History: Pipe Major RU Brown, Balmoral, and His Final Journey Home

We conclude the report from the special edition of the South Australian Pipe Band Association Newsletter which outlined RU Brown’s 1972 tour of South Australia and Tasmania, his teaching, his recitals and his illness and death. This excerpt contains touching details from air hostess Helen Aitkenhead who cared for P/M Brown on his final journey home…… Pipe Major Robert U Brown flew from Melbourne to Sydney where I joined him….

Intermediate Lochnell Championship Launches Fund Raising Page/ Balmoral Classic Entries and Details

Hattie Mellor: The Argyllshire Gathering Trust are raising £5,000 for the Intermediate Youth Piping Championship which will return to Lochnell Castle, Argyll, on 22nd of October 2022. Eight leading young professional pipers under the age of 22 will compete in Piobaireachd and March, Strathspey and Reel.  We are delighted to announce the presentation of two new trophies for the Championship. The first is the ‘Jimmy McIntosh MBE Memorial Trophy for…

Composer Niall Adds Another Success to his Growing Catalogue of Pipe Music

Niall Mathieson of Easter Ross has a reputation as a composer of merit and two weeks ago added yet another tune to his burgeoning oeuvre when he won a competition for a tune to commemorate the 170th anniversary of Pitlochry Highland Games, writes our Special Correspondent. Mr Matheson’s prize was £500 and he attended the games on September 10 and performed the tune for the first time in public before…

Bowhill Games Results/ Drum Tutor Wanted/ South West Scotland P&D Academy

Here are the results from the very first solo piping event at the recently rekindled Bowhill Highland Games where I am the new piping convenor, writes Greig Canning. The contest, held on September 11, had nine entries in the Piobaireachd and March, Strathspey and Reel contests and we held an impromptu Jig contest on the day too with just the one prize, a bottle of malt whisky to the winner….

Chatsworth Games Results

The Piobaireachd Society contributed significantly to the prizemoney for the piobaireachd event which required four tunes to be submitted – perhaps not a big ‘ask’ of the Premier graded pipers present but certainly stretching for some of the less experienced competitors who rose to the challenge.  Playing conditions were good other than the odd shower, with temperatures averaging 20 degrees Celsius throughout the day – almost perfect for both instruments…