Far, far away from their home in the Pacific Republic of Kiribati (pronounced ‘Kiribus’), the Kiribati Youth Brass Band is spending Christmas and the new year in Elands.
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Kiribati is a group of 33 little islands.
The heights of the islands are typically two metres, and no matter which way you look you always see the sea.
According to Tirrintippin Farmstay’s Stan Tonkin, the band and their three carers are enjoying staying on the farm.
“Up here in the mountains they can’t see the sea and they’re miles from anywhere, surrounded by forest. It’s a very different environment,” Stan said.
The 24 youth band members, 23 males and one female, range in ages from 17 to 27, and their band leader is originally from Tonga.
“He’s a very capable musician and musical director and he’s produced quite a dymanic brass band,” Stan said.
The band has been performing locally, including services at the Uniting Church in Wingham and the Carols in the Bush at Marlee.
“You get these fusions of jazz and brass bands, and it’s a bit like that. They’ve played the traditional brass band carols and hymns at the Wingham service and then afterwards they sort of really lifted the place, really shook the hall up with a medley of carols in a very sort of jazzy style,” Stan said.
“And if they had danced (they don’t dance on Sundays) they would have tore the place down. They are a very dynamic group of people.”
The band came to Australia at the invitation of Stan and the local Uniting churches.
Stan has been regularly visiting Kiribati over the years on his mission work. With his background as a teacher and an engineer, he has helped the Kiribatis build a recording studio for their national radio station and advising on educational programs.
“I’d been involved in technical education as a curriculum adviser both here and overseas, and also wrote things like the Higher School Certificate trial papers and things like that. That meant quite an interesting set of ideas were brought to them, and we ended up developing an English language laboratory which was very important to them, as they have very few English speakers,” Stan said.
The band flies out of Australia on January 9, and will be performing around the Mid North Coast until then.
If you want to hear the band (who also sing and dance), see the schedule below.
- 20-21 December – lunchtime concerts at Ellenborough Falls
- 24 December – 10-2, Ellenborough Falls
- 23 December – Wingham Christmas Concert and picnic at Wingham Uniting Church, Farqhuar Street, 9am
- 27-28 December – lunchtime concerts at Ellenborough Falls
- 30 December – Forster Uniting Church concert and picnic, 9am
- 3-4 January – lunchtime concerts at Ellenborough Falls
- 6 January – South West Rocks Uniting Church concert and picnic, 11am
For more information call Stan Tonkin on 0491 054 610 or email tirrintippin@gmail.com.