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THE ULSTER VOLUNTEER FLUTE BAND WAS FORMED IN AUGUST 1969.MANY PEOPLE WITHIN OUR OWN COMMUNITY SAID "IT WOULD NEVER LAST". LEADING INDIVIDUALS IN THE LOYAL ORDERS EVEN TRIED TO HAVE US STOPPED BEFORE WE EVEN STARTED PARADING. JACKIE BRADLEY AND THE BOYS OF "69" STOOD FIRM IN THOSE EARLY DAYS AND CREATED AN INSTITUTION THAT FOR MANY WAS TO BECOME A WAY OF LIFE.
FOUNDER MEMBER'S RECALL OUR FIRST UNIFORM,BEING WHITE SHIRTS,BLACK TROUSERS WITH A RED STRIP SEWNON BY MOTHERS SISTERS AND WIVES.ALSO OF LOCALBANDS HELPING OUT ESPECIALLY THE GERTRUDE STAR WHEN PURCHASING NEW HAT'S. OUR FIRST INSTRUMENTS WERE BEGGED AND BORROWED WITH OUR FIRST BASS DRUM BEING BOUGHT SECOND-HAND IN SMITH FIELD MARKET.THIS DRUM HAD A TRAP DOOR SO THAT A LIGHT BULB COULD BE INSERTED FOR DANCE HALL MUSIC.JACKIE SPOKE OF THE PERIOD THAT WE WERE'ROUGH' BUT WE HAD DEFIED ALL ODDS AND WE WERE " ON THE ROAD". AFTER THE INFANT YEARS THE BAND MEMBERSHIP GREW,BLOOD AND THUNDER WAS THE ORDER OF THE DAY, BUT EVEN BACK THEN THE VISION OF A MELODY FLUTE BAND WAS EMERGING.
THE FIRST MILESTONE FOUNDER MEMBERS TALK ABOUT IS WHEN THE GOVERMENT BANNED PARADES SO AS TO TRY AND EASE THE WORSENING SITUATION IN NORTHERN IRELAND.IN DEFIANCE WE LEAD SEVERAL THOUSNAD LOYALISTS THROUGH LIVERPOOL AND LONDON TO PROTEST FOR THE RIGHT TO MARCH!WE WERE ALSO GETTING "TRENDY" THEN WITH SKY BLUE JUMPERS FOR THE FLUTERS AND A RED FOR THE DRUM CORP.
BY THE LATE 70'S SKY BLUE WAS OUR COLOUR.JACKETS WERE BOUGHT ALSO CROME DRUMS AND THE U.V.F. BAND WAS BEGINNG TO TAKE SHAPE.MARCHING AND DEPORTMENT WERE NOW BECOMING AS IMPORTANT AS PLAYING.THE OVERALL AIM WAS TO BEFIT THE NAME OF THE ULSTER VOLUNTEERS.
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ANOTHER MILESTONE CAME IN 1981 WHEN WE WERE PRESENTED WITH THE COLOURS OF THE ULSTER VOLUNTEER FORCE.TO BE THE FIRST BAND TO TROOP THIS FLAG WAS TO BRING ANOTHER PUSH WITH THE MARCHING AND DEPORTMENT.ALSO THE INTRODUCTION OF MARCH'S WAS TO BRING CLOSER THE VISION.
THE 80'S BROUGHT MORE RALLIES AND PARARDES,THIS TIME IT WAS ABOUT SEGREGATION,THE SUPERGRASS TRAILS AND THE ANGLO-IRISH AGREEMENT.THE LATE 80'S WAS A LEAN PERIOD FOR THE BAND,MEMBERSHIP WAS DWINDLING AND THOSE WHO REMAINED DEBATED FOR A MORE RIGOUROUS BLOOD AND THUNDER BAND,WHILE OTHERS PREFERRED TO PURSUE A MORE MELODY APPROACH.
1989 HERALD A NEW BEGINNING AND A COMPLETE TRANSFORMATION,FROM THE NOW ROYAL BLUE TO RED TUNIC'S OF THE GUARDSMEN.A COMPLETE RE-WRITTING OF OUR MUSIC,NEW DRUMS,NEW FLUTES AND EVEN NEW BOOT'S!!.FROM THIS THE "GUARDS" THEME WAS EMERGING AND TO US IT WAS A NATURAL PROGRESIVE STEP TOWARDS THE DREAM OF THE MEN OF "69".
THE 90'S BROGHT AN INFLUX OF BAND COMPETITIONS AND INDEED NOW WE BELIEVE THIS HELPED NOT ONLY US,BUT THE BAND COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE.MORE RECENTLY MEMORAIL PARADES HAVE COME AND WE PROUDLY, JUST LIKE IN THE 70'S,80'S AND 90'S PAY HOMAGE TO OUR FALLEN.
2002 AND THE FINEST HOUR.
AFTER ESCORTING AN HISTORICAL PAGENT THROUGH BELFAST FROM FERNHILL HOUSE WE PERFORMED FOR A CAPACITY CROWD IN THE ULSTER HALL.OVER 1400 PEOPLE HAD GATHERED TO CELEBRATE AND COMMEMORATE THE PERIOD IN OUR HISTORY THAT SHAPED OUR COUNTRY AND INDEED OUR BANDS HISTORY.
AS WE LEFT THE STAGE TO THUNDEROUS APPLAUSE WE THOUGHT OF THE MEN OF "69" AND THANKED THEM FOR STANDING FIRM WHEN OTHERS SAID "WE WOULD NEVER LAST" FOR GOD AND ULSTER A BIG THANKS TO RICHARD FOR THIS INSIGHT INTO THE HISTORY OF THE U.V.F FLUTE BAND.
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WE EXTEND OUR GRATITUDE TO THE 'GREAT WARS HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL SOCIETY' AND THOSE WHO ENTRUSTED THE 'REGIMENTAL BAND'WITH THE HONOUR OF PARTICIPATION. IT WAS OUR PRIVILEDGE TO LEAD THE PARADE THROUGH BELFAST TO THE ULSTER HALL,IT WAS OUR PRIVILEDGE TO ENTERTAIN THE AUDIENCE WITH THE MUSICAL SELECTION CONTAINED ON OUR NEW CD. IT WAS OUR HUMBLE PRIVILEDGE TO PROVIDE AN HONOUR GUARD FOR THE NEWLY DEDICATED BRIGADE COMMAND STANDARD.
THE BAND AS A UNIT THIS YEAR HAVE WORKED OUT OF THERE SKINS TO OBTAIN OUR NEW UNIFORM AND WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND THERE SINCERE THANKS TO FAMILY,FRIENDS AND ALL FELLOW LOYALIST'S WHO DONATED TIME OR MONEY TO SUCH A WORTHY CAUSE.WE ALSO SEND OUT A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OUR FRIENDS ACROSS THE WATER WHO HAVE SUPPORTED THE BAND THROUGH THE YEARS.
FOR GOD AND ULSTER
(The text above is from the Uvf band site)