The Oban Times, 17 February, 1923
Pipe Band Championship of New Zealand
An Oban Pipe-Major
The outstanding event at the Annual Gathering held recently in New Zealand was the competition for the Pipe Band Championship of New Zealand. Five bands took part, and it is a point of interest that the music judges in this competition are not allowed to see the competing bands, the awards of points for music being judged in a covered tent adjoining the track. Five additional judges make the awards for “military beating.” The result of the championship was as follows:–
Wellington Caledonian, 211 points.
Dunedin Scottish, 202 points.
Southland Band, 199 points.
Wellington Scottish, 181 points.
Christchurch Highland, 152 points.
The Pipe-Major of the winning band, it is interesting to observe, is Pipe-Major Tom MacDonald, a native of Oban, who began his piping career in the Oban Boys’ Brigade. Mr. MacDonald went some years ago to New Zealand, where he early took a leading place as an exponent of the music of the Gael. He is also a composer of note, and has some outstanding pieces to his credit. He was instrumental in raising the Wellington Caledonian Band, which under his brilliant leadership has carried the premier honours in the piping world in the country of his adoption. Pipe-Major MacDonald is a brother of Mr. Allan MacDonald, 121 George Street, Oban, while a sister of the gallant Pipe-Major is Mrs. Robert Watt, Mossfield Drive, Oban.
