As we freeze at the Anzac Day dawn service on Tuesday, spare a thought for the bugler coaxing notes out a metal instrument potentially in sub-zero temperatures.
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“It’s always cold,” Tenterfield’s sole bugler Murray Hovey said.
Mr Hovey will be playing the haunting Last Post and Reveille on four occasions next Tuesday: Tenterfield’s dawn service, cemetery service and the commemoration service back at Memorial Hall, and at Mingoola in the afternoon.
He also plays on Remembrance Days, RSL funerals at the family’s request, and on other special occasions like the recent F-111 crash anniversary service.
He has assumed bugling duties since he and wife Debbie attended a dawn service in the early 1990s in -0.4 degrees temperature where an old tape recorder had been enlisted to play the important pieces. The recorder’s batteries struggled in the cold temperatures and the outcome was less than satisfactory.
“Debbie bought me a trumpet for my next birthday, with Anzac Day in mind,” Mr Hovey said.
This wasn’t his first time entrusted with the task, however.
“I played trumpet as a kid, and did Last Post and Reveille from when I was around 13 years old. Then work, motorbikes, girls and life in general got in the way, and I sold the trumpet.”
While he normally uses the new trumpet these days, on special occasions he enlists the historic bugle belonging to the Kneipp family, used by Terry’s uncle Norm on the battlefields of Palestine in WW1. When Norm was killed in action, Lieutenant Colonel MF Bruxner returned the bugle to the family where it has been passed down as a treasured memento.
An earlier story on the bugle’s illustrious history is available here.
While both trumpet and bugle employ the same lip action to produce sound, Mr Hovey said the bugle lacks the valves which allow a trumpet to sound the progressive notes. He said he was somewhat concerned when initially presented with the Kneipp bugle, suggesting that he try it out at home first, given its condition.
“I found it produces the most amazing sound,” he said, “so much better than any trumpet or other bugle.”
Mr Hovey shared the instrument with other players in the Stanthorpe Brass Band of which he is a member, and they were also impressed. Recent visits by the German Brass Band have reignited his enthusiasm to extend his repertoire beyond the Last Post and Reveille, and he travels regularly to Stanthorpe to perform with the band.
The bugle, nevertheless, remains a favourite and is full of character, not least of which is one special adornment.
“Terry (Kneipp) looked at it and said ‘there’s something wrong with this bugle’ and realised it was missing its cord. He took the cord from his dressing gown and that’s the cord that’s still on it today,” Mr Hovey said.
The Hoveys are a trumpeting family, with son Nicholas helping with bugling duties when he’s in town. Hovey Snr was also hoping to recruit daughter Melissa, but a new baby has put those plans on hold.
Mr Hovey said he no longer gets nervous when it’s his time to perform.
“I can tell if I’ve played well because the hairs stand up on the back of my neck,” he said.
Despite the unkind conditions and the challenge of coaxing notes out of a freezing instrument, Mr Hovey is more than happy to perform his duties.
“It’s just a bit of respect for people who served, as my father as some of my brothers did,” he said.
Watch Murray Hovey playing the Last Post on the celebrated bugle.
Which is generally followed by Reveille (or The Rouse, as it is officially known.)