Strathearn Pipe Band

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#006633" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="3a0d6c00ddvuru.jpg"> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#0066FF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Practical Pipers Society</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#333399" FACE="Arial" >    </FONT> |     <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Practical Pipers Society"><U>home</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id90.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Arbroath RBL"><U>Arbroath RBL</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id104.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Alyth and District Pipe Band"><U>Alyth and District Pipe Band</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id38.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Argyllshire Gathering 1950"><U>Argyllshire Gathering 1950</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id127.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Auchterhouse Nov Juvenile"><U>Auchterhouse Nov Juvenile</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id102.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Blairgowrie"><U>Blairgowrie</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id131.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Broughty Ferry Pipe Band"><U>Broughty Ferry Pipe Band</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id40.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bullionfield Papermill Pipe Band"><U>Bullionfield Papermill Pipe Band</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id35.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Camperdown Masonic Pipe Band"><U>Camperdown Masonic Pipe Band</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id130.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Carnoustie and District Pipe Band"><U>Carnoustie and District Pipe Band</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id93.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="City of Brechin"><U>City of Brechin</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id75.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="City of Dundee Prize P B"><U>City of Dundee Prize P B</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id88.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Comrie Pipe Band"><U>Comrie Pipe Band</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id44.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dundee District Piping Society"><U>Dundee & District Piping Society</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id45.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dundee City Police Pipe Band"><U>Dundee City Police Pipe Band</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id118.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Forfar Burgh Pipe Band"><U>Forfar Burgh Pipe Band</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id37.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jute Industries"><U>Jute Industries</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id119.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Kirriemuir Pipe Band"><U>Kirriemuir Pipe Band</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id39.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mackenzie Caledonian Pipe Band"><U>Mackenzie Caledonian Pipe Band</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id76.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="McLean Ladies Pipe Band"><U>McLean Ladies Pipe Band</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id36.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Macleod Pipe Band"><U>Macleod Pipe Band</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id46.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mains of Fintry Pipe Band"><U>Mains of Fintry Pipe Band</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id41.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="National Cash Register P B"><U>National Cash Register P B</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id128.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Perth and District Pipe Band"><U>Perth and District Pipe Band</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Salmond"><U>Salmond</U></A>   |   <B>Strathearn Pipe Band</B>   |   <A HREF="id124.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Tayforth Universities Officer Training C"><U>Tayforth Universities Officer Training Corps</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id87.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Vale of Atholl"><U>Vale of Atholl</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id78.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="3rd YMCA Boys Brigade, Dundee"><U>3rd YMCA Boys Brigade, Dundee</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id79.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="6th/8th Dundee Boys Brigade"><U>6th/8th Dundee Boys Brigade</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id120.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="15th Dundee B. B."><U>15th Dundee B. B.</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id77.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="30th Dundee Boys Brigade"><U>30th Dundee Boys Brigade</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id132.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="47th B. B."><U>47th B. B.</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id122.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Fife and Forfar Yeomanry (TA)"><U>Fife and Forfar Yeomanry (TA)</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id42.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="4th/5th Black Watch"><U>4th/5th Black Watch</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id43.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Massed Bands"><U>Massed Bands</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id74.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bands Index"><U>Bands Index</U></A></div> <div> Strathearn Pipe Band</div> <div>      Twelve years after the British Legion Pipe Band in Crieff folded, the idea of re-forming a band in Crieff was discussed by two local farmers, Donald Mclean of Dornock Farm and Archie Osborne of Culcrieff farm who met on the Jack Olding stand at Perth Agricultural Show in August 1967.</div> <div>      A public meeting was held in November 1967 and sufficient interest was shown by the 20 people who attended that a band was formed and a committee elected. Jack Scott Millar was elected President, a position he would hold for the next 30 years, and Donald McLean, who went out to move his car, returned to the meeting found he had been appointed secretary.</div> <div>      A number of pipers and drummers joined and Archie Osborne, who had been a P/M in the RAF was appointed P/M and George Newlands was appointed L/D.