Maclean will awake to the sound of bagpipes on Saturday of the Easter long weekend with 21 bands due to compete at the 118th Maclean Highland Gathering on Saturday April 8.
All the bands will begin the day from 8.30am with the Pipe Bands on Parade. The parade begins at McLachlan Park and follows River Street through to the CWA Hall at the intersection of River Street and Stanley Street.
Pipe Band competition will commence from 10am at the Maclean Showgrounds as part of a full day of events. All events including the Highland Sports and Highland Dancing, along with the band competition are held in the main arena of the Showground ensuring that all the action can be viewed from the main grandstand and other vantage points around the picturesque grounds.
Chief of the Lower Clarence Scottish Association, Peter Smith said “We’re very excited. Having 21 bands attending assures us of a full day’s events for spectators. It is great to see some bands returning who we have missed over the past few years with the challenges of COVID, and the floods. As a small country town, it’s also great to see some country bands back with Warwick, Moree and Toowoomba all represented as well as the NSW Highlanders who have members from across northern NSW.”
It will also be the 125th anniversary of the formation of local band, the Maclean & District Pipe Band. The band will be back competing for the first time in a couple of years. Chief Peter Smith said, “I’m particularly happy to see our local band, Maclean & District Pipe Band back in the competition circle for the first time in a couple of years –I know that they have worked very hard to get back.”
Chief Peter Smith also praised the contribution from the Queensland Pipe Band community. “It’s also great to see the fantastic support that we get from all the Queensland bands continue, we would struggle to have an event without them and it’s always wonderful to see them back in town at Easter.”
Bands will compete across five grades with the Grade 2 competition featuring Queensland’s two premier pipe bands St Andrews and the Emmanuel College Highlanders finished out the day before all competing bands join together for the climax performance of the Massed Bands at around 4 pm.
The full list of bands attending:
BBC Old Collegians Pipe Band
Brisbane Boys’ College Number 1
Brisbane Boys’ College Number 2
Brisbane Boys’ College Number 3
Brisbane Pipe Band
City of Ipswich Pipe Band No. 1
City of Ipswich Pipe Band No. 2
Emmanuel College Highlanders at the University of Queensland
Gold Coast Tweed Pipes & Drums
Maclean & District Pipe Band
Moree Caledonian Society Pipes and Drums Inc
Murrumba Pipes & Drums Society Inc.
NSW Highlanders Pipe Band Inc
Qld Police Juvenile Pipes & Drums
Queensland Irish Association Pipe Band
Scots PGC College Pipes and Drums
Scots PGC College Pipes and Drums (Development)
St Andrew’s Pipe Band
Toowoomba Caledonian Society Pipe Band
Warwick Thistle Pipe Band
Wynnum RSL Pipe Band
Bob MacPherson