining the bands viability and has had much success in raising vital funds for the bands future. She looks forward to seeing and being part of Sunnybank Brass as the band continues going from strength to strength in the years ahead. |
