RCMP Pipe Band History Series – 2016

The band history series continues, fueled by the dedication of our Pipe Major, Graeme Ogilve and his great record keeping! 2016 was a year of major change for the band; a new Pipe Major, a new Band Officer, a new Commanding Officer and a new lead for the dance team. The band also moved their quartermaster stores to the new HQ building on Leikin Road, which made life much easier for anyone needing uniform adjustment.

But the music went on. April featured a spring concert at Dominion Chalmers and September had the band flying off to Estes Park Colorado for a unique performance at the Scottish Festival there. There were 31 band events in total, with the dancers performing at 12 of them.

The year was also marked by the presentation of a new regimental mace. This was a gift to the band from former piper Kenneth Thornton. This allowed the original mace, dated from 1932, to be retired to the museum for safe keeping.

2016 was also memorable for featuring the very first time the RCMP Pipe Band of National Division actually wore their rain capes on parade (see post title photo).

More on this and many other stories in the full history document, which you can find by clicking here.