New Zealand Army Band member set to receive top NZDF musical honour

Feilding's Sandra Wheeler has a brain tumor for an year but she has survived and becomes the first civilian woman to win the Terry Moloney Memorial Bugle. She was awarded the New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF)Bugle at a small ceremony at her home last weekend where she said you just do what you want to do. Wheeler who is the fifth recipient of the award has a run of 35 years of continuous service to the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) and NZDF musical services.

 

The Bugle prize that was started by the International Military Music Society is awarded to the Zealand military band member annually who has served military music in a great way. The band was joined by Wheeler on July 1, 1980 and then she never left. The most current success of her was being appointed the RNZAF music services coordinator for Ohakea after leading a long list.

This duty gave the band a new and positive direction because her ties to local bands and schools have brought young talent to the band. She also has taught music for many years at Huntley School. The next job of the New Zealand Army Band is to give performance at Edinburgh Tattoo. The tattoo is set to take place on 5-27 August 2016. It is hoped the band will perform at its climax in the show and spectators will enjoy a lot of the display.

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Edinburgh Tattoo set to boost Wellington economy with $16m

Edinburgh Military Tattoo is expected to inject $16 million as economic benefits into the Wellington region. Great influx of visitors have been attracted by the event to the capital,with accommodation already booked out that has forced people to stay as far away as Levin and Martinborough. Chief executive of Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency, Chris Whelan said the whole region would derive economic benefits adding the four days alone are going to be worth an estimated $16m to the Wellington economy this summer.

He said more than 80,000 spectators have purchased coupons for four performances and accommodation demand has risen across the region. Masterton Copthorne Hotel & Resort manager Michelle Kirkpatrick said the Tattoo has also created great opportunity for the Wairarapa region.Whelan said this is a very successful event for the property and extra six touring groups have chosen to stay at the hotel over the four days and Tattoo weekend was an amazing event where Wellington offered further property investment because there is work already in progress to house the ever growing demand with a Sofitel under development, proposed Rydges Hotel at Wellington Airport and a four star plus Sebel property due to come on board in Lower Hutt in early 2017.

The New Zealand Festival is presenting the Tattoo and Wellington City Council is funding it. This is the second time the Tattoo is staged at Westpac Stadium following a profitable event in 2000 and just the fourth time it is being held overseas in its 65-year history. Tattoo chief executive and producer, Brigadier David Allfrey said it is our belief New Zealand economy would derive $4m from each performance.

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Edinburgh Tattoo set to stage snare player Beth Rennes performance

It is just for the third time when the world-famous Edinburgh Military Tattoo will depart its home arriving in Melbourne this week and a Camberwell drummer will be performing there. Beth Rennes will be joining the performance as part of the Melbourne Highland Pipe Band when Etihad Stadium will be transformed for the international extravaganza for five nights. The Camberwell’s snare player was one of the first members of the band believed to be the oldest continuing band in Victoria to be the part once in a lifetime experience.

Ms Rennes said mum and I used to watch the Edinburgh Tattoo on television and when I heard it was coming to Melbourne, I immediately approached my band director asking if we could participate. She added roughly 20 from the band are going to participate but on the whole there is a cast of more than 1200 performers. Ms Rennes, confessed she is a little bit nervous but there is great excitement because there is a lot of music to learn and I am really proud to be part of it.

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Edinburgh Tattoo offer dancing duo a chance to perform

Two Perth women will rehearsal full for six days before they perform dance in first ever Edinburgh Military Tattoo of Melbourne next month. Mt Hawthorn’s Rebecca Adamson (25) and Helena Valley’s Victoria Goode (19) will jointly perform five shows of Scottish highland dancing at Etihad Stadium from February 12-14. The traditional dance was learned by the women at young age in Kalgoorlie and continued when they shifted to Perth.

Ms Adamson said I studied tap, ballet and jazz when I joined university in Perth and I had to select what to continue but highland dancing provides a lot of opportunities to dance and travel. She added Highland dancing has offered me chances to visit the Netherlands, Switzerland and around Australia. Ms Adamson who is on the international Scottish highland dancing judging panel now, said she would take retirement from competitive dancing after the Melbourne event.

