The band had been established for over 40 years when this photograph was taken in 1909. The year before, musician and former band member Alex Lithgow had supplied his brother, conductor Tom Lithgow (centre, behind band), with music titled ‘Invercargill march’ for a national band contest. He wrote, ‘To Invercargill, the southernmost city in New Zealand (the end of the world) and its citizens, I dedicate this March as a memento of many pleasant years spent there in my boyhood.’ A century later ‘Invercargill march’ remains one of the most frequently played pieces of band music, world-wide.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Southland Museum and Art Gallery
Reference: 2001.308
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