“Once the kids were settled at school I took up the oboe as an engrossing hobby. I enjoyed practising but wished there could be a purpose to my playing.

So when I moved to Perth in 1995 I was delighted to find that there was an orchestra that I could join and even more delighted when I found everyone friendly, kind and encouraging and the choice of music manageable. In time I was invited to join the committee and have served in the roles of secretary and chairperson and am gradually building an archive of the orchestra’s history both on the website and in paper form.

“I find it life enhancing to be part of a large and diverse group of people all working together to create an entertainment which is ‘more than the sum of the individual parts’. Every rehearsal and performance is different and on a good day the music really takes on a life of its own. As well as the orchestral repertoire members meet in smaller groups and explore chamber music too.

“My most memorable moment with PSO? … I have many, many happy memories of my time in the orchestra. Socially the 50th Anniversary Dinner was a special event with all the orchestra’s former leaders and most of the conductors present. Musically I really enjoyed playing the second symphony of Sibelius, being part of his fascinating landscape of sound, the Italian Girl in Algiers by Rossini and playing my part in the story of Scheherazade.

There are wonderful moments of humour too: rehearsal comments such as Allan’s cheerful “rests shouldn’t be called rests, they should be called counting opportunities” …