After busking in short bursts for about an hour each day this week, he was delighted to have raised more than $800, which he will give to a children’s cancer charity.
It is not the first time he has busked with his euphonium. The former automotive parts industry worker also played Christmas carols at the same supermarket the previous two Christmases, but this Christmas was the first time he had put out his instrument case to collect money.
"I am 81. I’ve been playing brass instruments since I was 10, and in brass bands. I started in Gore and then played in Timaru’s brass band.
"Then I went to Auckland. We were 47 years in Auckland and I played for 37 years with the Royal New Zealand Artillery Band and then came back south and joined the Roxburgh band and I still play with the Roxburgh band," Mr Leslie said.
His first choice instrument is a tuba but he busks with a euphonium because it is more suited to the supermarket environment, he said.
"I can go for an hour at a time. This [euphonium] has a much smaller mouth piece and my lips get tired, particularly playing in a high register," he said.
The Three Parks supermarket was a great venue and he had found the experience rewarding.
People had been very generous but the biggest problem was people not carrying coins around any more.
"Next year I might bring an eftpos machine," he joked.
