The visiting Presbyterian Ladies College stage band from Australia took a 10-day tour of Suva and Vanua Levu with a concert at the Suva Civic Centre on July 6, 1992.
According to an article published by The Fiji Times on July 7,1992, the 18-member band was here as part of a study tour.
Tour leader Andrew Boyle told this newspaper the trip was organised so the girls could experience the Fijian way of life.
“The school was established in 1875 and it was the first girls’ school in Australia to pursue academic standards,” he said.
“This challenged the students beyond what most schools taught at the time and when most schools were teaching cooking, they were teaching science.”
It is the first time the band had travelled overseas. Members of the band were between third and sixth form — raised funds mainly for their uniforms by washing cars, selling sweets and concerts.
One of the band members, 17-year-old Kate Sheludko, sold two cows as her contribution to the effort. She had bought them from a market and raised them on her parents’ 20-acre farm near Ballarat in Victoria which they had since sold.
“When I sold them, I got $650 each for them,” Kate said.
She played the trombone for five years, but she wanted to be a veterinarian.
The members have been playing music from an early age and their ages range between 13-18 years.
The band used a combination of five saxophones, four trombones, four trumpets and four rhythm instruments resulting in a jazz, rock, and Latin styles with a contemporary dance rhythm.
They travelled to Sese, Tawake and Naboutini in Vanua Levu to perform before heading home.
