Bands pipe up

PIC: The combined St Andrew’s and Scots College pipe bands make an impressive outside Warwick’s historic Town Hall. Picture: JUDI HAIDLEY

By STEVE GRAY

THE St Andrew’s Pipe Band and Warwick’s Scots College Pipes and Drums have developed even closer ties after the Brisbane outfit recently visited the city.
The St Andrew’s band contains a number of Scots’ past students, one of whom organised the latest visit as the band practises ahead of its forthcoming trip to the World Championships in Scotland.
The band performed before an appreciative crowd at Warwick’s Town Hall in a concert which also featured Southern Downs Regional Council CEO Andrew Roach as a soloist.
“There was a lot of talent there and for our young students it was a good example of what they can achieve,” Scots College spokeswoman Judi Haidley said.
The Scots College band visited France earlier this year. Their engagements included Anzac Day commemorations at Villers-Bretonneux, the site of a famed Australian victory in 1918, and other World War I commemorative sites.
The young band also recently entertained residents at Akooramak, an aged care facility in Warwick.
“Sandy, our pipe band master, wants the students to understand the importance of contributing back to the community and to see how music can bring people together,” Ms Haidley said.
The Scots’ band will participate in the Rose and Rodeo Festival parade on 26 October.