The Silent Spotlight: Naval Musician on the Art and Nerves of the ‘Last Post’

Petty Officer Musician Colin Clark shares the "humbling experience" of playing the Last Post at Gallipoli and the nerves that come with every dawn service.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 24, 2026, 11:38 AM EDT

Source: RNZ Pacific

A Lifetime of Brass

Colin Clark’s journey into military music began as a necessity of family life. Born into a musical household, his parents provided him with a cornet at age five so he could join them in the local brass band rather than "tagging along."

He joined the Royal New Zealand Navy Band in the early 2000s, but his career reached a pinnacle when he was selected to perform at Anzac Cove, Gallipoli, in both 2009 and 2013. "I don't think there's anything, as a service musician, that could be more important than that," Clark says of the experience at the site of the 1915 campaign.

Playing Through History

A recurring "hazard" of the job for military buglers is being approached by the public with family heirlooms. On one occasion, Clark performed a commemorative service marking the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Chunuk Bair using a bugle dating back to 1915 the year of the Gallipoli landings.

"Someone will come up to you and say, 'Oh I've found this - my grandfather had this bugle.' That one actually was a really lovely bugle to play," he recalls. Using an instrument contemporaneous with the conflict adds a layer of sonic authenticity to the tribute.