As Sunshine has rapidly evolved over the years, one thing has remained a constant.
The Sunshine Brass Band was formed on Tuesday, June 26 1928 and has remained a fixture of the community ever since.
Today marks the band’s 90th birthday and president Andrew Wilson said it still holds a special place within the community.
“We’re not the oldest brass band going around – some are 110-120-years-old – but we were pretty much established when Sunshine was,” Mr Wilson said.
“Our initial members were part of the Harvester plant, so we’re part of the suburb’s history.
“Sunshine has evolved over the years, but music and our community involvement is still relevant.”
While the band is currently in a strong position, Mr Wilson said it hasn’t always been smooth sailing.
“We’ve definitely had our ups and downs over the years,” he said.
“We’ve had times where we’ve only had four or five members and haven’t had two cents to rub together, but we’ve got a healthy membership base now.”
The band still regularly takes part in competitions, but historical records of previous successes were lost in a fire.
“Our old building was destroyed by a fire in 2006 and with that, all the trophies we’d won went with it,” Mr Wilson said.
“We actually didn’t have any record of what we won, so we’re not sure on the specific titles the band has won in the past.”
Mr Wilson also has an eye on the future.
“We’re looking to continue our involvement in community events. That’s something I’m big on,” he said.
“As for our 90th birthday, we’ll be having a big celebration in October this year.”
