Pipe Band
Scotch College Pipe Band
Established in 1947 the Pipe Band forms an integral part of the College’s Scottish heritage and traditions.
Our pipers and drummers number approximately 130 students, who learn and develop their skills playing the bagpipes and highland drums with lessons in piping and drumming available to boys throughout their time at the College.
History of the Band
In 1947, the then Headmaster of Scotch College, Dr Maxwell keys, commented that:
“The school at which I was very interested in Christchurch, St Andrews College, had a wonderful pipe band. I was amazed to find that Scotch didn’t have a pipe band so in my very first year I set about raising funds for this and in the second year had it operating.”
The Scotch College Pipe Band paraded for the first time, with 8 pipers and 5 drummers. The piping was of a high standard right from the start under the tuition of Pipe Major Lewis MacLennan who returned in 1958, having been awarded the British Empire Medal for his work with the Pipes and Drums of the Pacific Islands Regiment. Lewis continued to teach the pipes at Scotch for another 20 years.
The band has competed with distinction in Western Australia over the years and many of its members have had significant success in solo competitions, both piping and drumming.
The Scotch College Pipe Band, now numbering over 70 players, undertakes many public and charity performances each year and enjoys a well-earned respect and popularity both within the College community and in the wider local, national and international community.
The Scotch College Pipe Band is a regular feature at local and international sporting events having performed for the Australia vs All Blacks Rugby Union at the WACA, Western Force home games and Fremantle Dockers home games.
The Pipe Band has a proud history of international travel having toured Scotland in 1997 and 2004, including a performance in Villers-Bretonneux and Bullecourt in Northern France for ANZAC Day.
It has participated in numerous International Tattoos including the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo in Halifax Canada, the Virginia International Tattoo in the United States and the Basel Tattoo in Switzerland. The pipe band was twice invited to perform at the world-renowned Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 2015 and 2018.
“Along your journey mate, please take up the Bagpipes. You’ll regret it when you’re older if you don’t; trust me. Or, at the very least, every time you hear the Pipe band playing, promise me you will listen closely, not just to the music, but also to the pride pulsating through your veins. Those pipes…they are the College’s voice and they are world-class.”
Harry Gilchrist, 2019 Captain of School.