'Significant' impact for community bands as funding applications rejected
Wollongong’s collective of brass and wind bands have been putting on a show for locals for almost a century, but it is one of dozens of community bands across the state that faces an uncertain future due to a recent loss of funding.
For the past 90 years, the City of Wollongong Brass and Wind Band has been proud of keeping its membership fees down, but the looming loss of funding has cast doubt on the band's future.
"We want to include everybody as much as possible," said the band's president Neil Wright.
"Some people might say it's kind of a niche … but there's a lot of people who do this."
The volunteer-run group is one of more than 100 community and school bands in New South Wales, which are represented by the Bands Association of NSW (BANSW).
For years the association has received funding through the state government's arts and culture grant schemes, and has allocated it to local bands to cover venue hire, advertising, organising concerts, buying sheet music or repairing instruments.
BANSW president Jeff Markham said the amount they received often "waxed and waned", but they had consistently secured around $55,000 each year for the past decade.
Jeff Markham says consistent funding had been the key to the community band scene's longevity. (Supplied)
"We've had certainty of funding which has allowed us to plan," he said.
In Wollongong, Mr Wright said the money had helped fund music camps, workshops and social media advertising.
"Most of our grants have been towards fostering our young and upcoming players," he said.
"It's good getting particularly the young ones into the organisation, but you've got to find ways of wanting them to actually remain as part of the organisation."
Neil Wright is the president of the City of Wollongong Brass and Wind Band. (Supplied)
Fight for funding
More than 140 organisations were successful in the latest round of funding, which for the first time operated under a competitive model.
Groups had been able to apply for multi-year funding over for a period of two or four years.
But BANSW's funding application was rejected.
A spokesperson for Create NSW said the latest funding rounds had been "highly competitive".
"The Arts and Cultural Funding Program is delivered through an open, competitive, independently assessed process," the spokesperson said in a statement.
"Funding is not ongoing or guaranteed."