DURBAN – Parlock resident Gabriel Joseph will be, literally, blowing his trumpet to the tune of the Last Post to signal the end of the Comrades Marathon on Sunday.
Joseph, 58, will position himself on the finish line at Scottsville Racecourse in Pietermaritzburg, and sound his trumpet after the final gunshot goes off to signal the last runner.
Joseph inherited his musical skills from his parents and watched his older brothers and family play musical instruments while growing up in Warwick Avenue.
His brother played for a band called the Playboys, and his brother-in-law played for the Dolphins.
Joseph moved to the beat while at St Anthony`s Primary School when he joined the brigade and scout movement.
He began as a drummer, learnt to play the bugle and then the trumpet.
He joined the navy after completing matric and his acquired musical skills led him to form the SAS Jalsena band, later known as the South African Navy band.
After 24 years in the navy, he joined the army where he also plays in the band.
This is the second year in succession that he has been called to play at the Comrades Marathon.
“I was honoured to be selected. I ran the Comrades in three successive years between 2000 and 2003, but experienced heart problems in the years to come. In 2007, I underwent open-heart surgery.
“I thought I would never be able to play a musical instrument again. However, I got back in the rhythm. I believe playing the trumpet strengthened my organs,” said Joseph, a father of two and grandfather of three.
He will sound off the Last Post followed by the Reveille as soon as the gun is fired when the last runner crosses the finishing line.
Joseph has to be standing on the finish line.
The solo effort is approximately a minute, but with the world watching Joseph cannot miss a note.
“There is little margin for error. Last year, my phone inbox was flooded with videos of myself from family members around the world. I felt proud. Proud of my country.
“It’s a mammoth task. The significance is that it signals the end of a hard day’s work. You have to stop and rest,” he said.
* The Last Post is used at military funerals and ceremonies commemorating those who have been killed in war.
The Comrades Marathon owes its beginnings to the vision of one man, World War I veteran Vic Clapham.
After the outbreak of the Great War 1914-1918, Clapham signed up with the 8th South African Infantry which marched 2735km through East Africa.
After witnessing the hardship and death of his comrades, he wanted to create a memorial to the suffering they had gone through.
And more importantly to that which left an impression on him: the camaraderie that he experienced despite such deprivations.
Clapham approached the League of Comrades of the Great War for support of his dream, to stage a race between the cities of Pietermaritzburg and Durban. – Additional information Wikipedia