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.

Brisbane Excelsior Incorporated has entertained generations of Australians through concerts, parades, park performances, opening events, ceremonial marches, vice-regal occasions and corporate bookings.

A highly competitive A Grade Queensland band, Brisbane Excelsior Band has been on a winning streak in recent years, having been the only brass band to have successfully won four Australian National Championship titles and two New Zealand National Championships consecutively.

Some of the band’s most memorable events include the Chinese New Year celebrations in Hong Kong, the Lord Mayor’s Gala Concert and St John’s Cathedral ‘Cathedral Brass’ in the presence of Her Excellency The Governor of Queensland, competing at the British Masters in 2006, as well as the 2009 British Open.

The band’s repertoire is extremely diverse, performing classical, light classical, musical comedy, traditional swing, contemporary and sacred music.