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Drum Major Ronald Hastie

Ron has been an active member of pipe bands since the very early 1960's when he was recruited into the Bullionfield Paper Mill Pipe Band, Dundee. There he was taught by some of the best drumming authorities in Andy Adamson and George Black senior. As the strength of the Bullionfield began to vanish along with the paper mill, almost the entire band were recruited in the Nation Cash Register Pipe Band and they saw some very successful years, as depicted in our archive photos.

In the early 1970's Ron joined the City of Dundee Police Force and also their Pipe band, where he became Leading Drummer. This association continued until his enforced retirement when he was struck and seriously injured by a local "boy racer" in a stolen car.

This has not meant hanging up the sticks though. Ron joined up with Gordon Rogers at Lathallan School where they taught children aged between 8 years and 13 years to perform in the School Pipe Band, but after moving to Huntly quite recently, this had to come to an end.

His latest adventure has been to visit/join the Huntly Pipe Band where he met up with all the local Pipers and Drummers. I hear that he has linked up with the Pipe corps there and is enjoying an entirely new lease of life with a

new instrument. He is even in demand at local social nights where he and the accordianis can almost complete a tune together.(Only kidding)

Ron now works hard between lessons on his new skill of Piping, and can demonstrate a few tunes on the chanter, the small Pipes and more recently taken the plunge and bought a new set of Highland Bagpipes. As you can see that his wife Jacki has taken up a new instrument and bring a new meaning to "a Borran old fart!"