Southland Pipe Band.

Otago Witness, Issue 2456, 10 April 1901, Page 14

Southland Pipe Band.

IO THE Fl'IlOR

Sir, — Enc".o33d please fir.d cutting from tho Sydney Town and Country Journal of January 2G last, from which you will ste 4haA the Southland Pipe Band is exacked up fer n.ore than, it is worth, and I pinpese lcfuting a fen- of the statements theiein ment oVetl. lr. the ."' sfc place, it js ".ot the tuith t'i?t the bar.d p o ii> \ apped-d :n Sydney dining tae Con:irtonv.oaith I co'cb.a'.f r.s nai con.^o-' d enne l / oi pioeis | b»lonjru,g to tins iai«oa3 v"x.d, a-3a -3 it "nas rticnsihe-icd by i.o ie^s than lour pipcis fiom. Otpgo ar.d elsewhere. It is news to many here and else .» here that Mr Kenneth Cameron is the champion pibroch playci of New Zealand. Shades of Oasian' If any one of Kenny's mixtures c- 1 ! lay claim tn Any Mich honour, his manipulation ot the pibioch (piobnneach<;l), inns:. tonclu«i\ely pio\c than Os&IJ.JI was a myth anel Mscphcr^o:: a reality. At the b^gpiwc contests m ,\\d:K3 r vaa the would-be champion overcome by the heat, or v.as he mystified by the pupo ior playing of one of his own «üboi Jmates, or of the other competitors, when he ■* -tired so early fromi the competition 9 doubt tho article was inspire J, .mci had the judging cf the \anoui contents hi Sydney been ;n tho bar.ds of our 'o?".l Calcic inn Socpty'-* dnctorate, Mr Cnmcro i would ha'-e clejrrd the Australasian colomes of all aapnani^ to (utuie chnmpion-ship-s. With r"fero.ice lo the host of rnedfls, vere they struck for the occasion 9 As to the bulk of amateur and mofessional pipers in New Zealand, they are an unknown quantity. The b-ind. is certainly unique in the possession of a drum raajor cf_such dimensions as "the Macgre^or. llis bm(esque)ly form at the hep.cl of lh<* band decs rot lend enchantment, etc., and, m the. words of one of fchaImperial Highlanders, "Fnir boJv, his chest has fa'eii dcon ta-s his knee 3." Piper Duncan, referred to is certainly a piper of some repute,^ but as to his holding the ciiainpionship I feel satisfied no o'ic- will declaim any such honour, sooner thnn Alick hiriself. By the way, his was the only p'-^arin^e m the Sychiey prizelist, ard {or Ivo thud prizes only — viz , marches, strathsoei's and reels Ahck, I may mention, was not a member of the Pipe Band prior to its advent in Sydney, and had it not been for his presence there the famous Pipe Band of Invercargill would have, in so far as the Sydney competitors were concerned, been wiped out of the prize list entirely.— I am, etc.,

SANS PEUTt.

THE NEW ZEALAND PIPE BAND, (Fiona the Sydney Town and Country Journal.)

The Southland (New Zealand) Caledonian Pipe Band, which has become so veil and favourably known dunug tho Commonwealth celebrations, and which has foimed one of the most interesting, and adraircd items of tho holiday, lr-ft for New Zealand by the Government steamer Tutctnekei on the Oth mst. This band is not, as liiight be supposed, a party of pipeia collected from ?I1 around iS'ew Zealand, but is a regularly-formed band belonging to In- % ereaigiU, and has rot been strengthened for the I>t Aus'iaik'. The bandmaster, Kenneth C.i.nciO'i. is thi 1 champion pibioch player f [ Ncv Zrv.land, ard is the holc'er of a host of medals, as is a' so Piper Duncan, who has held the chiir.^ionship for all-round playing for several yea,is. Many of the othei pipers cairy fironi Uio to seven medals each. The drum-major, Mr Jas. Macgregor, v, hose portly form adds an extia interest to the baud, is au ex-resident of Sydney. All the members oi the band are New Zealand born, v. ith the exception of the bandmaster, dium major, and one. of tho pipers. The band is unique m that it possesses the tallest man in the camp ; likewise one of (if ).ot) the bulkiest, ard, without doubt, the smallest The tallp3t man is Drummer Thomson (son of Lieutenant-colo>iel Thomson, of Invercargill', who is 6t't 4*in »n height; the bulkiest, Dmn-nnjoi Marscie^cr. and the smallest, a diunnutne member, 9V years of age, Master Eric Fans, who Ins bcccme a familiar figure, and know l amongst? the juvenile portion of tho community as "tha little Scotchie." This lad marched the entire route of the Commonwealth procession with the band, yet was not distressed, although a large number of adult members of the various corps were compelled to seek the ambulance waggons, owing to the heat and fatigue. Tha band consists of 17 picers, four drummers, arid a drum-major. In New Zealand, which 19 so strongly Scotch, they are received wherever they go with the greatest enthusiasm, and m this respect Sydney cannot be said to be behind the towns of the sister colony, foe wherever the band has paiaded it has bee.ni followed by a cheering crowd, and in camp the sound of a pipe brought almost all thei visitors present around the pipers' tent, whilst in the federal procession no party received a more hearty welcome than did the New Zealand pipers.

According to last week's Gazette section 84, block VI, Maungatua Survey District, has been permanently reserved for the use of the Natives, and Tatawai Lake, in tho > same district, has been reserved for fishmopurposes. Section 60, block I, Akatore Survey District, has been reserved for tha extension of the public school site. When stormy wind and wintry blast Affect mankind with hacking cough, They think consumption's come at last—* 'Twill not be long before they're off* Some people go to mountain heights, And others where the skilcs arc bluer ; But what will soon put them to lights Is W. K. Woods' Ukeai PEiu'EHiiiiis