A WAR veteran’s family has bridged a gap between generations with the gift of a World War II era musical instrument to Patterson River Secondary College.
A trumpet played by Neil Richard Webb, who passed away at the age of 91 in February last year, has been passed on to Patterson River Secondary students by Mr Webb’s son, Peter.
Mr Webb wrote to school principal Maree Vinocuroff in May after reading an RSL magazine article mentioning Patterson River Secondary student Bernard Field playing The Last Post on the bugle at Anzac Day commemorations.
The Geelong resident decided there and then, shortly after his father’s death, to pass on one of two trumpets to the Carrum school his father left in his will.
“Dad would have been thrilled to see someone so young attempting to play The Last Post because it’s such a difficult thing to play,” Mr Webb said.
“I was quite inspired … the main bugle dad played is in the Canberra National War Museum but I wanted to give the trumpet to Bernard Field.”
Neil Webb was a war veteran who served in Darwin and Papua New Guinea between 1942 and 1946.
He received eight medals for frontline war service.
His son says his father was a talented trumpeter from the age of 8 and he was appointed bugler for the Ballarat Sea Scouts at the age of 13.
When Ms Vinocuroff received the generous offer from Mr Webb she had a suggestion of her own: the trumpet should be passed on from student to student each year.
“He thought it was important for his father’s legacy to be passed on and we were very happy about that,” the principal said.
“The trumpet will be a perpetual award and will be given to someone who can’t afford to buy a trumpet and will be used during their time at the school before being passed on to another student.”
Mr Webb visited Patterson River Secondary College last week to hand over the trumpet on behalf of his father who he described as “a marvellous man” who often took the time to speak to youngsters about the significance of The Last Post during his 25 years as a bugler at Geelong RSL.
“I had the feeling this was the right way to go and dad would want this. I know my father would love that a young musician will care for the trumpet and play it.”
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 29 July 2015
