In early 1972 Donald received the following letter from Bob Brown resident at Balmoral. It was prior to Bob’s trip that year to Australia to ‘check on what I taught them last year’ [1971]. During the tour he took ill and had to be flown home. Bob, pictured above left with Donald, died a few days after arriving back on Deeside. As the letter explains, Bob had been booked to…
Wasn’t that a good memeory of the late Harry McAleer to share yesterday? I know from your response that it was much appreciated. One photograph we forgot to include is the one above. It shows Harry (r) with his friend Fred Russell piping at Harry Stevenson’s wedding in 1971. (Harry is the respected RSPBA adjudicator and PP contributor.) In yesterday’s article Fred talked of growing up with Harry in their…
A bright sunny day greeted crowds who turned out for the 49th Annual Stone Mountain Highland Games, in Stone Mountain, Georgia last Saturday, October 16. This second major competition of the Southern USA fall season saw 16 bands in competition and a slightly reduced, yet still healthy, turnout of soloists. A new layout of the Games site to reduce crowding due to COVID concerns was well received. By Bill Caudill…
As the competition season approached, practices became more frequent and intense. The week before ‘The Worlds’ would involve several extra practices. I remember one night having just completed a gruelling MSR comprising a six part march, an eight part strathspey, and an eight part reel. Hardie made no comment but casually said, ‘We’ll try that again’! By Gordon Ferguson Yes, these were solid practices and we were ‘match fit’ by…
I have been asked by the Editor to reflect on my time playing with the Muirhead and Sons Pipe Band and in particular what it was like being led by the maestro that was P/M Robert G Hardie. Though I have lived in Queensland, Australia, for many years now, my time with the band when we won a civilian band record of five World Championship wins in a row 1965-69…
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