Scotch College

Journeying to an exciting world of pipe band opportunities

The Pipes and Drums’ New Zealand tour was a new and exhilarating pipe band experience.

Words: Tudor Thomas – Pipe Major 2009 Photography: Mr Mark Saul

For many of the bandsmen, the Scotch College Pipes and Drums’ New Zealand tour in December was their first trip outside Australia. However, even for the frequent travellers among us, it was a new and exhilarating journey to a world full of pipe band opportunities.

Led by Teacher-in-Charge Mr Mark Saul, the tour first took Scotch’s pipers and drummers to Christchurch on the South Island, where the band was hosted by the Canterbury Caledonian Pipe Band – a leading band in New Zealand. Striking a balance between rehearsing and experiencing this remarkably different culture, the boys found trips to the Museum of Natural History and those taken with their billets to be a refreshing and educational break from the daily practice sessions.

After three days of solid rehearsal in Christchurch, the band’s standard of musicianship had improved dramatically, and we were ready to tackle the competition to be held in Palmerston North on the North Island.

The band flew to Wellington and drove along the coast to Palmerston North, the venue of an annual piping and drumming competition. Staying in the boarding house of the Palmerston North Boys’ High School, the boys had a chance to meet and socialise with bandsmen from both the PNBHS Pipe Band and the St Andrew’s College Pipes and Drums.

On the day of the competition, the band’s performance was remarkable. Scotch’s band won every element of the grade four competition – including the piping, drumming and ensemble. It was a great team effort and an achievement of which the band should be very proud.

After the band’s successes in Palmerston North, it spent the next few days travelling north up the magnificent coastline of the North Island. Stopping to see certain tourist attractions such as the boiling mud-lakes in Rotorua, the vast Antarctic centre and Auckland city skyline, the boys were rewarded for all their hard work.

The trip was extremely successful, and along with the fantastic competition result it provided the boys with the opportunity to experience a different culture, the means to make ties with the New Zealand piping community, and memories that will undoubtedly last them a lifetime. GS