Page 2782 - Week 07 - Thursday, 3 July 2008
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association. The Burmese people cannot drink the water, in many cases. Remember the Burmese junta decided to export their rice crop rather than feed people, many of whom had lost their livelihoods and their food in the cyclone and the resultant floods. So there is still need in Burma and those who are able to should consider giving their support.
Canberra City Pipes and Drums
MR GENTLEMAN (Brindabella) (7.22): I want to rise tonight to talk about an event I attended on Saturday night on behalf of the Chief Minister, the Canberra City Pipes and Drums 17th annual highland ball. After the official party, Mr John Cordiner and his wife, Kerrie Cordiner, as well as official guests from the Russian Embassy, were piped into the ball, I had the pleasure of joining my old APS inspector, Mr Paul Breen, and his wife, and Mr Greg Lee, who was on my original APS recruitment course, and some of my colleagues, Chris and Wanda Lind and June Gillespie.
The Canberra City Pipes and Drums was the brainchild of four Canberra men—Bob McCaffrey, Rex French, Ted Howell and Angus Cattanach—who felt that the national capital should have its own pipe band. The band was formed to provide for non-competitive participation in the development, presentation and enjoyment of Scottish pipe and drum music in the Canberra region. The CCPD officially came into existence in November 1991, when its constitution was ratified and registered.
In 1993, the Canberra City Pipes and Drums was honoured and proud to be appointed the honorary pipe band to the Australian Federal Police. The AFP has supported the band over the years by providing uniform items and performance opportunities. The band displays the police insignia and black and white dicing on its glengarries and drums. Following an invitation to participate in the International Police Tattoo in Adelaide in May 2006, the band was approached by the AFP and asked whether, in addition to being known as the Canberra City Pipes and Drums, the band could also be known as the AFP Pipes and Drums. In January 2006, a special general meeting of the CCPD agreed to the motion and it became known as the AFP Pipes and Drums.
Although still non-competitive, the band strives to improve and maintain its performance standard through group and individual tuition, workshops and other strategies. The band’s performance calendar has continued to grow as the performers have gained public recognition within the Canberra region, and the band is regularly asked to play for Canberra multicultural festivals, community festivals, sporting events, weddings, funerals and other private functions. Members would have seen the band at a more solemn occasion than I: Trevor Kaine’s state funeral, of course.
The band wears two tartans, the ancient Caledonian and the Canberra tartans. The ancient Caledonian was chosen as the official tartan for the band because of its distinctive non-clan-specific origin. The Canberra tartan was designed by two members of the band and is a registered tartan. The band’s pipe corps wears the ancient Caledonian tartan, and the drum corps wears the Canberra tartan.
It was a most enjoyable event and the evening went on, culminating in a spontaneous performance for the patrons of the Hellenic Club, all of whom attended. It is great to hear that the band will be representing Canberra at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo in
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