The long-time local has been a drummer - in a number of bands - for at least 60 years.

He marched with the Forbes Town and District Band on Anzac Day, something he would not miss, and looked back across a lifetime of music.

Lester was a cadet while at school at Marist Brothers Parramatta: he was a drummer with Platoon 1, the marching band, and he still has numerous prize pennants that band won. They date back as far as 1961.

"We'd rehearse for an hour a day every school day and some weekends as well," he recalls.

He's been part of a few different bands, with The Sundowners he performed at the Carols by Candlelight in Hyde Park for years and even had a moment in the spotlight on the Graham Kennedy Show in Melbourne.

These days he's pretty much retired, but he does remain committed to being part of the Anzac Day march and commemorations.