Great Scot September 2019 Great Scot 157_September 2019_ONLINE | Page 28

News
A FIRST AND A
FIFTH IN EUROPEAN
PIPE BAND
CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Scotch Pipes and Drums have broken new
ground for Australian pipe bands by becoming the
first Australian school pipe band to win a major
championship in the UK.
JOURNEYING ON THE HARRY POTTER TRAIN
Here is Year 10 Pipes and Drums band
member ALEX MEGGITT’S account of two
Scotch bands’ achievements at the 2019
European Pipe Band Championships in July.
During the June-July school holidays,
30 boys, along with Mr Saul, Mr Warren, Mr
Birrell, Mr Jones and Ms Morrison embarked
on the Scotch College Pipes and Drums' tour
of Scotland. From lively, suburban Glasgow to
the picturesque and breathtaking mountains
of the Highlands and Skye, we immersed
ourselves deeply in the culture and heritage
of Scotland, whether that was meandering
around the ancient bastions of power high
atop mountains at Stirling and Edinburgh
Castle, or racing to a gargantuan stone pillar
known as the Old Man of Storr.
We were fortunate enough to be able
to play at some remarkable locations such
as Stirling Castle, Dunvegan Castle, and
most thrilling of all, the windswept battlefield
of Culloden, where we marched out to a
memorial cairn in the middle of the moor.
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Great Scot Number 157 – September 2019
Despite the seemingly endless locations
to explore and the thrill of practising together
to admiring and appreciative tourists and
locals alike, we remained focused on the true
purpose of the trip – the European Pipe Band
Championships, to be held at Inverness.
Early in our tour, the two bands performed at
a small competition in the picturesque town
of Helensburgh. Here we played well, with
each band placed fourth. Yet we refused
to become complacent. As the European
championships drew closer, the intensity
and desire for success increased. Before we
knew it, the day had arrived. We pulled on our
kilts and buckled on our sporrans.
The championships were held at Bught
Park on the banks of the River Ness. We
were greeted by the familiar cacophony of
pipe bands playing, and the associated riot of
colour and movement of tartan belonging to
the 120 bands competing from Scotland, the
USA and Australia.
As we stood on the line preparing to take
that first step, play that first note, hit that first
beat, our breath tightened and our hands
became clammy. But before we realised what
had happened our playing was over, and so
began the anxious wait for the results. Finally,
at 5pm, as the rain fell, the judges rose to
the podium and the results were announced.
A first and a fifth for the two Scotch bands!
Jubilation erupted among the Scotch
band ranks. Scotch had just made history,
becoming the first Australian school pipe
band to win a major championship in the UK.
On behalf of all the boys, I would like to
thank all the staff for making the trip not only
possible but also so enjoyable. The access
to and insights into Scotland we gained
from people with local knowledge, and the
contacts we made were invaluable. Our
gratitude also extends to our parents, who
enabled us to make the journey.
ALEX MEGGITT – YEAR 10