Gunnedah
Gunnedah is a medium-sized town (population 11,000) in the fertile Namoi Valley area of NorthWestern New South Wales, in Australia. The Namoi river valley was a part of the traditional lands of the Kamilaroi (or "Gamillarray") Aboriginal people. The name "Gunnedah" comes from the "Gunn-e-darr" tibe of the Kamilaroi people who inhabited the area before white setttlement.
The modern economy of Gunnedah is based on a combination of mining, agriculture and tourism. Coal has been mined in the Gunnedah area for about 130 years (since about 1880) and the first Brass Band in Gunnedah was established in 1885. It is very likely that the Brass Band culture of Northern England was carried to Gunnedah by English miners who migrated to the area in the late 19th Century. They would have played in the first Brass Bands in Gunnedah.
The area continues to support traditional Brass Band community musiocal culture. The current bands (2009) are generously supported by the local agricultural and mining industries.