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Bag pipes

Bill Anderson, Ken Bain, Lionel Devine, Bob Farrell, Bill Forrest, George Gairns, Jim Imlach, Ian Inkster, Ian Johnston, Wally Laird, John MacDonald, Donald MacKenzie, John MacKenzie, Colin MacLachlan, Fred MacLeod, Benny Manson, Bill McKenzie, James McNeil, Gord Menzies, John Menzies, John MenziesJr., James Mitchell, Sean Murphy, Vic Poole, David Rennie, Charles Robertson, Kenny Ross, Bonnie Scott, Dan Smith, George Taylor, George Thomson, Ian Walker, Davie Westie, Bill Whyte, James Yardley

Drummers

John Anderson, Murray Black, Bob Brady, Frank Brady, John Brand, Dave Bruce, Grant Campbell, Ted Clarke, Stu Ferguson, Bob Hetherington, Peter MacDowell, Charles MacLean, Bruce MacMillan, Phillip MacMillan, Stuart MacMillan, David Markland, Frank McCorkell, Archie McGeachy, Jack Monteith, John Moon, Ross Morrison, Brian Pellegrin, Cecil Poole, George Pryde, Greg Regan, Jack Russel, Ron Russell, Bill Shearer, Ernie Silvester, Tommy Smith, Bert Sorley, Harry Steele, Greg Thomson, Jimmy Walker, Dave York, Alec Young

• Others I don't know what instrument they played

Phil MacMillan

Pipe Band Drummer

I started drumming at age 11 with my school pipe band in Kilmarnock, Scotland, and rose to the position of Leading Drummer and enjoyed it so much that I played with three different pipe bands in the same area (not all at the same time, of course). I won two medals for drumming during this period before going into the army for two years in the national service.

On completing this I joined the Territorial Pipe Band of the Royal Scots Fusiliers, again becoming Leading Drummer. I then left this band to play with Killock Colliery Pipe Band which was a grade 3 competition band which subsequently became the top band in this grade and was promoted to grade 2. I was also promoted to Drum Set at this time and was with the band in 1966 when we won both the grade 2 drumming and the best grade 2 pipe band at the British Championship held at Renfrew. I also won another Solo Drumming medal at this time.

At that period of time, The Powell River Company had an ad in the Scottish Pipe Band magazine which said they were looking for competition snare drummers and that they would provide a job in the paper mill to any suitable applicants.

I applied for this and subsequently brought my wife and two sons, Bruce and Stuart, to Canada in 1966 where I did get a good job in the mill, but was devastated to find that the "powers that be" had decreed that the pipe band was no longer a viable part of the company policy and the program of support for the band was stopped.

I then offered my services to the Highland Laddie Pipe Band in Powell River where my family made friendships, which have lasted ever since that time.

As the Laddies grew older the name of the band was changed to the Clansmen and I stayed on with them for a long time before moving on to teach and play with the Sechelt Pipe Band.

Gord Menzies
Bag pipes

For many teens, the bag pipes are an instrument for doddery old men of Scottish heritage.

Not Gord Menzies. The 17 year old Brookes Grade 12 student has used his talent to take him throughout Western Canada and to develop a link to his family heritage.

And he does it because he loves to play the instrument.

Menzies is a member of the Powell River Army Cadets and for the past two summers has used his talent and training to travel to Vernon Army Cadet Camp where he has been a member of the summer camp's band program.

This past summer was extremely rewarding, as he participated in VACC's 50th anniversary during his seven week stint and also earned a spot in the national cadet tattoo, held at Skyreach Centre in Edmonton. The tattoo was a gathering of pipers, and other musicians and drill teams from across Canada.

It was no holiday however.

In Vernon, in addition to practicing with the 40 member band, he had to take part in regular training as well.

To prepare for the national cadet tattoo, which featured 550 cadets from across Canada, Menzies and 100 other young pipers spent a week at Camp Penholt in Alberta

"We practiced from 6 a.m. until 10 at night," remembered Menzies last week as he prepared to return to school.

The tattoo lasted about three hours and was performed for an audience of 6,000 in the arena that is home to the Edmonton Oilers during the National Hockey League season.

It was an experience Menzies would like to repeat.

"I'd like to go every year.?

Playing the pipes goes back a long way in the Menzies clan.

Gord's great-grandfather, grandfather and great-uncles all played, and he picked up the instrument a decade ago.

At the time, him playing was a "big deal because I was so young."

He took to the difficult instrument naturally, easily picking up the intricacies of flowing the chanter and breathing into the bag. His teacher was Neil Stubberfield.

He did it not so much for the family tradition, but for the experience of doing something unusual.

"It's unique," he said. "There's pretty much no other instrument like it."

In addition to playing with the cadets, Menzies is a member of the Powell River Clansman Pipe band.

He practices with them each Thursday night and tries to practice on his own about once a week as well.