Scotch College
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Pipes & drums busy summerOur usual trek to Daylesford at the end of last year was made in fine style and with a positive attitude. It was encouraging to see so many boys in the competition marches section. In contrast however, our Musical Selection band consisted of only six pipers, situation. There were also many boys in the band who were having their first band outing and it was a great learning experience. We did not carry away a swag of first prizes, but we gained in the Competition scene.
Our traditional dinner in The Springs Hotel could also be described as a learning experience. The farewell of our resident Year twelves, all two of them, was also a significant point of the evening. It signalled the start of a busy new year, and hopefully a most productive one. The Sunday Solo and Mini-band Competitions were entered with much gusto, with many fine results. The two mini-bands competed well to gain a second place in the Juvenile Section and third place in Grade 4. It was encouraging to see such a strong solo-piping contingent entered, and we were unfortunate not to gain a placing in our grades. Our most outstanding results came from the Solo-drumming competition, where we had two drummers, James Taylor, and Mark Kwong, and two pipers, Jono Quay and Thomas Fuller. Mark, in only his first full year of drumming, achieved a commendable first place in his competition and Thomas, a remarkable third placing. Our January camp at Cowes gave us time for honing techniques and learning new skills, combined with a sense of fun and friendship. We used the time to refine our marching skills and learn new tunes. These tunes, Dornoch Links and Greenwoodside, will be the centrepiece of our performance at the May Concert. The free-time cricket matches were continued but the evening movie was generally eclipsed by the 'all-in' soccer match, which was enjoyed by all. Quite a bit of time was also spent on practising and fine-tuning our instruments in preparation for the competition season. In general the atmosphere at the camp was relaxed and focused which, made for a most enjoyable camp. The last major event was the Welcome Barbecue which saw at least one hundred people turn up!!!! Most of them were new faces. The different venue, at the new rotunda, beside the Cardinal Pavilion, made things a lot easier for the cooks and organisers, and the Yarra views made the evening most enjoyable. The fashion parade and concert were enjoyed by all. As usual, there was the band soccer match on the Meares Oval before and after dessert. Shirts versus skins. The shirts won by about four goals. In all, the evening was a fine start to a year, which hopefully will be very fulfilling for all members of the band. Peter North, Pipe Major 1999
Great Scot
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Updated: Thursday 23 June 2011 © Scotch College 2011