Band History

The original name of the band was " Northern Rivers" .The first rehearsal and meeting of the band took place on April 11 1979.
John Allen became the bands first director and prepared the band as a concert band marching band. The band made its first appearance in the Lismore Centenary Parade on June 2 1979.

In 1988 the name was changed to the Lismore City Concert Band after considerable discussion. The majority of band members were now coming from the Lismore area. The Northern Rivers title seemed to be confusing for people about the exact location of the band.

One of the highlights of the bands history was the performance of the junior band on two days at World Expo 1988 in Brisbane. The band performed on four occassions as a representative of Lismore and the North Coast region. The band numbered ninety players for expo performances.

In 1989 a special reunion concert was held on November 18th to mark the tenth anniversary of the bands formation. Performed for the first time at this concert was the march "The First Decade", composed by John Allen specifically for this event.

In 1996, John Allen retired after almost 18 years as band director.