It was a big time for all of the pipe bands of the Southland and Otago back in February 2021; we were all preparing to go up against one another in the yearly competitions.

There are two competitions one day after another, the first one is Octagonal Day which is held in the Octagon ( hence its name ), the next is Southland/Otago regionals. This year the competitions were held from the 20th to the 21st of February.

Our band was also competing; we are the John McGlashan College Pipe Band, a band of 8 bagpipers, 3 snare drummers (not including the tutor) and 3 tenor awesome drummers and a bass drummer.

Only at the end of the two long days, when all of the competitions had been competed in, and everyone was sweating in their uniform and heavy woollen quilts in the 29C heat, were the rewards and the trophies given out. The City of Invercargill got a lot of recognition but that was to be expected because they have five big bands in a small city of 57.000 people. Then to all of our bands' surprise we heard our name called out and our “not meant to be'' drum major Caleb went forward to collect the trophy. We were the first band to get this particular trophy because it was The Dugald MacKay memorial trophy and Dugald had only died late last year.

How I got my pipes:

Dugald MacKay was a piper, a brilliant piper, the only problem was his wife DID NOT like the bagpipes, so when he sadly passed away, his family were going to throw out his bagpipes, so another bagpiper, Pat, offered to take the bagpipes although she already had 2 bagpipes (hers and her husbands ). One day when mum went to her Thursday practice ( almost everyone in my family plays a pipe band instrument ) Pat offered my mum the bagpipes to give to me because she knew that I was trying to learn them. When we went to collect them she told mum I was to keep them although mum thought we were to rent them until I got my own; but Pat explained that she had no more room for bagpipes, so in short I just got given a set of bagpipes that are more than $5000 worth. My mum and I do believe that the bagpipes have ivory and silver on them.

If anyone is interested in learning the bagpipes, snare, tenor or bass drum, with the plan to join the John McGlashan Pipe Band, please contact Louis Davis (davislrs2000@gmail.com) and he can put you into contact with some knowledgeable tutors. You don’t have to be a John McGlashan student to join the band, only a Dunedin school student. Boys and girls of all school ages are welcome to join and are currently competing members.

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