HISTORY IN THE MAKING!!!!!!
ANOTHER MILESTONE CAME IN 1981 WHEN WE WERE PRESENTED WITH THE COLOURS OF THE ULSTER VOLUNTEER FORCE.TO BE THE FIRST BAND TO TROOP THIS FLAG WAS TO BRING ANOTHER PUSH WITH THE MARCHING AND DEPORTMENT.ALSO THE INTRODUCTION OF MARCH'S WAS TO BRING CLOSER THE VISION.
THE 80'S BROUGHT MORE RALLIES AND PARARDES,THIS TIME IT WAS ABOUT SEGREGATION,THE SUPERGRASS TRAILS AND THE ANGLO-IRISH AGREEMENT.THE LATE 80'S WAS A LEAN PERIOD FOR THE BAND,MEMBERSHIP WAS DWINDLING AND THOSE WHO REMAINED DEBATED FOR A MORE RIGOUROUS BLOOD AND THUNDER BAND,WHILE OTHERS PREFERRED TO PURSUE A MORE MELODY APPROACH.
1989 HERALD A NEW BEGINNING AND A COMPLETE TRANSFORMATION,FROM THE NOW ROYAL BLUE TO RED TUNIC'S OF THE GUARDSMEN.A COMPLETE RE-WRITTING OF OUR MUSIC,NEW DRUMS,NEW FLUTES AND EVEN NEW BOOT'S!!.FROM THIS THE "GUARDS" THEME WAS EMERGING AND TO US IT WAS A NATURAL PROGRESIVE STEP TOWARDS THE DREAM OF THE MEN OF "69".
THE 90'S BROGHT AN INFLUX OF BAND COMPETITIONS AND INDEED NOW WE BELIEVE THIS HELPED NOT ONLY US,BUT THE BAND COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE.MORE RECENTLY MEMORAIL PARADES HAVE COME AND WE PROUDLY, JUST LIKE IN THE 70'S,80'S AND 90'S PAY HOMAGE TO OUR FALLEN.
2002 AND THE FINEST HOUR.
AFTER ESCORTING AN HISTORICAL PAGENT THROUGH BELFAST FROM FERNHILL HOUSE WE PERFORMED FOR A CAPACITY CROWD IN THE ULSTER HALL.OVER 1400 PEOPLE HAD GATHERED TO CELEBRATE AND COMMEMORATE THE PERIOD IN OUR HISTORY THAT SHAPED OUR COUNTRY AND INDEED OUR BANDS HISTORY.
AS WE LEFT THE STAGE TO THUNDEROUS APPLAUSE WE THOUGHT OF THE MEN OF "69" AND THANKED THEM FOR STANDING FIRM WHEN OTHERS SAID "WE WOULD NEVER LAST"
FOR GOD AND ULSTER
A BIG THANKS TO RICHARD FOR THIS INSIGHT INTO THE HISTORY OF THE U.V.F FLUTE BAND. |
