- Inducted:
- 2022
- Category:
- Trailblazer
For more than 50 years, Janice (Jan) Davey pioneered female participation in brass bands, a traditionally male dominated area. Jan was responsible for significant contributions to music and the arts through her ground-breaking endeavours in the brass band world.
Jan commenced her marching career as leader of a Bendigo brass band’s marching girls’ team. She led them to many successes at state and national levels and achieved numerous individual awards along the way. Jan became the first female in Australia to accept the role of the band’s drum major (marching leader). The band won many championships including several national titles. Jan won national drum major titles in 1981 and 1997. In 1995 she became Australia’s first female drill adjudicator and a member of the Victorian Drill Advisory Board.
In 2008, Jan was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to relinquish her drum major role in 2011. She continued as a playing musician in the band until her passing in August 2021.
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