Top 10 Finish for Canterbury: World Pipe Band Championships

Top 10 Finish for Canterbury at The World Pipe Band Championships

21 August 2014

The Canterbury Caledonian Pipe Band finished as 9th best Pipe Band in the world at the recent World Pipe Band Championships at Glasgow. The current New Zealand Champions placed in the top 10 for the first time in the elite Grade 1 final. The Championship was won for the 4th year in a row by the Field Marshall Montgomery Pipe Band from Northern Ireland.

The Band, led by Pipe Major Richard Hawke and Drum Sergeant James Laughlin, both internationally regarded exponents of bagpipes and drums, travelled to Scotland for the 4th time in the last 5 years and competed at the two day contest. On day one it qualified from a heat of 11 other bands to make it through to the Championship Final on the second day. The 9th placing equals the best placing by a New Zealand pipe band in the elite grade in recent times. Over the two days there were approximately 250 pipe bands competing at the Championships.

Band Chairman, Richard Smith, sees the Championship as a reward for all of the hard work, dedicated practice and effort of the band members and supporters, in particularly trying circumstances. The Canterbury Caledonian Society was based at the Caledonian Hall in Kilmore Street, Christchurch however that building was destroyed by the earthquake on 22 February 2011. Since then all of the Society’s pipe bands have been practicing in various facilities around Christchurch with no permanent base.

“These results clearly place the Canterbury Caledonian Society as the leading pipe band organisation in New Zealand. This reflects the investment in tutoring and training which the Society has made in its pipe bands, through the generous support of organisations such as the Canterbury Community Trust which has provided grants specifically for tuition purposes”, said Smith. Funding has also been obtained towards equipment and contest costs from Mainland Foundation and Air Rescue Services.

ENDS

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