Our marvellous conductor Ross Cole has been recognised on the Australian Music Association Honour Roll for 2017, one of only 13 people since its inception in 2001.
“AMA Honour Roll
It provides recognition to those who are or who have been our industry leaders and whose contribution over many years has made a significant difference to the way we all do business and/or to the growth and prosperity of our industry. This is not an award that is given to anyone. It is a prestigious honour to receive it. Recipients could be musical products industry leaders, musicians who have made a significant contribution to the development of young musicians, international figures who have made a considerable difference to Australia – and those that have made a significant contribution to the association. The AMA Honour Roll has, since its inception in 2001, been awarded to people who have chosen to retire or no longer be actively engaged in the industry. It has also been offered posthumously to families.”
“Ross Cole started learning piano in primary school but after two years the teacher said she could not control him and had no talent so I stopped. I then went to North Sydney Boys High, joined the brass band playing Euphonium and loved it and music. By final year Ross was playing cornet and trombone in two different music groups and the following year, 1955, won the State Junior Trombone Title.
In those days music shops were very few, Frank Dickson in a backstreet of Chatswood, and Palings, Nicholsons, J Stanley Johnsons and Harry Landis in town although Landis stopped him coming in after a while because he kept going in and testing trombones and mouthpieces and never buying .
Over the next 20 odd years music was still a very strong hobby while he married and had a number of career changes. However, in 1979 while lecturing at UTS and Sydney TAFE he met his present wife Marilyn with whom he had gone through infant school at Willoughby and they were married shortly after this with 5 children between them.” Read more here
