Wally joined us in the summer of 2024 & has become a regular instructor and player.
I took my first chanter lesson on a Wednesday night, down at the Pine Street Armouries in Sault Ste. Marie Ontario as new recruit in the 155 Air Cadet Squadron in the first week of September of 1971. My instructor and later close friend was Pipe Major Ron Wilson. In May of 1972 I played my first parade as a piper on the annual inspection (a very big deal for cadets). I continued to parade on Wednesday nights and band practice on Saturday mornings until May of 1977 when, after the annual inspection I retired as Pipe Major being too old to remain a Cadet.
During that time in January of 1975, I was deemed to be proficient enough to move up and play with the pipes and drums of 49th , Field regiment (Militia), which was a grade 3 winning band. Under the direction of Pipe Major Bob Duncan, whose father before him George Duncan had been pipe major since 1958, who was brought over from Muirhead & sons. Who had been world champions from 1952-1956. So, I was quite busy piping in two bands two nights a week plus Saturday mornings with the cadets until I was 18. I played numerous street parades and county fairs all over Northern Michigan and Ontario as well as Military parades and competitions with the 49th until Jan 1978.
In January 1978, a Grade 3 civilian pipe band named the Algoma and District Pipe Band was established, sponsored by the Kinsmen club. We were determined to be good grade 3 band with nothing but winning competition in mind. Our first Pipe Major was John Kelso, who had a long history of playing with the grade one band St. Thomas legion. Later to become McNish Distillery under Pipe Major Gordon Tuck. We consistently aimed to elevate our playing standards, under the leadership of Jim Brown, a highly skilled individual who was the All-Ireland drumming champion with the Ballycoan pipe band during the 1950s. We struggled with our ensemble for a few years in the beginning, but finally things started to come around and we began to consistently find ourselves in the prize list on the Ontario circuit. I can remember winning the 1983 grade 3 US championship in Alma Michigan, after several years of winning second place. In 1985 I became pipe major and we had our most successful competition year to date, coming only 2 points away from winning the title of Champions supreme for grade 3 in Ontario and punching our ticket to get out of bloody grade 3 and move up to grade 2. But it was not to be, I couldn’t finish the job, in November of 1986, I left the band and took a job in Southern Ontario and had to move to Kitchener.
In January of 1987, I began playing with the Metro Toronto police pipe band in grade 2, under pipe major Reay McKay and the big police band under pipe major John McDonald. This band had just won the worlds in grade three, the previous summer and were on the way up. Reay who had been the pipe major of the famous 48th Highlanders for many years and was a long-time student of pm John Wilson (25 years), was a great teacher I think we won every competition we entered that summer, paving the way to move up to grade 1, As for the big band, we played a ton of parades and private deals around Toronto. Not to mention the best working/ vacation holiday I ‘ve ever had. We were invited to play and tour in Bermuda! It was great only had to play one parade and one evening performance. Sounds easy but the parade was damn near ten miles long on an island that’s only 23 miles long AND in full dress to boot! I stayed with the band until December 1989, when I got far too busy with work, to make a reasonable effort to continue playing while in grade 1.
After about a year hiatus, I made the decision to go to a Clan Macfarlane practice in St, Catharines on Remembrance Day 1990. That really started my career in an established grade one band. With pipe major George (joe) Rennix at the helm. Nothing really wakes you up on a Sunday morning, until you shut the drones off and start marching up and back while playing the 8 parted reel Pretty Marion 4 or 5 times back-to-back to blow in a new reed! We practiced three times a week Tues, Thurs and Sunday (the big practice) 9-3 or 4! We had our hands full playing against the former world champions 78th Frasers, under Bill Livingstone, the Toronto police under Jake Watson, and the Peel police under John Elliot. I stayed with the Clan until 1992, where my work was again interfering with playing.
In 1995 I was coaxed out of retirement and went to play with the Niagara Police, which was a grade 3 band, but was full of ex Clan players and pipe majored by friend and former Clan player Ron (Ringo) Bowen. So, the level of playing was quite high for a typical grade band and we consistently were in the prize list, after winning the Ontario championship for grade 3 in 1997. The band moved up to Grade 2 and was again in the prize list, so we decided to make the trip to Scotland to compete at the worlds in 1998. We ended up placing 10th out of some 35 bands and won the best overseas band as well. That began a multi- year project to go over and win the grade 2. The band managed to place 2nd in 2002.
I unfortunately suffered a small stroke (TIA) in 2000 was unable to play for a couple of years, until getting back in shape to play for my sister’s wedding in 2006.
Since then, I’ve done nothing piping wise, not even listening to the “pipeline” on the BBC, until a chance meeting with Angus Campbell at the A&W on Franklin Street back in late September 2024, who asked me to come and check out the local Legion pipe band. So since then, I’m still trying to get back into form and do some teaching. The rest is history as they say!