On Friday 30th October 1998 Sir George White Memorial Flute Band celebrated its first 20 years and looked forward to the next. Members of the Royal Black Preceptory, the New Cumnock Orange Lodges near Ayr, The Mayor of Ballymena James Currie, and Assemblyman Frazer Agnew were all present to lend their support along with representatives from the local Improvement Committee.
The 30 band members and hundreds of friends and supporters were celebrating the achievements of a band which is growing stronger year by year.
Sir George White band is part of the Broughshane Improvement Committee's plans for the future of the village. Sandy Wilson, representing the Committee told the gathering that around the time that Don Thompson and others had formed the band , he was getting involved in community work. He told the band that they have the broad support of the community, and that the three colleagues who organised the band in 1977, Davy Orr, Iain Boal and Don Thompson were the originators of community development in the village.
"I'm proud of my culture. Tonight I would like to tell you in this band theres no difference in our pride, but because of our different circumstances our cultural identity is expressed in different ways"
The group Sandy Wilson represents has had many successes and so also has the band. He told the band members that he hoped they would use the 'Prince of Wales' community garden as a venue for performances, and that their band could play an important part in the development and enjoyment of the facilities that the Committee intend to bring.
Sandy added "Together we can be effective to make a major contribution to this community". He looked forward to August 2000 when Broughshane will host Entente Florale, and send a positive message across the world, and with the bands help it will be " not only renowned for community spirit and the environment but also for its culture".
The Assemblyman Frazer Agnew brought greetings from Duke of Schomberg LOL 486, and explained that he had walked behind Sir George White Memorial Flute Band for the past 15 years at Belfast July 12th Celebrations. He was delighted to hear how much the band is part of the community in Broughshane.
"they want to re-route our history. This is the object of our enemies. They want to destroy our history, to take away all the things we stand for. We should not be ashamed of our culture," he argued. He added " We believe in a way of life thats free and democratic - thats what our enemies want to take away from us".
The Mayor, Councillor James Currie offered sincere congratulations and thanks to those people who have worked hard to ensure the successful running of the band. " You are giving a lot of young people throughout the community the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, and to go on to bigger and better things in the world of music."
Our Director of Music, Eric Russell said " They have in Broughshane a blooming good band!". He paid tribute to Stephen Wharry, the bandmaster, as a "man of vision" whose forthright approach he admired. He was delighted when Stephen approached him to conduct the Sir George White in an Own Choice contest, and even more so when the band took second place out of nine bands.
Norman Montgomery, the registrar for Broughshane Royal Black Preceptory 45, has taken a keen interest in the band over the years and paid tribute to a band which has now developed into a well trained and highly polished outfit.
Ian McClatchey, representing Afton Lily 247 from New Cumnock, Scotland told bandmembers " In my eyes you will always be the best"
With the boring bit over the tables were cleared, the floor was emptied and everyone partied through to the wee small hours.