The Management

Austin Davies - Band Manager

I started lessons at the age of seven with my uncle William Priday who was the conductor of Coedely Colliery Band where my Father Auber Davies and five other family members played.

After several years of individual lessons in Uncle Will’s kitchen and reaching the age of 10, I joined Coedely Colliery Band on third Cornet. After playing in several concerts with the Band, I made my contest debut at the age of 11 in the 1967 Miners Gala in Cardiff the test piece was Main Street by Eric Ball and we won first prize.

Over the years I played on many instruments finally settling on EEb Bass. I remained with Coedely Colliery Band playing under the direction of several conductors including Will Priday, Ernie Coombes, Nobby Clark and the last person to conduct the band on the contest stage in Ebbw Vale was Gareth Key.Coedely Colliery Band ended in August 1988 and I decided to end my playing career.

My Brother Martin who was also a member of Coedely Colliery Band went on and joined Mid Rhondda Band and in 1991 he persuaded me to end my early retirement period and so I became a member of Mid Rhondda Band.

In January 1997 I joined The Cory Band. My first engagement with Cory was in the Yeovil Entertainment Contest, which we won.

Throughout my career in Brass Banding I have been involved with the administration and served as Chairman of Coedely for eight years and three years as a committee member during my time with Mid Rhondda, so when I was asked to become the Treasurer of Cory Band in 1998 it became a natural progression.

2000 Millennium Year will be a year I will never forget, following the Annual General Meeting in January I was elected as Chairman of the Cory Band and we went on to win the Welsh Area contest in Swansea and after appointing Robert Childs as Musical Director won the Ebbw Vale and National Eisteddfod contests. In September we went to Birmingham in buoyant and confident mood and came from there as British Open Champions first time A Welsh Band had won the title, Five weeks later we managed to complete the “Double” by becoming National Champions of Great Britain by winning the contest in the Royal Albert Hall.

Further success has followed and the demands on the band to appear in engagements at home and abroad has seen an increase in administration so I decided to end my playing career at the 2006 European Championships  and dedicate all of my Forty Years experience as a player and administrator into the role of Band Manager.

John Trotman - Librarian

The immense volume that is John's biography is being reduced for the Web!

Gwyn Thomas - Contest Secretary

Started in the Cory Junior Band in 1956 under Don Hendy on Bb cornet,invited to join the senior band on 3rd cornet in 1960 and given the opportunity to switch to soprano in 1963.

Spent 4 enjoyable years on sop before taking up the trumpet in a local pop group.In 1970 after 12 months of married bliss to Helen I was once again invited to help out on the top end,but my one desire was to return to the instrument I loved best,The Sop,6 months later I had my wish and the rest is history,winning the very first Granada Band of the Year,B.B.C. Band of the Year,a hatrick of C.I.S.W.O.titles,the first National in London in 1974 the European Title in1980 and the pinacle of my acheivments being the Hat Trick of National wins in The Albert Hall 1982-83-84.

I continued playing until 1996 and in 1999 was the proud recipient of Life Member of "CORY'S".On my 60th birthday I was pleased to be once more asked to become involved with the running of this fabulous combination,a request I jumped at after discussion with my ever encouraging wife.It goes without saying I now derive an enormous amount of pleasure to listen to and be involved with this group of extremely talented musicians.