Ms Goode, who wants to continue competitive dancing, said they take training three times a week ahead of competitions and no one does it because it is so unique. She added once I watched Edinburgh Military Tattoo in Scotland and I desired I will dance in it one day. She explained you set a lot of goals for yourself and you are achieving the goals if you are improving every time you dance.

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Edinburgh Tattoo popularity causes huge room dearth in Wellington

The suburbs outside the city will enjoy the benefits of this month’s Edinburgh Tattoo as a dire room shortage has hit Wellington, according to a local hospitality boss. People have heavily booked hotel rooms in the capital for the Weekend of February 20-21 as the event happens at the same date as other big events such as the Wine, Food and Craft Beer Festival, Round the Bays and the arrival of Victoria University first-year students. Hospitality Association Wellington president Jeremy Smith said huge demand for rooms reminds only to "the good old days when sevens was fully booked".

Smith said hotel owners would not be the only beneficiaries of the big weekend because I expect a fair number of people coming from Australia for the Tattoo. He expected the people unable to find hotel rooms in the city will try their luck with camper vans, or with motels and hotels outside the city. Some friends or relatives of Kiwis travelling to the tattoo in Wellington and its suburbs will host their guests. But situation is expected to improve with management of additional rooms available towards the start of the event.

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Military Tattoo artists to perform in Australia and New Zealand

A Military Tattoo performer’s group is departing for Australia and New Zealand for the promotion of the Edinburgh extravaganza. A farewell will be given by Tourism minister Fergus Ewing from the Tattoo's Scottish contingent to musicians as they train on Friday morning. More than 250,000 spectators have paid to enjoy performances in Australia and New Zealand. Tourism minister Fergus Ewing said an event like Edinburgh's Military Tattoo gets recognition for Scotland in the world and I am sure its presence in Australia and New Zealand will act as a superb advert for our country.

He added ancestral Scots will be attracted by the performance of this national institution and will serve to support the strengthening of links between our nations because it highlights our rich array of culture and our heritage of contemporary Scotland which we want to share with the world. Tattoo's producer, Brigadier David Allfrey said we were planning since three years and we have received support from many people of Scotland and across all the collaborating countries. It is only fourth time in the Tattoo’s history it will be staged outside from its home at Edinburgh Castle.

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Dancer Ella Phillips set to perform at Edinburgh Military Tattoo

Masterton teen Ella Phillips got “the best Christmas present ever" in the form of the chance to appear in one of the most celebrated cultural festivals of the world. Ella, a spirited Highland dancer has been selected to perform in the 2016 Edinburgh Military Tattoo to be held at Westpac Stadium next month. The Tattoo which is considered one of the foremost show of Scottish dance and music and military precision, will feature about 1200 performers at its platform.

 

Ella, a year 9 student at Solway College, will be one of the youngest Highland dancers in a team of 65 performing at the Tattoo from Scotland and all ove rthe New Zealand and is the only dancer belonging to Wairarapa. It is a gruelling task to prepare for such a esteemed task with Ella working hard to bring her fitness up to scratch and mum Jenny is saving every penny for her costume and food needs.

 

Ella began to learn Highland dancing at age 6 while she was living in Australia and she started taking classes with Scoti Dance in Wellington every Saturday while returning to Wairarapa. She has participated in both New Zealand and Australian championships and performed at the annual Turakina Highland Games. But performing at the Tattoo will be her biggest challenge, so she is spending most of her holidays committing the complicated choreography to memory and doing 12-hour rehearsals ahead of opening night.

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Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo to tour overseas

Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo’s organizers are trying to arrange the tour of the festival every two year to improve its global profile and introduce new international acts to Edinburgh. The extensive visits of the world famous event are being arranged for the first time to both the Persian Gulf and China within the next five years.

The overseas visits currently planned for 2018 and 2020 respectively will take place after forthcoming visits to both New Zealand and Australia. The Tattoo’s chief executive and Edinburgh’s Lord Provost have already negotiated with the senior overseas authorities over the proposed overseas trips.

 

It is expected that cultural, heritage and trade links between Edinburgh and the cities where the event is staged will improve as well as awareness of the Tattoo in some of Scotland’s key foreign markets will be raised. The Tattoo has been attended by more than 14 million people since it first took place at Edinburgh Castle esplanade.

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