Wagga Pipe Band looks for new members amid concerns musician shortage could impact the future of Anzac Day

Anzac Day isn't all wreaths and flags - music has an important place in commemorating the history of conflict and the armed forces in Australia and around the world.

Bagpipes and drums have been used as an intimidation, and signalling system by Scottish military regiments since at least the 14^th century.

Pibroch, or highland pipe music, is no longer intimidating to most, but its martial origins have made it a fixture of military events like Anzac Day.

For Aaron Tuckwell from the Wagga Pipe Band, this year's Anzac Day parade was a performance of special significance.

Mr Tuckwell's father, a Vietnam veteran, died late last year.

A second tragedy struck the whole pipe band in February, when founding pipe major and veteran Cecil "Bob" Scott passed away, leaving a void at the centre of the organisation.

"This is one of the biggest for us each year - the Anzac march," Mr Tuckwell said.

"This is my first year without him [dad], and I've marched with grandad's medals since we lost him about 20 years ago.

"That's the ramifications of war. Unfortunately, all the things the war produced in my dad, it really did come back to bite him."

Mr Tuckwell said it was important for him to march in spite of the personal challenges of the day, because he knew his father, grandfather, and Mr Scott would have wanted him there.

He said the pipe band had also been struggling to find new members to replace those that a were moving away, or dying of old age.

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"Today's society is all about money, which makes it really hard," he said.

"You can't just go out and buy a new drum, and a new uniform, unless someone's actually going to commit.

"It's really sad, because you put in a lot of time and effort, and because we're a small regional town, the young'uns go up to the city, looking for the big job, the high life."

Wagga's pipe band is not alone in having trouble attracting young volunteers.

A recent report commissioned by the Assistant Minister for Charities Andrew Leigh last year showed Australians are volunteering less than they have in the past. The report suggested that youth mobility was part of this, but more a symptom than a cause.

Put simply, Gen Z and Y live without the same socio-economic stability and mobility that their parents have lived with.

This makes them disinclined to donate their scarce time, money, or energy towards organisations in communities they may only briefly be a part of.

Mr Tuckwell said in the case of music, it can travel with you. Through his own life, he has also played with pipe bands in Hornsby and Bankstown, keeping his skills sharp for a return to Wagga.

While the pipe band is being challenged at the moment by a lack of willing volunteers, the director of the Australian Army Band Kapooka, Major Greg Peterson, said there were currently 17 paid positions available he'd love to fill.

"Going back 50 years ago, this would have been a 50-piece band on stage," Major Peterson said.

"One of the good things about the army is that we're very good at adapting, so with the right arrangements, we're still able to contribute to the ceremony of events like Anzac Day. We're a lot more musically agile than we used to be, with multi-instrumentalists, and skilled sound technicians.

"In regional centres like Wagga, it can be hard to recruit, but I do know that I have 17 permanent part-time positions that I can offer for people here who are suitably qualified."

Major Peterson said the position at Kapooka was a "dream posting" for him, as the band's central mission was about community engagement, allowing a wide range of regular performance opportunities.

"It's one of the locations I've always wanted to do, because when you come and do these events, they're really well supported by the community," he said.

"It's not just ceremonial events like this [Anzac Day], we do a lot of community engagement work as well, which raises a lot of funds for local and regional communities.

"We are soldier musicians first and foremost, so it's not just the music. We go to do international engagement and a lot of exercises such as flood assist and bushfire assist."

The pipe band's president Ken Lansdown said people could get involved with the band by contacting him directly on 0401 606 100.

For more information about joining the army band at Kapooka, email Major Peterson at gregory.peterson1@defence.gov.au

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