General News
7 January, 2025
Youth the future of highland bands
While much has changed about the Highland Gathering over its illustrious 162 year history, its stunning symphony of bagpipes and drums has remained a constant.
Nine pipe bands from across the state created a memorable soundtrack for the day’s proceedings, performing throughout from the street parade to the official opening, the mass band performance and rehearsals in between.
For many, like St Arnaud Norman Simpson Memorial Pipe Band’s Tim McLeod, performing in front of a packed Princes Park on the first day of the new year has become a part of their yearly routine.
Despite having been involved in the Gathering for at least 40 years, Mr McLeod said he’s always excited to return.
“It’s always nice to come back every year,” he said.
“It’s something the band has done as a tradition, it’s a relatively close event to St Arnaud and it’s nice to be playing in front of a large audience.
“We came here to Maryborough last year for the national championships where we played in Grade 4A and we were reasonably happy with how we played.
“We like to play the music to the best standard that we can and put on a good show for the spectators.”
While the band remains inundated with experience, this year saw drum major Forbes Kirk lead the march, who alongside snare drum Sami Weir and bass drum Dean Liddicoat have added some fresh blood to the band.
According to Mr McLeod, encouraging teenagers like Forbes, Sami and Dean to participate is vital in ensuring the band can be passed on to the next generation.
“It’s nice to have older people who can socialise together but it’s also really important to have the young kids because firstly they are fun and also it ensures the band keeps rejuvenating,” he said.
“I think that is really important, especially in a small town, to keep that community spirit there because everybody knows everybody in a small town.
“For the band to survive it has to be a St Arnaud band, we can’t rely on too many outsiders to keep us running.”
Performing at his second Highland Gathering, Forbes said the atmosphere surrounding the event makes performing more exciting.
“It’s pretty special to be able to stand in front of a big crowd — It’s self-fulfilling,” he said.
“You feel honoured when you are just standing in front of everyone.
“We have got a good culture, we are all very nice to each other and I want to continue to be a part of it.”
While last Wednesday’s competition was fairly local for St Arnaud, many like the Horsham Pipe Band travelled up to two hours to participate in the festivities.
According to pipe major Michael Stewart, the event’s uniqueness and organisation makes the 330 kilometre journey well worth it.
“It’s such a nice day and Maryborough put on a great gig — it’s a great get together for us to celebrate the new year,” he said.
“It’s a good event to get the cobwebs out of the instrument and certainly these races are really impressive, it’s great to see those sorts of activities.
“We have one of our members whose son is a dancer so we come and support him as well.
“The Highland Society is also hosting the Victorian Championships in May, it’s great to see another competition here because the ground and the way it’s run is really well done.