ISB News

Extraordinary. Unique. Humbling. There are many adjectives that could be used to describe the fraternity of Salvation Army Staff Bands....it is an extraordinary and unique thing, and particularly humbling given the special place that seems to be accorded the ISB within that fraternity.Today was a day when experienced members of the band were reminded of this, and when new members got to experience it for the first time.

Following the long journeys of the previous two days, we boarded the coach in Ballarat for the relatively short journey to Melbourne for the final leg of the tour. As has become usual on these early morning trips, everybody was quite subdued.

After a good night sleep and breakfast the band set off for Ballarat.  On route a brief stop was made at Mt Gambiers’ ‘Blue Lake’, a significant dormant volcano now full of water.  We learnt that the water is blue in colour due to the areas mineral make up, during winter the water can appear chocolate brown and that this is the main water supply for the area.

We have been struggling to find free wi-fi on the tour so it has been quite difficult to update the website on a regular basis. Please click on the 'News' button to read the latest tour blogs, additional reports and videos from previous days.

This concert will be live streamed in full HD on brassbanned.com. It takes place on Saturday 31 October at 7.00pm (Australian Time).

The bleary eyes and weary faces which met at the Divisional Headquarters on the eleventh day of the tour told us two things, firstly that the previous day had been a long one and secondly that it was another early start. After saying farewell to yet another great set of billets we boarded the coach towards Mt. Gambier.

After a great night’s sleep at our billets we made our way to Divisional Headquarters.  Like much of the architecture that we have seen so far in Australia, the building was quite distinctive!  Taking the form of a grand stately home with a veranda around the second-floor, this building was once a Salvation Army home for children.