Known as the Moomba Band, and with funding from the City Council and the Moomba Board, the Band was formed with some 70 talented young musicians aged between 13 and 18 from all over Victoria, their uniform featuring the red, white and silver colours of the Melbourne City Council.

Such was the success of the band’s performances at Moomba, a number of enthusiastic parents of band members formed a committee and convinced the Council and the Moomba Board to maintain the Band with their voluntary help. To ensure the band would continue into the future, a parents’ association was formed, a Constitution drawn up and the Melbourne Moomba Youth Band Association registered as an incorporated body on the 7th of August 1987.

Known as the Australian Youth Band Association Incorporated since 2001, the Association remains as the legal entity that administers the Australian Youth Band. The Association consists of current and past Committee and Band members, parents of current and past Band members, and anyone else who wants to support the Band. All members of the Association and Committee are volunteers.