Tenor horn player Barbara Cooper said she first started her long involvement with Southern bands in Balclutha when she was 10 years old, following in the footsteps of her younger brother.
One year later, in 1953, she made her first public performance.
It was the opening of the band rotunda in Balclutha and she was part of the Balclutha Brass Band, Mrs Cooper said.
Since 2004 she has been part of the Mosgiel Brass Band, where she is a member of the band’s committee and maintains the instruments and uniforms.
However, as a woman she was not always accepted into the musical fold.
When she was principal cornet player for the St Kilda Brass Band as a teenager, Mrs Cooper was allowed to march and play at a contest but was barred from being in the band’s photos, an experience she described as "horrible".
She was also selected for the National Youth Band but a week after she was notified, the invitation was rescinded because the band could not find facilities for women.
In 1975 the Kaikorai Metropolitan Brass Band had a special meeting, with a secret vote, to determine if they would accept women and the result was far from unanimous, Mrs Cooper said.
However, the vote passed and Mrs Cooper joined the next year.
She was not sure what the men’s objection had been.
"It’s just one of those things, I think," she said.
She loved playing music and was pleased young women were still getting involved.
Her advice for any young people thinking of getting into brass bands was: "Go for it, don’t hesitate. If you want to learn it, learn it."
The music had changed quite dramatically over the years, with more popular songs being selected.
Despite being 80 years old, Mrs Cooper said she planned to keep playing in the band for as long as she could.
"When you’re playing music you can’t be thinking of anything too serious, you get all wrapped up in the music. It’s lovely," Mrs Cooper said.
