The annual Old Rastrickians' annual dinner which was due to be held on April 3, at the Crow Nest Golf Club, Hove Edge. Is now cancelled until further notice. Members will be notified of any proposed new date by the secretary and also through this website. During these difficult times please all be mindful to keep safe - please do not think it will always be someone else and not me, everyone at this time is vulnerable.

Thank you      

John Howarth - (Secretary)

Zequinha de Abreu (1880 – 1935) was one of the prominent Brazilian composers. His most famous composition, "Tico-tico No Fubá" (known abroad as "Tico-Tico"), is today still recorded by great artists worldwide, from all styles. At five, he was already a music enthusiast, spending hours delightfully watching musicians play. In this period, he was given a little harmonica, on which he quickly learned to play simple melodies. At seven, began to take music classes. At this time, he organized a little band with his classmates at school.

Around 1915, he had already written nearly 100 compositions. In 1917, he played with his orchestra a new composition, still unnamed, at a ball. This jumpy, fast-tempo song made the dancing couples go crazy in the ballroom. He commented to his bandmates that those people were just like tico-ticos (a kind of little bird) eating corn meal. When he asked for suggestions about the song's name, his bassist Artur de Carvalho replied that he had already named it: "Tico-tico No Fubá."

In 1942, "Tico-tico No Fubá" was recorded for the first time, with its "official" lyrics, by Ademilde Fonseca, "the Queen of Choro."

Tico Tico has been arranged as a cornet solo and is popular on the brass band concert circuits. On this show it is played as a tuba solo.

Derek Malcolm Garside was born in 1930 the, youngest son of Percy and Florence Garside. It was not long after Derek's ninth birthday that his father asked him what he wanted to start and learn to play. This question was asked as though it was expected that he would play some kind of instrument, just as the rest of the family did. Even today, Derek still cannot recall why he gave the answer he did and was something he probably said at the time on the spur of the moment without even thinking, 'a trumpet'.

Under the tutelage of Fred Roberts at the end of 1941 or possibly early 1942 young Derek had progressed enough to join Clifton and Lightcliffe Band.

Towards the end of 1943, he re-joined his tutor Fred Roberts, only this time as a player in the cornet section of Brighouse & Rastrick.

In December 1947, at the age of seventeen, Derek was invited to be the principal cornet for the C.W.S. (Manchester) Band, under the direction of Bandmaster Fred Roberts and along with every other member of the band he too was offered employment with C.W.S.

Derek Garside then showed his virtuosity, as a soloist on almost all of the recordings the band produced and his ability as a principal cornet.

On Saturday the 20th of October 1962, the became the number one band at the Daily Herald National Brass Band Championships at the Royal Albert Hall with their musical director, Alex Mortimer, playing Frank Wright's arrangement of Verdi's 'Force of Destiny'.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Derek celebrates his 90^th birthday on March 9^th and on behalf of everyone at Sunday Bandstand and the everyone from the brass band world we wish him a Happy Birthday.

A much long story of Derek's life in brass banding particularly with the CWS will be appearing on my website very soon. 

For this story let us take an imaginary walk along Bethel Street as it would have been c1906.

There is more to follow...

Issue number 8 of my magazine Brighouse and District Heritage Newseum is now available.

It can be purchased at Harrison Lord, Bradford Road: Kitson’s Newsagents, Commercial Street; Kershaw’s Garden Centre, Halifax Road; Colin’s Newsagents, Hipperholme; Bailiff Bridge Post office, Cooperative Buildings; Woodhouse Stores, Woodhouse Lane and at The Secret Tearooms on Bethel Street.

The magazine has 28 pages from cover to cover with a number of the pages now being in colour.  The magazine is £3.75 + £1.50 p/p if you would like to order a 4 issue subscription this is £21 which also includes p/p.  If you wish to purchase through PayPal on the website online shop please visit my online shop to make your purchase. If you wish to make a subscription payment please indicate which issue you would like your first one to start at.

Thank you 

On March 23, the postage charge for the magazine will have a slight increase owing to increased national postal charges.

The magzine remains at £3.75 for a single issue with the postage and packaging being £1.50 = £5.25

For the 4 issue subscription this will be £21 which also includes the postage and packaging.

Thank you  

Emil von Reznicek (May 4, 1860– August 2, 1945) was an Austrian composer of Czech ancestry.  He was born in Vienna, Austria and studied law and music simultaneously in Graz. He did not finish his law degree but continued to study music, his teacher being Wilhelm Mayer (also known as W. A. Rémy). Subsequently, he conducted at the theatre in Graz, in Berlin and a few other places. From 1886 to 1894 he was Kapellmeister of the 88th Infantry of Prague, and it was here that he saw his greatest triumph with the premiere of Donna Diana (December 16, 1894). In the spring of 1902, he settled in Berlin, touring to Russia and England from time to time. He was a personal friend of Richard Strauss.

