BY JESSIE WANG, LEAD WRITER (COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL AWARENESS)
April 25 is an important date on the Australian calendar. It’s a day for us to celebrate the Anzac ideals of courage, endurance, and mateship, which are still relevant today. But given that our entire country is under strict restrictions, and large gatherings and events of any sort are cancelled due to COVID-19, it’s no surprise that Anzac Day dawn services and parades have all been cancelled, too.
For Sheldon College performance manager Alastair Tomkins, Anzac traditions should be continued. They’ll just be a little different this year.
Since Australians have already been asked by a grassroots campaign to spend Anzac Day in the driveways of their homes and observe a minute’s silence, why not add the Last Post and Reveille or Route on either side of that minute?
This was the idea behind Music for Mateship – for musicians across Australia and New Zealand to play for their community on this annual day that celebrates courage, endurance, and mateship.
Hi Alastair. Thanks for finding time to chat despite this weird and uncertain year for so many of us. So tell us, what is Music for Mateship and how did you come up with the idea?
Music for Mateship came to me once I heard about the grassroots campaign for isolated Australians to observe Anzac Day in their driveway. This would involve a minute’s silence, and I knew from years of attending and also event managing Anzac Day ceremonies that there is trumpet played on each side of this minute (namely the Last Post and then Reveille or Rouse).
I have been back playing trumpet for about eight months to assist my own Year 4 boy in his musical education, and I thought: ‘Well, why don’t I play the Last Post for my street?’.
Once this idea established itself in my consciousness, I realised there are many musicians in my network – teachers, students, pro players – who might also want to do the same, and thus Music for Mateship was born.
I’m so glad you came up with this initiative during this tough period! How have the lockdowns affected you, both musically and outside music?
The lockdowns have been brutal for many of my peers, who typically are casually employed or self-employed in the arts, events, and arts education. I have had to adjust in my role of performance manager at Sheldon College, as a large part of my job is managing internal and external events.
It has been tough on my students as well, who now cannot rehearse in their ensembles or have gigs to work towards.
Even through troubles such as this, Anzac Day undoubtedly remains an important day for many Australians and New Zealanders. What does Anzac Day mean to you personally?
For me personally, Anzac Day is about reflecting on how lucky we are to live at this time in history, and how fortunate we are to live in Australia. It is also about remembering the incredible sacrifice of the Australian Defence Force for 100 years throughout many conflicts.
I have visited the WW1 battlefields of the Somme, and seen how young so many of those Australians who now lie in French soil were. So it’s about remembering that these lads didn’t get a chance to live the life we have, and it is incumbent on all of us to make the most of our time, and hopefully share some of the Anzac qualities with our society.
Have you got any tips for celebrating Anzac Day this year under social distancing rules? What are you going to do this year?
I, like many hundreds of thousands of Australians, will be observing Anzac Day from my driveway. We might be isolated, but we can still be united.
I encourage people to do a letterbox drop with their neighbours, and look for grassroots groups like Aussies and Kiwis for ANZACs on Facebook.
There will apparently be a national broadcast from around 5.30am, culminating with the Last Post at around 6am, which is the time for the local musicians to play for their street. I will also be playing later on Anzac Day at aged care facilities – outside, observing social distancing – for all the residents, some of whom might not have missed an Anzac Day since the 1950s or 1960s.
This is our chance as musicians to give back to our community, showing some Anzac quality. That’s what Music for Mateship is all about.
How can we join Music for Mateship, for both the performers and non-performers among us?
Music for Mateship is for anyone to support. We have a Facebook page, a Facebook group, and also a website. I urge musicians to rally their street, let your neighbours know, and see if you can give back to your street and also aged care residents in your neighbourhood. Get prepared and be in the driveway for one of millions of dawn services across the country.
Lastly, what are you most looking forward to once the lockdowns and restrictions are finally over?
As a musician, I must say I am looking forward to getting out to gigs again, either as an audience member or as a performer. I will also enjoy getting down to my local and having a couple of beers, and getting on the road into New South Wales – I’m in Queensland, and the border is currently closed – to see extended family.
Find out more about Music for Mateship and download your free music parts on the website.
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