South Australian Police Band: Amber checks out the bands travel plans in the Adelaide City region of South Australia

Audiences at public events like the Christmas Pageant and ANZAC parade will be familiar with the South Australian Police Band's ceremonial role but the band really shot to fame in 1990 with their appearance at the famous Edinburgh Tattoo.

That performance catapulted the Police Band onto world stage. Their flamboyant backward marching and leg swings brought the house down and put them at the top of the invitation list for events like the upcoming Basel International Tattoo in Switzerland - the second largest open-air military tattoo in the world.

Adam Buckley, Drum Major: "We've become renowned for doing displays that are high energy, off the wall and a little bit different to what everyone else has been doing. With traditional European bands, the displays are very regimented in what they're allowed to do. They're only allowed to go up and down the parade ground with very limited moves whereas we're throwing in the kicks and the backwards marching and the dance moves and that's what makes us unique."

Drum Major, Adam Buckley has put together a brand new routine for the Basel Tattoo and the band has spent the past six month rehearsing the moves in between their regular performances.

Musical Director, Dave Polain has arranged the music - based on a medley of very Australian tunes.

Dave Polain, Musical Director: "When you're playing the 'Australiania' stuff to people overseas, it's real lump in the throat virtually every performance. When we did the Edinburgh Tattoo back in 2000 there were 26 performances of that and each one of them we looked forward to because we're representing our country. It's the biggest buzz to be there."

The band has a long and proud tradition stretching back to 1884 when fourteen foot patrolmen got together spurred on by a bonus payment of sixpence a day and four hours practice a week.

Nigel Davies, Band Historian: "There was a suggestion that all serving police officers may care to give a little bit of money in order to get a band up and running. The outcome of that was they collected well in excess of 200, which if you think in 1884 was a considerable amount. So the strength of feeling within the force that they wanted a band was extremely strong."

In the early days the band even led monthly 'pay parades' through the city as policemen made their way to the parade grounds to collect their pay. Now their gigs consist of more than 100 appearances a year - from public parades to an extensive schools program - and later this month, they are sure to again do us proud on the world stage at the Basel Tattoo in Switzerland. If you have any further questions please email info@postcards-sa.com.au

Published 6th July 2010