1996 to 2001
The Lawrence family are mentioned many times throughout this history of the band and in 1996 Garry Lawrence was commissioned as bandmaster having served as Deputy to Roland Wright.
Soon after Garry took over as bandmaster the band reached the milestone of having performed in the Bournemouth bandstands for 50 years. Initially in the Fisherman's Walk Bandstand in Southbourne and latterly in the Pine Walk Bandstand in the Bournemouth Lower Gardens, the band has ministered to locals and holidaymakers on Friday evenings during the summer since 1946.
Throughout its history the band have been involved with and supportive of the local authorities and in 1997 a special concert "Let's Celebrate" was organised to mark the changes that resulted in the new Bournemouth Unitary Authority. The guests that evening were Captain Howard Evans (Piano), Matt King (Percussion) and the massed choirs of local schools.
As well as campaigns in a number of towns around England in 1998 the band undertook an extensive tour of the United States and Canada starting in Minneapolis and ending in New York. The tour leader was the divisional commander of the Southampton division Lt. Colonel John Pearce-Haydon. He clearly enjoyed the experience as when the time came for him to retire he moved to Boscombe and joined the band.
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