Town Pipe Band is music to our ears

Armidale Pipe Band past pipe major Jeanette Slade said the group was looking forward to performing at the carols.

“We meet every Monday night of the year, but we’ve been rehearsing for this for about the past three weeks,” she said.

“We’ll be doing some traditional music as well as some more modern favourites.

“People love seeing us perform, the response from the crowd is always very favourable and we’re very well encouraged.”

Established in 1901, the Armidale Caledonian Pipe Band, now the Armidale Pipe Band will bring traditional music to the sounds of bagpipes and drums to the crowds at Carols By Candlelight.

Eight years later the band became independent and Chas Cooper, an original band member, was chosen as Pipe Major and held the position for thirty years.

During Mr Cooper’s reign the band won the Queensland Championships at Warwick and took second place at the NSW Championships in Inverell.

In 1933 the Armidale Pipe Band was named Champion Pipe Band of the North.

In more recent years the the band has performed at the ‘Celtic Crossroads Tattoo’ in Canberra, has won ‘Best Band on Parade’ and street marches across the New England region and at the Armidale Autumn Festival.

The band is now led by Pipe Major Stafford Cameron and the group entertained crowds at the event last year in the Seaforth MacKenzie tartan.

Dressed in their signature tartan uniform the band will hit the stage at Carols by Candlelight in Armidale on Wednesday December 14.