Western Australia Police Pipe Band
Encyclopedia
The Western Australia Police Pipe Band is a grade one pipe band
based in Perth
, Australia
.
The Officer In Charge of the Band is Brett Bale and the Pipe Major
is Paul Hughes.
Some forty years later, in 1966, then Police Commissioner Napier agreed to the formation of the a Pipe Band to represent the Western Australia Police. It is not proven that the band's selection of the Napier tartan was directly a result of the Commissioner's name, but it was a suitable outcome. From its first appearnce in 1967 at the Police family Christmas Party at Perry Lakes Stadium, the band continued the traditions set out by the brass band; performing at police and public functions, while maintaining a strong level of competitiveness at contests.
After numerous years of relatively successful Australian competition in grade two, and trips to the Edinburgh Military Tattoo
, the Band decided to enter in the World Pipe Band Championships in 1998. After a short season in Scotland, on 15 August 1998 it was crowned world champion in grade two, beating 32 other bands.
Then promoted to grade one, where it remains to this day, the next major competition for WAPOL was the USA open Pipe Band Championships, held in Alma, Michigan
, where it claimed first place. Lifted by the result, the band went through a year of fundraising and again travelled to Scotland to compete in the world championships in 2003. While preparation competitions yielded promising results; a 2nd in North Berwick
and 3rd Perth, Scotland
, the band was unfortunately eliminated in qualifying, with a 6th place in Glasgow.
Not to be discouraged, WAPOL returned in 2004 progressing easily through the qualifying rounds to eventually claim 11th place in the world championships. Celebrating its 40th anniversary in May 2006, the Band planned to venture overseas once more, but due to lack of funding the trip did not take place.
More recently WAPOL secured a significant amount of funding from Healthway to tour regional WA. The Band attended two hugely successful trips to Broome and Newman in our SmokeFree WA tour, playing to between 6000-7000 local residents. The band has also recently put on a concert to nearly 600 people at the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre and in 2008 had the busiest year in the band's history. It currently has a strong focus on primary school visits and community events. WAPOL's competition efforts have been reduced but it still competes periodically. Recent major events have included the Sydney Edinburgh Tattoo in 2010 and the Kremlin Zoria in Russia's Red Square.
Pipe band
A pipe band is a musical ensemble consisting of pipers and drummers. The term used by military pipe bands, pipes and drums, is also common....
based in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
The Officer In Charge of the Band is Brett Bale and the Pipe Major
Pipe Major
The Pipe Major is the director of bagpipe music in a Scottish or Irish pipe band. Like Drum Major, the position of Pipe Major is derived from British Army traditions. During the early twentieth century, the term Sergeant Piper was used for the role in place of "Pipe Major".Civillian and military...
is Paul Hughes.
History
With roots as far back as 1902, the original Western Australia Police Band played brass instruments. While the brass band performed well in competitions, post world war one difficulties in keeping a full complement of members resulted in its disbanding in 1925.Some forty years later, in 1966, then Police Commissioner Napier agreed to the formation of the a Pipe Band to represent the Western Australia Police. It is not proven that the band's selection of the Napier tartan was directly a result of the Commissioner's name, but it was a suitable outcome. From its first appearnce in 1967 at the Police family Christmas Party at Perry Lakes Stadium, the band continued the traditions set out by the brass band; performing at police and public functions, while maintaining a strong level of competitiveness at contests.
After numerous years of relatively successful Australian competition in grade two, and trips to the Edinburgh Military Tattoo
Edinburgh Military Tattoo
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is an annual series of Military tattoos performed by British Armed Forces, Commonwealth and International military bands and display teams in the Scottish capital Edinburgh...
, the Band decided to enter in the World Pipe Band Championships in 1998. After a short season in Scotland, on 15 August 1998 it was crowned world champion in grade two, beating 32 other bands.
Then promoted to grade one, where it remains to this day, the next major competition for WAPOL was the USA open Pipe Band Championships, held in Alma, Michigan
Alma, Michigan
Alma is the largest city in Gratiot County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 9,275 at the 2000 census. It was incorporated as the Village of Alma in 1872 and became a city in 1905....
, where it claimed first place. Lifted by the result, the band went through a year of fundraising and again travelled to Scotland to compete in the world championships in 2003. While preparation competitions yielded promising results; a 2nd in North Berwick
North Berwick
The Royal Burgh of North Berwick is a seaside town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, approximately 25 miles east of Edinburgh. North Berwick became a fashionable holiday resort in the 19th century because of its two sandy bays, the East Bay and the...
and 3rd Perth, Scotland
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
, the band was unfortunately eliminated in qualifying, with a 6th place in Glasgow.
Not to be discouraged, WAPOL returned in 2004 progressing easily through the qualifying rounds to eventually claim 11th place in the world championships. Celebrating its 40th anniversary in May 2006, the Band planned to venture overseas once more, but due to lack of funding the trip did not take place.
More recently WAPOL secured a significant amount of funding from Healthway to tour regional WA. The Band attended two hugely successful trips to Broome and Newman in our SmokeFree WA tour, playing to between 6000-7000 local residents. The band has also recently put on a concert to nearly 600 people at the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre and in 2008 had the busiest year in the band's history. It currently has a strong focus on primary school visits and community events. WAPOL's competition efforts have been reduced but it still competes periodically. Recent major events have included the Sydney Edinburgh Tattoo in 2010 and the Kremlin Zoria in Russia's Red Square.
Further reading
- Stanbury, Neil. (2006) Forty years in the making : a pictorial history of the Western Australia Police Pipe Band, 1966-2006.Perth, W.A. Western Australia Police. ISBN 0646459201 (pbk.)