Legacy on the Bugle: Royal New Zealand Navy Musician Reflects on the Sacred Duty of Performing the Last Post

Navy bugler Colin Clark discusses the pressure of playing the Last Post at Gallipoli and why he still gets nervous after 20 years of Anzac Day services.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 24, 2026, 5:21 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from RNZ and the New Zealand Defence Force.

A Lifetime of Preparation for a Single Minute of Silence

For Petty Officer Musician Colin Clark, the journey to becoming one of the New Zealand Defence Force’s most distinguished buglers began at the age of five. Born into a musical family where both parents performed in a local brass band, Clark was introduced to the cornet as a means of participating in the family craft. This early immersion in brass instrumentation provided the foundational technical skills required for his eventual career in the Royal New Zealand Navy Band. However, no amount of childhood practice can fully prepare a musician for the unique psychological pressure of standing before thousands at a dawn service to deliver the military's most poignant musical tribute.

The Weight of History at Anzac Cove

The pinnacle of Clark’s career as a service musician occurred during the 2009 and 2013 commemorations at Gallipoli. Performing the "Last Post" at Anzac Cove is considered the highest honor for a military bugler, representing a direct connection to the soldiers who fought on those shores in 1915. During these ceremonies, Clark has occasionally performed using authentic bugles from the First World War era, including a notable instrument dated to 1915. He describes the experience of playing a century-old bugle as a "hazard of the job" that brings an incredible and humbling sense of responsibility, bridging the gap between modern remembrance and historical reality.

The Solitary Nature of the Bugler’s Performance

The "Last Post" is unique in the musical world because it typically occurs in total silence, with no accompaniment to mask even the slightest technical tremor. Clark admits that even after hundreds of services since the early 2000s, the "absolute silence" of the moment remains daunting. Because the bugle calls are the only active element during that portion of the ceremony, every breath and note is magnified. This isolation creates a distinct form of performance anxiety, as the bugler is acutely aware that the music serves as the emotional catalyst for a nation's collective grief and respect.