In 1895 the Queensland Police Brass Band was established. This 20 piece band included one drummer and 19 brass instrument players and was led by Band Master Professor Seale. They performed at police events and added the music for recruit marching practice at the Petrie Terrace Barracks but were disbanded in 1905.
Queensland Police Museum Image PM0137
There was a long gap of 53 years between the brass band and the first incarnation of the Queensland Police Pipe Band in 1958. In March Constable 1/c Neville Montgomery, a former piper with the Queensland Irish Pipe Band and the Brisbane Caledonian Pipe Band, met the Commissioner Bischof unexpectedly on the stairs of the Police Training Depot on Petrie Terrace and took the opportunity to request a time to discuss the prospect of forming Australia’s third police pipe band. The Commissioner agreed and the inaugural meeting of the band was held in the Police Welfare Clubrooms, at Roma Street Police Station, on March 28, 1958. In April 1958, the State Government formally approved the formation of the Queensland Police Pipe Band and provided £2000 for the purchase of uniforms and equipment. Approval was granted for practices to take place in the Police Youth Welfare Association building at Lang Park on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons between 2pm and 5pm. Sessions were be attended in department time and the first practice of the newly constituted Queensland Police Pipe Band was held on Thursday June 12, 1958.
In 2022, 72 years later, the now named Queensland Police Pipes and Drums has been long celebrated as one of Australia’s finest pipe bands. The band has previously won numerous state, national and international championships and has performed at thousands of functions, ranging from the world famous Edinburgh Military Tattoo to rock concerts to community group receptions. The Queensland Police Pipes & Drums embraces the talents of police officers and civilian staff whose abilities combine to create a band of the highest calibre.
This information has been supplied by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available at the time of writing.
The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.
Contact: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au
“From the Vault: Music to our ears” by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode