For 75 years the sound of the pipes has wafted across Grahamstown, mostly coming from the playing fields of St Andrew’s College.
For 75 years the sound of the pipes has wafted across Grahamstown, mostly coming from the playing fields of St Andrew’s College.
Next weekend, a number of ex-bandsmen will make their way back to the school to hold a reunion to mark the 75th Anniversary of the St Andrew’s College Pipe Band.
As part of the celebrations a fun solo-piping competition will be held on the morning of Saturday 13 July.
In the afternoon, an attempt will be made to put together a massed band of current and ex-bandsmen who are still playing and in the evening, a public concert will be held in the Lilla Strong Hall at DSG.
The public concert will feature the St Andrew’s Pipe Band, the schools’ Chamber Choir, the schools’ Wind Band, and a large contingent of members of 1 Medical Battalion Pipe Band from Durban.
Anyone is welcome, but seating is limited. The St Andrew’s College Pipe Band was started in 1938 when Colonel Murray, a master at the school, decided to turn the cadet corps into a kilted corps affiliated to the First City Regiment.
The St Andrew’s band is thus probably the oldest school pipe band in the country. For most of the first 25 years, pupils taught themselves and each other to play.
The Pipe Band, as it is now, can be traced back to Patrick Terry, who taught himself to play from a book, he then taught others in the band to play – properly.
At last some continuity of teaching was established as several Old Andrean pipers remained in Grahamstown and continued teaching pipers at the school.
Chris Terry returned to the school as a teacher in 1976, and continues the tradition.
In 1994 the first DSG girl, Christine Harris, played in the band, and since then there have been several other pipers and drummers from DSG.
In the past few years, Ross Hoole (Pipe Major in 2007) undertook the teaching of numerous boys at St Andrew’s Prep. This has had an enormous impact on the St Andrew’s College Pipe Band, as there has been a stream of boys coming through to the senior school already playing the pipes.
As a result of this work at Prep, the band is currently the best it has ever been. Earlier this year the band won the Novice Juvenile section at the South Coast Highland Gathering.
Over the years, St Andrew’s College has produced some outstanding pipers, achieving significant success in solo competitions, both nationally and internationally.
Some have gone on to lead and play in some of the top pipe bands in the country.
