By KAREN SCHAMBERGER - Young Historical Society

Leslie (Les) George Quay was a pianist with the famous Gloomchasers Orchestra during the 1920s. In 1929 he formed his own band The New Moon Dance Band.

Band membership over time and consisted of Les Quay (piano) standing centre in this photo, Raymond Cray (trumpet), Roy Casey, (tenor saxophone), Col Anderson (saxophone), Crawford Leslie (banjo), Reg ‘sting’ Nettlefold, drummer.

Their tagline was ‘The Modern Band for Modern Dancers.’ They provided jazz music and ‘introduced some of the very latest hits in limerick verse song, which was popular with the dancers.’ New Moon performed around the region in places like Galong, Boorowa, Binalong, Cootamundra, the Bribbaree Show and Murrumburrah. In 1932, they were performing at Zunieland, Cootamundra once a week. At the Methodist Concert at Young’s Town Hall in 1936, they played ‘“Lights Out”, the “Blue Danube,” “Mood Indigo” and a medley of musical comedy favourites.

The band has seldom been heard to better advantage and its performance was a credit to the leader, Mr. Les Quay.’ They travelled as far away as Tumut and Gundagai, performing at the Spinster’s Ball and Gundagai Hospital Ball in 1938. They broke up shortly before World War II.

Les Quay was born in Young in 1901 to George Quay and his wife Hannah Maud née Young. At 16 Les played tennis and represented the Young District School when they played against the Cootamundra District School.

By 1920, he was a member of the Young Town Band, taking part in the Band Continental competition in December playing the Eb bass. He also sang with the Town Band. As a member of the Young District GUOOF, he participated in the Pride of the West branch’s orchestra as a pianist.

In 1924 he performed with the Criterion Jazz orchestra. He also performed as a soloist at events such as a concert and dance in aid of funds for St Joseph’s Convent at Wombat. He was also a member of St John’s Choir until he moved to Sydney.

He was described as ‘generous to a degree his services as a pianist were more often than not given gratuitously.’

Aside from his musical activities, Les was also secretary of the Young Intermediate High School Ex-Pupils Union. He worked alongside his father George and brother Hubert Oswald as George Quay & Sons until 1936, when Hubert bought out his father’s and brother’s shares.

He then moved to Sydney and took up a grocery business in Bondi with his sister Edna ‘Syb’. He lived there with his sister, and later his father. Les died on 5 May 1961 after a long illness and is buried in Rookwood Cemetery.