Flower of Scotland on the Fundy

When the Gaels of Fundy Pipes and Drums first marched off to the beat of a big bass drum just 10 months ago, you could count the number of this kilted corps’ members on the fingers of one hand.

But the new group is growing, and it’s arguably becoming one of Nova Scotia’s most energetic pipe and drum bands.

It is the first pipe and drum corps in the southwestern part of the province, Gaels of Fundy leaders say.

Stuart MacDonald said he’s had a long-standing desire to put such a band together. He did, and he is now the pipe major.

"I had my own kilt and my own pipes," MacDonald said Wednesday.

Drum Major Richard Parry soon caught wind of MacDonald’s plan and signed up. The two recruited Glenn Foster to play snare drum and Nelson Bishop to handle the bass drum and they were good to go.

"We just started doing parades and started paying our own way," MacDonald said.

And they needed to look the part.

The Scottish Lion Import Shop on the Bedford Highway in Bedford helped in a big way.

"Before we even had any money, (they) offered up the kilts at a really good price," MacDonald said.

The Gaels of Fundy wear the underused Flower of Scotland tartan, Parry said. It’s similar to the Nova Scotia tartan but a slender red stripe takes the place of a yellow one in the provincial tartan.

Some pretty aggressive recruiting is underway to fill the rank and file of the pipe and drum band. Free music lessons are being offered to anyone who will join. Neither age nor gender is a barrier.

Peter Ormerod of Smiths Cove, Digby County, could not believe his good fortune when he heard that the Gaels of Fundy were forming. He’s 65, retired and had wanted to be a bagpiper most of his life.

"When the pipe band started, I jumped at the chance because I always wanted to play the pipes," said Ormerod, a native of Cobourg, Ont., who is living the dream.

"It’s great. It’s part of our culture. This is Nova Scotia."

For now, the band practices Wednesday evenings in the music room at Digby Regional High School.

"If you want to learn, (just) show up," MacDonald said.

"It’s not as hard as a lot of people think."

Parry was a drummer in his youth, as an army cadet. He was a drum major then. His background also includes drill instruction.

"They do a very good job," he said of the marching Gaels.

"We don’t carry music," he said. "Everything is memorized."

The drum major out front carries a mace and that’s how the musicians receive their instructions.

Despite their relatively recent entry into the world of pipes and drums, the Gaels of Fundy have been active.

"We’ve been very busy this year," Parry said.

Story by Brian Medel

The Halifax Chronicle Herald

December 4, 2011