When the Nazi Party came to power in 1933, Reznicek tried not to become involved to avoid putting into risk his daughter, Felicitas who was working for Britain’s MI-6.  He died on August 2, 1945, in Berlin, Germany.

Today, Reznicek is mainly remembered for the overture to his opera Donna Diana, composed in 1894. The overture is a popular stand-alone piece at symphonic concerts, and it served as the theme for the American radio (1947–1955) series Challenge of the Yukon, which later migrated to the TV series (1955–1958) Sergeant Preston of the Yukon. It was also used in the 1950s on the BBC’s Children’s Hour by Stephen King-Hall for his talks on current affairs.  Reznicek’s other works include orchestral works (five symphonies, suites, serenades, overtures), a violin concerto (1922), operas, four string quartets, and chamber music.

This week we have John Golland’s arrangement of Emil von Reznicek overture Donna Diana, a piece that is rarely played on brass band concerts these days.

Frank Bernaerts (b: 28.02.1967 in Willebroek , Belgium ) is a Belgian composer, conductor and musician .

At the age of eight he began his music studies at the Municipal Music Academy in Willebroek in the subjects of sheet music, music history and piano. Studies for cornet were with Frans Violet and piano with Christa Steenhuyse-Vandevelde and William Peeters followed. He also played in the Brass Band Willebroek since its foundation in 1979 to 1986. There he continued his education, and his newly composed works were first performed by the band.

In 1981, he studied privately with Jan Seger's harmony theory and then in 1985 he started studying music at the Conservatory in Mechelen , Belgium. In 1986, he moved to the music education department at the Lemmens Institute in Leuven , where he studied composition , harmony and music theory. In the same year he won the international composition competition Flores luventutis in Ghent, with the wind orchestral work Dreaming . After completing his studies, he founded his own music publisher Bernaerts Music , in which he published numerous arrangements of popular works for wind orchestra. He also uses the pseudonym of Jan van Kraeyonck.

With another year gone by, it is almost time for the old boys of Rastrick Grammar School to meet for another annual Old Rastrickians' Association dinner. I am sure many of its members will be thinking just how quick they come around. Even after so many of these annual gatherings, it is still an occasion they all look forward to.

   This year's event will no doubt have many of the usual ingredients, ensuring it will be a wonderful evening. It will give the members of the association the opportunity to catch up with old school mates, share memories and no doubt tell a few well-worn tall stories. This is a wonderful annual tradition, and long may it continue.  

   The guest speaker for this years' annual dinner is Iain Robertshaw. He was born in 1968 in Halifax. The family moved to the Carr Green area of Rastrick, where he attended Carr Green Junior and Infant School.

   In 1980, he left the comfort of his junior school to walk through the gates at Rastrick Grammar School, to join the new intake of students. Those early days at Rastrick would have been very daunting, with new teachers and older students. With several of his old classmates from Carr Green also attending, he had moral support.

   In 1988, Iain left the grammar school and for a short time, he worked at Sugden’s Flour Mill in Brighouse, as a Flour Grader. This work was to cover the time whilst his application to join the Royal Navy as an apprentice was being processed.

   His first posting was on HMS Collingwood in Fareham, where he trained as a Weapon Engineer. He went on to serve on HMS Bristol, Brilliant and Battleaxe before he was commissioned as a Weapon Engineer Officer.

   Following his commission, he served in submarines as a Weapon Engineer Officer, on HMS Talent, Triumph, Trafalgar and Swiftsure. It was during this service that he spent some time in Procurement and Support, which involved the fitting of the Tomahawk Missile system to the submarines.  

   He retired from the Royal Navy as a Lieutenant Commander, his last posting saw him in Torpedo Tactical Development and Intelligence. He left the service in 2006 having served for 19-years.

   Since leaving the Royal Navy, Iain has worked in an industry that is closely aligned to the military. Designing and developing power electronic equipment for the UK submarine programme.

   Iain and his wife Pamela have been married for 18-years and have 2 children (twins). Alexander and Philippa, both are now aged eight. Living in the rural area in north Lichfield in the Midlands gives him the time to enjoy his two means of relaxing, game shooting and hot-air ballooning. Iain has his own balloon which he always insists his family join him.    Hot Air Ballooning is a Real Family Affair 

   This year's annual event is being held at the Crow Nest Park Golf Club, Hove Edge, 7pm for 7.30pm, on Friday, April 3, 2020. Former students, of the Rastrick Grammar School who wish to attend, are asked to contact John Howarth on e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or on 07835 235195.

   John says, “It would be good to see any of the 1980 contemporaries of guest speaker Iain Robertshaw, by joining the Association members on the night. As every year the event is open to former students of Rastrick Grammar School from all eras”.

   Former students will be pleased to hear that the Association has now been in existence for over 70 years from when it was re-formed after World War ll.

Chris Helme