The Historical Newsletters page has been updated with the release of archival B.C. Pipers’ Newsletters from 1984.
Besides the regular news of competitions and results, BCPA Life Member Bill Elder has compiled the following interesting news of that year:
- Ad in Newsletter for the Australian Pipe Band and Highland Dancing Championships in Adelaide S.A. Australia over Easter 1986.with prize monies totaling $40,000 AUD
- The 52nd Annual Gathering was held at Vancouver Technical School, Senior Piping Adjudicators, Donald MacPherson and Iain Morrison. Both judges will hold recitals. Results are in the May issue.
- Newsletters contain many announcements on weddings, births, recipes, puzzles, piping & drumming trivia
- Seumas MacNeill article indicating that he was able to produce a band from absolute beginners in 3.5 weeks at the Gaelic College in Nova Scotia but he also cited a story about PM Willie Ross doing the same in 3 weeks
- James Troy presents a workshop on the maintenance of pipes and reeds at the March Mini Gathering.
- Vancouver Ladies PB competition includes Open Piobaireachd for the first time.
- The Kisimul Castle Junior PB unfortunately disbands. The Delta Junior PB forms
- Short history of the J.W. Stewart Trophy. In 1984 it had an appraised value of $85,000
- Nanaimo cancels its Highland Games due to lack of support.
- The “Tuning Light” is introduced for the first time at the Annual Gathering
- Comments on the Annual Gathering from Iain Morrison and Donald MacPherson.
- Different warm-up march requirements continued before and Teacher-Pupil duets continued after the Knockout competitions
- Results of the 1983/84 Knockout competition, 1st Jack Lee, 2nd Steve Geddes, 3rd Rob Menzies.
- Iain MacDonald of Saskatchewan gives his impressions of the 1984 Annual Gathering.
- The Scottish Auditorium at 12th Ave and Fir Street in Vancouver is sold by the United Scottish Societies Company and a lot on Hudson Street at 73rd Ave is purchased for the new Scottish Auditorium. Fundraising is initiated to pay for the new building
- Angus MacPherson becomes Editor of the Newsletter for the second time beginning with the August issue. He also served as President during the same period..
- Interesting Editorials about Pipe Band Scoring (proposing a ranking system rather than the points system), separate grades of piobaireachd from light music, and concerns about the continuing viability of the highland games on the Pacific Northwest circuit. Letters to the Editor ensue.
- BC Pipers’ introduces a program for apprentice judges.
- The Northern Meeting, Inverness 1984, an article by Peter Aumonier. Peter placed 3rd in the Northern Meeting Silver Medal
- Results from the 1984 Northern Meeting competitions.
- Aileen Arnott steps down as PM of the Vancouver Ladies PB after 15 years with the band, 8 of them as PM. Aileen led the band to win the 1980 Grade 3 World Pipe Band Championships and the 1981 Grade North American Pipe Band Championships
- PM James Watt’s composition “Brentwood Bay” is performed by the massed pipes and drums at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo
- The October Mini-Gathering adjudicators provide their synopsis on the performances in their events.
- A particular piper and drummer (now BCPA Adjudicators) begin to appear as prize winners in the Chanter grade (Alan Bevan) and Junior Snare Drumming grade (Duncan Millar)
- Roving Reporter, article about the Glentrium School of Piping and Drumming in Nelson, BC
- Simon Fraser University PB releases their first recording.”Nous Sommes Prets”
- In the Piping Times, Seumas MacNeill takes issue with an Angus Macpherson BC Pipers’ Newsletter editorial on whether MSRs should be played twice and whether the adjudicator should be allowed to put the set together from the competitor’s submitted tunes
- Results of the 13th Annual Triumph Street PB contest.
- Jack Lee reports on his second-place win in London. Jack’s win was in the MSR event and was confined to winners at London, Oban, or Inverness.
