"I regret ever putting it down."

Bill Guthrie, Trumpet

There’s a saying among musicians: “Don’t look at the trumpet players. It only encourages them.” Bill Guthrie joined the Kimberley Community Band trumpet section four years ago, after hearing the KCB playing in the Platzl one summer day, and since then he has needed no encouragement. Like many of his colleagues, he thinks the best thing about playing in the band is the people—“It sure isn’t the pay!” he quips—but he particularly enjoys leading the trumpet section. “I like the challenges and opportunities that come with playing a really key instrument in the band.”

Bill's day job frequently takes him to Trail, and when he’s there he likes to sit in with the Maple Leaf Band. His favourite event at which to play, though, is the annual Remembrance Day ceremony at Kimberley’s cenotaph. “It’s kind of like old times, when they had two bands playing.” Coming back to the trumpet decades after leaving it behind in high school, Bill is one of the most enthusiastic and hard-working musicians in the group. “I regret ever putting the trumpet down,” he says. “I’ve got forty years to catch up on.”