The Preston Scout House Band is celebrating their 85th anniversary in 2023 by sharing their love of music with people over 3,700 kilometres away.
As part of a number of festivities planned over the coming year, the band will be donating horns to youth in Jamaica to give them the opportunity to learn to play music.
Roy Wilson, president of the Preston Scout House Band, says the idea came from a local resident with ties to the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Caribbean nation.
“It all started when a resident made a request to the Scout House Band saying she was involved with this group in Jamaica and they didn’t have instruments or money to buy instruments,” Wilson said.
“We see this as a great opportunity for the youth there. They get to benefit from music and it’s also an activity to do.”
The band’s roots date back to 1938 when it was formed as an activity for members of the 1st Preston Boy Scout Troop.
Donating their excess inventory of horns is a fitting way to help celebrate their involvement in the community over the past eight and a half decades, Wilson says.
“A lot of the people that were kids in the '50s and '60s are still involved and applying all the values they learned like hard work and teamwork,” he said.
“That’s one of the reasons for the donations. I see it as Scout House giving back because we’ve been supported by the community for 85 years.”
Like many organizations, retaining membership has been difficult due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even when restrictions eased, playing musical instruments was rarely allowed. Many of their pre-pandemic parades and special events still have not resumed.
Despite the obstacles, the band still has two functioning groups; the Silver Leaves for adults and the Youth Band for people aged 21 and younger.
With all the challenges that come with running an organization for so long, Wilson acknowledges the accomplishment the anniversary represents.
“It’s been a good run,” Wilson said.
“There’s hardly any music groups from back in the day that still exist. The fact that we've emerged is remarkable.”