</div> <div>      By December of that year it was decided to purchase a bass, a tenor and 3 side drums at a cost of £125 and at Hogmanay the band played down the High Street to James Square. They had no uniforms but the seven pipers and four drummers played down the street with “ Leaving Port Askaig “</div> <div>      In their first year the band raised over £1000 which was spent on uniforms. New kilts of Drummond Earl of Perth tartan were bought along with a number of used tunics and belts from Forfar Burgh band and sporrans from Edinburgh City Police Pipe Band. </div> <bR> <div> My thanks to Hamish Lowe for this information</div> <bR> <div> (From the Editor....I well remember Pipe Major Archie Osborne and the times I visited him in his reed making workshop "Doon the Brae".)</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="2905bb60.jpg" border=0 width="603" height="438" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>The first picture is of Strathearn Pipe Band in new Kilts and tunics 1967</B></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#660099" FACE="Verdana" >    </FONT> Bob Brown, George Newlands, Hugh Sinclair, Terry Wilson, Peter Cramb, Bill Bradley, Bob Simpson, Doug McLellan</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Dave Ramsey, Davie Donaldson, Archie Osborne, Peter Lowe, Ronnie Steele</div> <div> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="292a3a40.jpg" border=0 width="675" height="420" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <B>Strathearn Pipe Band in the early 1970;s</B></div> <div> P/M Archie Osborne, Fraser Smith, Unknown, Gavin Brown, Hugh Sinclair, Bill Bradley, D/M Peter Cramb, John Leckie, Billy McCraw</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Front row:  Niel Bremner, James "Bomber" Harris, Peter Lowe, Wilson Brown, Dave Ramsey</div> <div> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</div> <bR> <div> 1975</div> <div> King Street, Crieff</div> <div> <IMG SRC="2973db60.jpg" border=0 width="573" height="438" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> Playing down King Street to Crieff Highland Gathering 1975 in white shirts</div> <div> Members in rows from rear to front:</div> <div> Peter DiMarco, Andrew McPherson, Bill Bradley</div> <div> Hugh Sinclair, Scott Cramb,Louis DiMarco</div> <div> David Donaldson, Jamie Thomson, Wilson Brown</div> <div> Alistair Lowe, James Harris, John Leckie</div> <div> Hamish Lowe, Billy McCraw</div> <div> P/M Archie Osborne, Niel Bremner, P/S Peter Lowe</div> <div> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="29994cb0.jpg" border=0 width="660" height="459" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> Andrew McPherson left school and joined the Black Watch, ending up as Drum Major, before retiring and joining Strathclyde Police, and playing with them as a tenor drummer</div> <div> Same location, same event, but 1976 wearing black jackets.</div> <div> Hugh Sinclair, Louis DiMarco, Andrew McPherson, Bill Bradley</div> <div> John Millar, Tam Smith, Peter "Pedro" Brock</div> <div> Jamie Thomson, Hamish Lowe, Niel Bremner, Billy McCraw</div> <div> David Donaldson, Alistair Lowe, Wilson Brown, Peter Lowe</div> <div> D/M Jim Shaw</div> <bR> <div> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</div> <bR> <bR> <div>    Archie Osbourn retired as P/M in 1976 due to ill health, and his new thriving business, "Strathearn Reed". </div> <div>                 Archie was sucseeded as P/M by Jimmy Mortimer, who had joined the army as a boy soldier and retired as P/M of 1st  Bn.  K.O.S.B, then for 25 years, was piping and dancing instructor at Queen Victoria School Dunblane </div> <div> At this time the band decided not to be a competition band and carried out numerous engagements, many at Dunblane Hydro Hotel. The band had a close relationship with Jim McLeod and his dance band, and appeared with them, the hotels resident band, on radio and television. Each year the band would provide entertainment in the hotel ballroom for one week, seven nights, performing in full dress under the spotlights. By the end of the week the tunics were so damp due to sweat that they would not dry out properly, and the band paid for all tunics to be dry cleaned.</div> <div>                  In 1979 the band were invited to participate in the Isle of Man Millennium celebrations which involved the band touring the I.O.M. for a week playing twice daily at different towns and villages.</div> <div>                The photograph is a publicity shot, taken in front of Dunblane Hydro, to publicise the band</div> <div> Rear:   Billy McCraw, Hamish Lowe, Alistair Lowe, Fraser Smith, John Millar, Wilson Brown, Lawrence McLennan, John Liddle, Niel Bremner.</div> <div> Front:   D/M Jim Shaw, Charlie Allan, Bill Bradley, L/D. Hugh Sinclair, Tam Smith, Louis DiMarco, Peter Brock, P/S Peter Lowe, P/M Jimmy Mortimer</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="294a5f20.jpg" border=0 width="677" height="498" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - </div> <div> 1975</div> <div> Sees the band on Edinburgh Castle Esplanade playing with the Royal British Legion Pipes during "Beating Retreat"</div> <div> <IMG SRC="2c0e2570.jpg" border=0 width="738" height="343" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div> During a break in rehearsals</div> <div> this group find time to record it on film</div> <div> Standing L to R... ?, Gavin Brown, Stephen Boag, Stuart Davidson, John Irvine</div> <div> Front....  Wilson Brown and Peter Lowe</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="2c26df90.jpg" border=0 width="621" height="505" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> 1980's</div> <div> We have the band in full dress marching down King Street, Crieff</div> <div> <IMG SRC="2c4a4ac0.jpg" border=0 width="676" height="684" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The last three photos were courtesy of</div> <div> Pedro Brock</div> <div> seen here on tenor drum</div> <div> <IMG SRC="2c6e0ee0.jpg" border=0 width="224" height="238" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</div> <div> In 1981 P/M Kenny Leask replaced P/M Jimmy Mortimer and prepared the band for competitions. At this time some of the older members of the band left the band joining the recently revived Comrie band. New members were brought in and Jimmy Mills, the L/D with MacKenzie Caledonian did an excelent job in tutoring a new drum corp. By 1984 the band had great sucess in the local grade 4 competitions, always having to fight it out with the Kirriemuir Jubilee band for the honours.Majors honours were not far away with a 4th place at the British and a 6th place at the Scottish secured that year, before Kenny Leask had to give up the position due to work commitments.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="29b19730.jpg" border=0 width="537" height="371" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Picture shows the first contest win, Branch minibands at Blairgowrie High School 1982</div> <div> P/M Kenny Leask, Hamish Lowe, P/S Keith Leask, L/D John McWilliam. Alistair Lowe, James McWilliam, Alan Roger, Tam Smith</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> (Footnote: Kenny last heard of two years ago with the Queensferry Pipe Band, and Keith playing Lothians Police)</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>