More on P/M Hugh MacPherson, Lochore PB

I am currently helping retrieve historic data on two prominent juvenile pipe bands for a friend, and going through the archive I have coincidentally happened upon an obituary for Pipe Major Hugh MacPherson who featured in last week’s Piping Press.   I know that any additional historic information is worth preserving, so I’ve copied the piece and it is attached. It reads: By Iain Duncan ‘It is with deep regret…

Victorian Pipers’ Results/ Virginia Championship Results

On Saturday April 18th the Victorian Pipers’ Association held its first in-person contest of the 2026 season at Rupertswood Mansion in the grounds of Salesian College, Sunbury (Melbourne, Australia). Forty-one competitors registered for the competition. This was the first time a contest was held at this venue and it holds some historical significance. By Jonathon Quay, President, Victorian Pipers Association The contest was sponsored by the Sunshine Foundation, a charity created…

Editor’s Notebook: Judging Seminar/ Carrick Gathering/ Hugh MacPherson/ MacCrimmon Memorial

I am very much looking forward to the Piobaireachd Society judging seminar on Sunday in Perth. There are several traditional but uncommon tunes set for the competitions this year and this will be a perfect opportunity to examine some of them in detail. There will be short presentations on Pride of Barra, Port Urlar, Fare Thee Well Donald, Finger Lock, Lament for Airds, Castle Dunyveg, Rout of Glen Fruin, Battle…

Readers Letters: P/M Hamilton Workman and the RSPBA Pipe Band College

We have received the following comments regarding articles in this week’s Piping Press. Firstly this from reader Joe Hardy on ‘Remembering P/M Hamilton Workman, HLI’: ‘This is a truly wonderful memory of Hammie. So many pipers today don’t really know about him and don’t understand how important he was to piping in the U.S. I attended the North American Academy of Piping [NAAPD] every summer between 1985 and 2007.  ‘Hammie…

What is Wrong with the RSPBA Pipe Band College?

The RSPBA Pipe Band College must be the only one in the world which does not have standard teaching terms, and a recognised curriculum. It does run a successful summer school and conduct exams at various branches round the country, hardly sufficient for any ‘college’ worthy of the name. There are three Principals (excluding the Summer School Principal) instead of one – another first in world education. Yet still we have…