The Melbourne Staff Band celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2015 and this work was commissioned by Staff Bandmaster Ken Waterworth to feature in their programmes throughout the year.
The music opens with fiery rhythmic figures, drawing on the band's technical brilliance. As the music progresses there are hints of traditional marches from early years, both in form and the minor key harmony used.
The Trio section features The Homeward Trail, a song from the pen of Colonel Arthur Arnott, a Salvation Army officer who spent the majority of his career serving in Australia. The tune is then developed thematically and, following an interlude and key change, receives another treatment filled with fanfare and flourish that leads into the concluding moments of the work.
Just prior to the closing bars, the music pays a brief homage to Australian composer Arthur Gullidge with a quote from his classic march Liberty (G.S. 1296), published in 1948, as a final salute to the great music that has come from this country.
