Yesterday’s pictorial from the 2009 World Pipe Band Championships included a great photo of the late Andrew Bonar of Simon Fraser University Pipe Band. Andrew was a member of the Canadian band for many years.
Before he died in 2017 at the age of 51, Andrew initiated an annual invitational solo piping competition. Run by the British Columbia Pipers’ Association, the proceeds go towards brain cancer research. The 2020 event will take place on the evening of February 15 at the Seaforth Armoury in Vancouver.
The invited pipers are: James Beaumont, Alan Bevan, Jori Chisholm (last year’s winner), Gordon Conn, Zephan Knichel, and Alastair Lee.
Meanwhile, the Scottish Pipers’ Association has announced the pipers who will play at its centenary bash next Friday (10th) evening. They are: Emily Anderson, Mathew Anderson, Andrew Ferguson, Rory Grossart Tom Johnstone (President), Kyle Shead and Logan Tannock (Vice President).
A memorable evening at The National Piping Centre Otago Street is expected.
The January edition of the Piping Times is out and it’s another cracker. Included is the last article written by the late Roddy Ross. For those unaware, Roddy (pictured, above, in 2005) was a hugely interesting piping character. He was a doctor of Medicine and a GP who fought in Burma during the Second World War.
He was also a very good piper and was the man behind the excellent Binneas is Boreraig, the pibroch collection based on the playing of Malcolm MacPherson, his friend (and possibly a distant relation). Roddy exploded gelignite at Malcolm’s funeral in 1966!
Roddy demonstrated what he called The Finger Lock ‘haka’ at the Piobaireachd Society conference a few years. A clip can be seen on youTube here.
There’s a profile of Roddy that runs in tandem with the article.
