Bendigo and District Bands' Group

19/09/2026

🎶 We were delighted to welcome our band patron, The Hon. Howard Nathan, retired Supreme Court judge and passionate supporter of the arts, to band rehearsal this week.

Howard was particularly thrilled to visit us given the band room’s location alongside his beloved Sandhurst Gaol and Ulumbarra Theatre.

He was impressed by both the quality of the band and the wonderful atmosphere in the room 🎺🎵 and we’re very much looking forward to his involvement with the band in the future.

It was a pleasure to have you with us, Howard! 👏😊

05/09/2026

04/09/2026

02/09/2026

A reminder to all you lovely people that the Eaglehawk band is performing this Sunday.
Come along, make a donation to mens health, enjoy the music and then stay and enjoy some afternoon tea!

01/09/2026

30/08/2026

🖤 Vale Geoff Emond

The Bendigo & District Bands Group is saddened by the news of the passing of Geoff Emond following a short illness.

Geoff was a former Secretary of the Bendigo & District Bands Group, and a long-time supporter of the banding community. He also served as the Bands Section compare for the annual Bendigo Competitions Society Eisteddfod for many years.

The City of Greater Bendigo Brass Band will be performing at Geoff’s funeral on
Friday 4 September at 10:30am at Bendigo Funerals, Miller Street, Bendigo.

Any players who would like to join the band on the day are welcome to do so. Please contact Musical Director Cally Bartlett via email, including your instrument:

📧 [[email protected]]

Our thoughts are with Geoff’s family, friends and all those who knew and loved him at this sad time.

Vale Geoff. 🎺🖤

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Victorian Bands' League
City of Greater Bendigo

26/08/2026

VBL Contest Rules Review – Have Your Say!

The Victorian Bands’ League is undertaking a review of its Contest Rules, and we’re inviting member bands to contribute to the process.

Bands are encouraged to submit any proposed changes, suggestions or feedback for consideration.

📅 Submissions close: 1 October 2026
📧 Send submissions to: [email protected]

All submissions received will be compiled and circulated to VBL member bands by 11 October, giving everyone the opportunity to review the proposals ahead of the online meeting.

💻 Contest Rules Review Meeting
📅 Sunday 22 November 2026
🕙 10.00am
📍 Online

The meeting will provide an opportunity to discuss the submissions and proposed changes together before any motions are put to a vote.

We encourage all VBL bands to take part and help shape the rules that govern our contests.

18/08/2026

A huge thank you to everyone who made the 2026 Victorian State Band Championships such a fantastic celebration of banding.

To all the musicians, conductors and bands who took to the stage, thank you for the countless hours of preparation and for sharing some truly outstanding performances with us.

To our adjudicators, volunteers and everyone working behind the scenes - events like this simply don’t happen without you. We are incredibly grateful for the time, energy and enthusiasm you gave throughout the weekend.

And to the families, friends and supporters who filled the venues and cheered on our bands, thank you for being part of what makes the Victorian banding community so special.

Congratulations to all our placegetters, and to every band that took part. Whatever the result, it was wonderful to see our community come together once again to perform, compete, catch up with old friends and celebrate everything we love about banding.

Thank you for making the 2026 Victorian State Band Championships one to remember!

To help us keep improving the event, please take a few minutes to complete the survey: https://forms.gle/DTkq1p8vbUn8t88p8

24/04/2026

One week to go until entries close for the 2026 Victorian Solo & Ensemble Championships!
All details here: https://vbl.org.au/2026-ssec/