Whanganui duo set for poignant homecoming with the New Zealand Army Band

Private Lisa Crawley and Lance Corporal Jacob Mancer both grew up in Whanganui, picking up an early interest in brass music.

“I started playing in the late 1990s after seeing Whanganui City Brass in concert at the Royal Whanganui Opera House,” Private Crawley said.

“I had somehow got it in my head that Elton John was going to be playing - he wasn’t of course – but after I’d gotten over my disappointment the band came on stage and I was mesmerised.”

While she didn’t know at the time, Private Crawley was following in the footsteps of a strong family lineage of brass bands, with both her grandfather and great-uncle, Ralph and Selwyn Holmes, avid players themselves. 

Lance Corporal Mancer’s introduction to brass music was more of a chance affair. 

“We were set to go to a Carols by Candlelight concert in Whanganui in the mid-2000s, but it was cancelled,” he said.

“I had extended family members playing for Brass Whanganui at the time, and they decided to host their own mini carols concert at home. This is where my brother Brad and I had our first go on an instrument, and it was the start of my musical journey.”

Both Private Crawley and Lance Corporal Mancer were tutored at various points in their career by Whanganui’s own Kevin Jarrett MBE, a former bandmaster of the NZ Army Band.

“Kevin was more than just my music teacher,” recalled Private Crawley.

“He was my mentor, my confidante and my friend. He taught me the importance of playing a beautiful melody and explained that they were often the hardest to play. ‘No one wants to hear a technically brilliant solo if you don’t have a good sound’ he’d said. ‘Sound is everything’.”

Despite his talents on the cornet, Lance Corporal Mancer’s journey in to the band was rather long-winded. 

“I started studying Exercise and Sport Science in Palmerston North, but ended up moving home to be closer to family. I then started a plumbing apprenticeship, and very quickly decided that that career wasn’t for me,” he said. 

“I always knew the Army band existed, and knew it was a really cool job - playing music full time and getting paid to do it, why didn’t I think of joining sooner! I auditioned on the tenor horn in 2007 and got in. I haven’t looked back since.”

As well as plenty of domestic travel both band members have had the opportunity to experience the world with their bandmates; Edinburgh Military Tattoos, Gallipoli services and concerts in Switzerland, Vanuatu and Australia to name a few. 

For Private Crawley, the Edinburgh Tattoo was a highlight.

“Marching through those castle gates every night is something else, and it doesn’t get old. I was lucky enough to perform with the band there in 2010 and 2013, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat if given the opportunity.”

The upcoming run of concerts marks the end of Private Crawley’s second stint with the band, a poignant full-circle moment to finish in Whanganui.

“I’ve had an even better time with the band this time round. So many incredible, kind and hard-working people that I’m going to miss deeply. So as I conclude my Army career for the second time, - and in my home town no less - I reflect on the many wonderful people I have had a privilege to serve with and to those who paved the way forward for us.”

Meanwhile, Lance Corporal Mancer isn’t putting down the tenor horn any time soon, and is in fact set to mark the Whanganui concert with a special performance.  

“I am very excited to be heading home and playing in the good old Whanganui Opera House. This is very exciting because my family will be attending and supporting me, but also, because I’ll be playing a solo. It’s a piece of music called ‘Enter the Dance’ by Andrea Price, I can’t wait.”