Welcome to Old Scotch Pipes & Drums
The OSPD formed in 2009 under Pipe Major Brian Symington, and comprised former students of Scotch College who came together to resurrect their piping and drumming skills in a friendly and enthusiastic pipe band environment. Many of those original members are still playing with the band, which has now grown to encompass many generations and a broad community of players but still retains the welcoming and encouraging attitude that the band was founded on.
Under the continued leadership of Pipe Major - David Forbes and Lead Drummer - Ben Jones, Old Scotch Pipes and Drums now compete in Grade 4A, as well as supporting a number of charitable organisations and community events around the State.
OSPD is very fortunate to be supported by the Old Scotch Collegians Association, with one of the aims being to offer recent school leavers a band to join in order to continue their musical careers. We are also in the very enviable position of being the beneficiaries of the support of the Scotch College Pipe Band team, led by Mark Saul, who actively encourages ongoing participation in bands in general and OSPD in particular.
OSPD includes members from beyond the Old Scotch fraternity and welcomes all those who share our interest in playing pipe band music and contributing to the growth of the band within a respectful and friendly culture.
Currently OSPD practice at the East Malvern RSL located on Stanley Grose Dr, Malvern East VIC 3145. Our usual practice schedule times are 7:30pm - 9:30pm on a Wednesday night and 10:30am - 12:30pm on a Sunday morning.
Please note practices are currently on hold due to Covid-19 Restrictions and are planned to resume late October
For a list of the upcoming practice schedule please see upcoming events.
OSPD in 2022
Old Scotch Pipes and Drums continues to grow and develop and we have evolved to be a generationally diverse group, and as such, we seek to engage all our members by accommodating our variations in playing standards as well as our different work, study and life commitments.
In our relatively short history, we have consistently had an upward trajectory and this has been as a consequence of strong Committee support, energetic musical leadership, expert tuition and a playing group committed to achieving our goals. This has been underpinned, as always, by our sense of comradery, shared vision and desire to enjoy our overall involvement in the band.
Further, we are delighted that we have created a culture that encourages new generations of players to join our band. This has been reflected with the appointment of 2018 Scotch College Pipe Major Luke Holt as OSPD Pipe Sergeant. This growth in talent has presented OSPD with the opportunity to advance the overall musical standard of piping and drumming – including our competition performances. The underlying aim for the band is to consistently achieve top place results in Grade 4A – and to be promoted to Grade 3.
Competitions
As a relatively new band in the Victorian and Australian pipe band scene, OSPD has already made an impact as a competing outfit. From the time that OSPD was established, competitions have been regarded as an important vehicle to improve the standard of playing and to increase the band’s repertoire of tunes. Competitions are also seen as important in maintaining the musical interest of all players – by providing a challenge both individually and as a band. They also provide the opportunity for the band membership to enjoy each other’s company in a social environment – after the hard work is done of course!
Whilst the early competition performances were met with encouraging feedback, things began to noticeably change in the 2016/17 season – when the band started to gain places at competitions such as Ringwood, Geelong and Daylesford. The breakthrough came at the Canberra Championships in October 2017, where the band was placed first in Grade 4 – against bands from Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane. This was the first big win for the band and an outstanding reward for the years of commitment and hard work!
Since that time, the band has gone on to win competitions at Daylesford and Bendigo and the Victorian Championships at Geelong in 2018. The band also travelled to Brisbane in 2018 to compete in the South Pacific and Australian Pipe Band Championships and against very strong opposition (comprising over 20 Grade 4 bands from Australia and New Zealand), OSPD was placed fifth overall. Another great result!
The band has travelled back to Canberra to successfully defend its Grade 4 title in 2018 and 2019 and has also taken the opportunity to compete and be placed in several Grade 3 competitions, including Daylesford and the Bendigo ‘Scots Day Out’.
OSPD is planning to continue its pursuit of competitions – including the push towards Grade 3, which will likely include traveling either interstate or overseas in the next 18 months – possibly to a major Championship in New Zealand. Stay tuned for more news!
