Premier praises Just Brass
BY LAUREN MARTIN
The New South Wales Premier, Chris Minns, has praised The Salvation Army’s ‘Just Brass’ program during a visit to Sydney’s Hurstville Corps to distribute new instruments purchased through a state government grant.
The Premier, who is also the local member for Kogarah, has a strong relationship with the team at Hurstville Salvation Army and dropped in after a busy day at work last Friday 13 December.
Earlier this year, Just Brass Hurstville received a $15,000 grant to purchase new instruments to allow it to expand its popular program to more children.
Just Brass is a Salvation Army initiative that operates at corps across the country. It is committed to offering students, particularly those in primary schools unable to resource instrumental music teaching programs, the opportunity to learn an instrument and participate in a music group. The program targets students with social and economic disadvantages as a priority.
The primary objective of Just Brass is to create opportunities for children and young people to learn a musical instrument, to enable program participants to learn how to be part of a team and to contribute to the personal, social and spiritual development of children and young people in the program.
Hurstville Just Brass has been operating since 2018 and has grown from 6 to 24 members.
Premier Minns said during his visit that programs like this are vital in a culture where technology is dominant.
“We are a big believer of encouraging not just music, but art and drama, the creative parts of life,” he said.
“Technology is really quick and the pace of it is quickening, but in reality, in the workplace, the creative part of your mind, the problem-solving part of your mind, often relies on someone coming up with original thought. And the beauty of art and artistic expression and music is it allows you to show your creative side and if you don’t exercise that muscle when you’re young, it’s very difficult to do it when you’re older.
“So, congratulations to the Salvos for this wonderful program, thanks so much Just Brass.”
Hurstville Just Brass Coordinator, Norman Short, said the grant that allowed Just Brass to purchase new instruments has allowed the program to grow and offer music tuition to more students.
“Here at Hurstville Just Brass offers free weekly music tuition … this year we played at our first school fete, and we have played at nursing homes, Christmas carol events in our community, up at the station and at Westfield shopping centre … the parents and the children enjoy all those engagements.”
The Premier listened to the Hurstville Just Brass band play one of its favourite songs, Hand me down my silver trumpet, and member, school student William, said it was an honour to play for him.
“I was very nervous but at the end I got to know him a little bit better, and I got to meet him for the first time … I like Just Brass because the people are very nice here and it’s very enjoyable.”
