General News
4 September, 2023
Hamish Hare scores champion title with team in Scotland
Hitting the high-notes of success, a young Maryborough resident has joined the ranks of the world’s best bagpipers after his band clinched a global trophy at an event in Scotland last month. As part of a five-week trip to the north European...
Hitting the high-notes of success, a young Maryborough resident has joined the ranks of the world’s best bagpipers after his band clinched a global trophy at an event in Scotland last month.
As part of a five-week trip to the north European country, 18-year-old local Hamish Hare, played with a New South Wales’ based band — The Scots School of Albury — to win the Grade 4B category at both the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow as well as the Scottish Pipe Band Championships in Dumbarton for this year, making it the first school in Australia to achieve the feat.
Adding to the list of achievements, nabbing the top spot in the two competitions led to the band also claiming the Champions of Champions award, another first for an Australian band.
Apart from competing alongside 40 other bands in the same grade, the band also performed at the 2023 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo throughout August, and the overall experience, Hamish said, was incredibly rewarding.
“I’m feeling pretty good with how everything went. It’s hard to put into words because so much effort has gone into it,” he said.
“Our win really goes to show how much work the band has put in over the years. We were planning on initially going in 2020 but unfortunately it got cancelled so it’s a real testament of the effort we’ve put in to get back.
“Winning the world title is just on a whole other level — it’s great.”
Playing since he was 10, Hamish said after the band’s performance in Scotland, he was now looking forward to playing on home-soil.
“My full focus is going to be on preparing to compete at the Australian championships next year with the Maryborough band,” he said.
“It’s really important to participate in these events here because this culture needs to be carried on through younger people like me.
“I am also excited to play at the Highland Gathering — it’ll be pretty big.”
The 2024 Australia Pipe Band Championships will return to Maryborough’s Princes Park on April 13 for its 62nd event — the location of the first ever Aussie championships — and will feature the country’s top bands competing for the title.