Dale began playing the cornet in the Townsville Brass Academy, under the direction of his father, Roy in 1991. His progression through the Academy led to playing positions with the Townsville Brass Junior Band before being promoted to the senior band in 1993. Growing up, Dale regularly competed in solo competitions at both state and regional contests and the annual Townsville Eisteddfod.

In 2001, Dale was promoted to Principal Cornet of the then A Grade Townsville Brass Band. A position he held for the next two years. In 2003, he attended his first Queensland Youth Band and was named Principal Cornet, under the direction of Howard Taylor. That same year, Dale moved to Brisbane to study at the Queensland University of Technology and took up a playing position with Brisbane Excelsior. Over the next 4 years, he played both Solo and Soprano cornet with the band and also won a National Soprano Cornet championship in 2005. Upon graduation from university, Dale returned to Townsville to take up a teaching position at a local high school. He jumped at the chance to return to the Principal Cornet chair with Townsville for a year before taking over as their Music Director for the following 9 years. As the conductor of Townsville Brass, he led the band to a B Grade national title in 2014, as well as keeping up his solo playing taking out the 2008 and 2012 national B-Flat Cornet titles.

In 2017, Dale returned to Brisbane and to Brisbane Excelsior where he was appointed to the position of Principal Cornet. At the 2019 National Band Championships, Dale won his 3rd national cornet title. In his spare time, Dale is the Musical Director of the Windsor Brass Band and a teacher and band director at the Ferny Grove State High School.

As the second ensemble within the Brisbane Excelsior organisation, Windsor Excelsior Band has established itself as a distinguished B Grade brass ensemble with a strong commitment to both competitive excellence and audience engagement. The band’s dedication to entertainment was formally recognised when it received the Most Entertaining Band award at the 2009 Nambour Festival of Brass.

Windsor Excelsior has developed a prominent presence throughout Brisbane through its extensive community performance program, featuring traditional marches and popular repertoire that consistently delights audiences across the region.

Founded in 2002, Windsor Excelsior demonstrated rapid competitive advancement from its inaugural participation in the D Grade section of the 2003 Queensland State Championships. The ensemble’s exceptional performance quality resulted in successive promotions to C Grade in mid-2004, followed by advancement to B Grade later that same year. This competitive excellence culminated in the band’s first B Grade State Championship victory in 2010, with subsequent championship titles achieved in 2011 and 2013.

Windsor Excelsior maintains an inclusive approach to membership, welcoming musicians of all ages and experience levels. The ensemble benefits from a diverse membership spanning from high school students to retired musicians, creating a dynamic and multigenerational musical community committed to brass band excellence.