Successful band tour of Hungary

As a supporter of the St Catherine Band Club of Zurrieq I would like to thank the organising committee, particularly the president, Charles Schembri and the secretary, Joseph Darmanin, for the impeccable way they organised the band's tour of Hungary and Austria between July 12 and 19.

Thanks to the perfect organisation, this was a memorable experience for me and all those who joined this tour. To lead a party of 180 people made up of 60 bandsmen and 120 supporters was not an easy task, so the fact that everything went without a hitch was a great achievement.

The eight days we spent abroad were filled with various activities and different forms of entertainment and there was hardly any room for rest. Times were adhered to and the programme followed in detail. The band, under the baton of Mario Testa, was very well prepared for this tour and all the programmes it played in Budapest were a huge success.

The climax of the band's programme was in Dorog, where it marched through the main street of the city and then gave a wonderful performance with the local band which was warmly applauded by the audience which filled the hall. It was a real pleasure to watch the two bands combine together and play some wonderful music. It was very moving to listen to our band interpret the Hungarian national anthem and to the Dorog and Tat Wind Band reciprocate by playing the Maltese anthem. There were speeches by the deputy mayor of the city and our president. Our committee was presented with a banner commemorating the band's visit to Dorog.

The committee also thought of distributing leaflets promoting the village of Zurrieq and Malta wherever the band played. On their part our Hungarian hosts left no stone unturned to make our visit to their country a most hospitable and enjoyable experience. Naturally, all of us enjoyed the excellent Hungarian food and wine.

This was the sixth time that the St Catherine Band of Zurrieq participated in concerts abroad. It was another healthy experience for our band and such exchanges with foreign bands should be encouraged.