Westman pipe band reunion nears

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This article was published 12/06/2023 (1192 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Former members of the Rivers and District Pipe Band are eager to get together for a reunion that’s scheduled to take place July 7-8, since many of these traditional Highland pipers, drummers and dancers haven’t seen each other in decades.

Even though the group officially disbanded a while ago, these former members still treasure the time they spent travelling all over Canada and the United States, playing music and making memories that have lasted a lifetime.

Talking to the Sun over the weekend, Heather Bayne recalls how she never seriously considered playing the bagpipes until watching the band perform in Rivers in the spring of 1970.

By that point, the group was already well-established in the community, having been founded in 1959 with the help of the Rivers Legion, the local fire department and some other interested citizens.

Under the leadership of fire chief Don Mitchell, who was an accomplished piper in his own right, the band quickly grew from its original eight members to 17 by 1961-62.

While originally conceived as an all-boys group, girls were eventually allowed to participate as musicians as well as dancers, which gave Bayne the opening she needed to officially join.

“Bag pipes are not an easy instrument to play,” Bayne said, recalling how she practised for around a year-and-a-half before considering herself good enough to perform with the band.

“You start off learning on what’s called a ‘chanter.’ And then you kind of get the theory, the fingering and the music end of it. And after you succeed at that, then you actually learn to play the bagpipes, which I do remember was a trying exercise.”

Despite this initial struggle, Bayne stuck with the band for the remainder of her elementary and high school years, getting the opportunity to play alongside some of the best youth pipers and drummers in the region.

This elite group included musicians like Terry Smith, who recalls getting enchanted by the band when he was six years old and vowed to perform the drums alongside them when he got older.

Smith eventually got his wish in 1967 and began travelling with the group two years later, with his first major out-of-town show being a summer parade in Rugby, N.D.

“The asphalt was so hot that it was sticking to the bottom of our shoes, but it was such a great experience,” Smith recalls.

“We played almost every weekend in the summers, travelling from town to town, performing at fairs and marching in parades.”

Both Smith and Bayne agree that some of their favourite moments with the band took place on the road, with the group getting to perform in front of audiences from Toronto, Ont. to Waco, Texas, sometimes using a custom tartan-themed bus for transport.

Admittedly, this busy schedule wasn’t always easy for the youth musicians, with former Rivers and District Pipe Band dancer Carol Fortune recalling how they would often approach rehearsals with a kind of military rigour.

“Sunday afternoon was dedicated for practice. Some stayed and practised Sunday nights as well,” Fortune said.

“So that’s a lot of times on weekends … but when we went out on parade I think we looked pretty smart and all those drill practices paid off.”

While the band’s hard work allowed them to snap up countless awards over the years, their three-week trip to Scotland in August 1973 served as a major stamp of approval for Bayne, Smith and Fortune, since the locals were very receptive to their mastery of the bagpipes, drums and traditional Highland dance.

The collective memory of this visit to Scotland even served as the catalyst for this upcoming reunion in Rivers, with former members having recently connected online to celebrate the upcoming 50th anniversary of this trip.

Now, Bayne is hoping to use Rivers’ upcoming 110th anniversary festival to host a reunion band practice on July 7 while also giving former members the chance to perform in a community parade the very next day.

Each day will also feature more laid-back gatherings at the Riverdale Community Centre, where former members can view artifacts from the band’s past and reminisce about the broader impact this group had on the region.

“It’s not just for band members. Anyone associated with the band is welcome to come or anybody who is interested in learning what the band was all about,” Bayne said.

“We’re going to have displays … some of the old instruments. I have lots of pictures, lots of newspaper articles I’m putting together right now.”

“So we’re just inviting whoever wants to come and check us out.”

As of this past weekend, Bayne said she’s expecting around 100 former Rivers and District Pipe Band members to attend next month’s reunion.

» kdarbyson@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @KyleDarbyson