Tuba on guard

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/06/2018 (2854 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A young Brandon woman will be representing Canada this summer in Ottawa as part of the Ceremonial Guard.

Lisa Thiel grew up in Brandon, attended J. R. Reid School, and Vincent Massey High School, and more recently completed her degree in music at Brandon University.

Having just graduated from the program last year, Thiel is now part of the primary reserves with the Winnipeg Rifles.

Originally it was Thiel’s passion for music that drew her to be part of the Ceremonial Guard in Ottawa, where she plays a tuba. However, as she completed her basic military training and learned more about it, she said that her passion has grown to encompass both.

“I do really enjoy the military side of things now, it challenges you and you grow as a person,” Thiel said. “You learn all these things about yourself that you never thought that you could possible do.”

According to the Canadian Armed Forces website, the duties of the Ceremonial Guard are to plan, prepare, and execute public duties in the nation’s capital during the summer.

“Every guardsman, musician and member of the support staff is a trained regular or reserve member of the CAF,” the website reads. “All newly enrolled personnel must successfully complete the CAF basic military training prior to being granted permission to wear CAF uniforms and the full-dress uniform of either the Governor General’s Foot Guards or the Canadian Grenadier Guards.

“The majority of the Guard is composed of members from Canadian Army Regular and Reserve Force units from CA regiments across the country and is augmented by members from the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal Canadian Air Force.”

The Ceremonial Guard band is made up of CAF Primary Reserves members. The band forms each year to provide musical support for the Changing of the Guard ceremony in Ottawa on Parliament Hill.

“During this period, the band is also tasked with supporting official functions held at Rideau

Hall, foreign embassies and other locations around the national capital region.”

Thiel is entering her second year as part of the Ceremonial Guard. From June 24 until the end of August she’ll have to wake up early, have an inspection done on her uniform, as well as march onto Parliament Hill as part of the changing of the guard ceremony.

“It’s a very prestigious thing for musicians [to be a part of it,” she said.

It can also bring its challenges as Thiel has to mulit-task to make sure her job is done properly.

“I have to march around and carry a tuba, and you have to memorize music and make sure your drill is good, and your uniform is good,” she said.

She was picked from a large number of people who additioned to be part of the band. She said that more than 300 people addition every year, and only between 6090 are chosen to be part of it. Although she was chosen as part of the band last year, this year she had to re-audition.

There will be a lot of eyes on her as tourists tend to swarm the area to watch the ceremony and take pictures.

“It’s really amazing, every day there’s hundreds of tourists there,” she said. “They get to see a glimpse of how our military looks and how our music sounds.”

Thiele has been in the military for over a year now, and she’s hoping to get her corporal qualification this year.

“It’s a lot of fun and very rewarding,” she said.

» mverge@brandonsun.com » Twitter: @Melverge5