BEST CONTEST EVER

Wanganui Chronicle, 10 March 1947, Page 4

BEST CONTEST EVER

WANGANUI APPRECIATES PIPE BAND MUSIC PRESIDENT PAYS TRIBUTE TO AUDIENCES

“This is the best contest I have ever seen and I have attended just about every contest that has been held in New Zealand," the Dominion president of the New Zealand Highland Pipe Bands' Association, Mr. lan Cameron, told the “Chronicle” yesterday afternoon. “The standard displayed far exceeds that of any previous contest.”

“The Dominion Executive would like it to be made known that the Wanganui citizens are the most appreciative audience to whom the bands have ever - demonstrated their work.” Mr. Cameron stated.

“The interest of the people has been critical and they know when they have seen good work, and are not slow to show their appreciation. “The whole atmosphere this afternoon goes right to the heart ot Scotland," he remarked. Revealing figures that New Zealand was “another Scotland” were given by Mr. Cameron. He said New Zealand had 86 pipe bands, Australia 92, Canada 96 and the British Isles 135. On a population basis. New Zealand leads the rest of the Empire in pipe bands. The success of the contests showed that the contest committee has displayed considerable foresight, carelul planning and a knowledge of what was required,Mr. Cameron stated. DRUM-MAJORS’ DISPLAY RUAHINE AND ST. ANDREW’S WIN RESPECTIVE GRADES THRILLING SPECTACLE SEEN BY OVER 12,000 PEOPLE. Greatest spectacle of a spectacular contest was the drum-majors’ display fcr’A and B grade pip e bands, held yesterday afternoon before a crowd estimated at over 12,000, or half of Wanganui’s total population. Only once before has so large a crowd packed into Cook’s Gardens, and it was a great sight to see the hills covered with a mass of colour, and every vantage point around the grounds occupied. Witnessed was a display the like of which lias never before been seen in New Zealand, and which, in the opinion of much-travelled Drum-Major T. Stewart, of Port Arthur, Canada, could not be seen anywhere else in the world, not even Scotland. Fifteen bands, eight in the A grade, and seven in th e B, competed, each giving an exhibition of marching manoeuvres lasting about 10 minutes.

Each band had its own individual roc tine, and the efficiency with which they carried out thei." evolutions was vciv high in the judges’ opinions, berne out by the high marks given. Any particular movement which c.ivyht its fancy the public was only t»o willing to acknowledge. One of the biggest “hands” of the day was given to the Ruahln e Band in the A grrde, the ultimate winners. Similarly the public was rift wrong in giving St. Andrew's College extra applause in the B grade. The judges apparently agreed with critics on the hank. The judges’ placings in the drummajors’ displays were:—

A GRADE. I Ruahine (Drum-Major G. Peters) 961 Timaru (Drum-Major A. D. Stewart) Mi Wanganui (Drum-Major D. A. Almond) 9®* City of Christchurch (Drum-Major T. A. Gordon) - 933 Hawera (Drum-Major J. Nairn) 92i Hamilton Caledonian (Drum-Major K. McAllum) 911 Burns (Drum-Major Adamson) 91 Manawatu Scottish (Drum-Major R. Matheson) 91 B GRADE.. St. Andrew’s College (Drum- < Major E. W. Musgrove) 90 Port Ahuriri Caledonian Society (Drum-Major W. Budge) 864 Hastings and District Scots Society (Drum-Major E. A. Mose- . ly) ——• -- •- 86 Tauranga (Drum-Major J. M. Crocker) - - ■— 85 Nelson City (Drum-Major J. R. Sim) - - 834 Temuka (Drum-Major H. Harrison) - - ■■■• 78 Wanganui Collegiate (DrumMajor W. Gow) 74 MASS PARADE OF BANDSMEN PROVIDES CLIMAX Exhilarating conclusion to an afternoon of outstanding entertainment at Cook's Gardens yesterday was the massed parade of 21 bands, with the total strength of pipers and drummera at over 400. Bands formed up in Indian file behind their respective drum-majors and “▼ marched across towards the enclosure on the eastern bank, where most of the 12,000 people who attended were assembled. The parade then split into two sections, each doing a half-turn of the ground to rejoin near the small grandstand, and then march across the grounds three times, coming to a halt near the eastern bank. The music of the pipes, the roil of the drums, the swinging sporrans, and the flashing of twirling maces combined to create an air of pomp and majesty which has not before had its equal in Wanganui. For the gathering this was the greatest moment of them all, and there was an audible expression of admiration as the parade marched towards the spectators, and the applause at. the conclusion of th* display was unbounded. Cameras worked overtime during the parade, but most of the photog- W raphers found 400 bandsmen on parade beyond the compass of their cameras. Another feature of the afternoons entertainment was an exhibition by Drum-Major E. W. Musgrove (St. Andrew’s CoPege), winner of the A Grade staff-swinging.