Innisfil Pipes and Drums

The idea to form our band in Innisfil occurred at the A.N.A.F. (Army, Navy, Air Force) Club in Barrie, Ontario on a Saturday afternoon in September, 1977, after their resident band had just finished their practice. The manager of this fairly new band approached Joe McKeown and myself and asked if we could try and get some people from Innisfil Township to join his Barrie and District Pipe & Drum Band (now disbanded). After he left us, Joe said in his stubborn Irish manner, “we will form our own band”. I had had some experience in Scotland, as a fifteen year old cadet in the Cameronian Scottish Rifles, trying to learn the pipes, but like so many others, could not stay the course. I mentioned this to Joe, but he was determined and I said I would go along with him. Joe suggested that I get back to the pipes, as well as become the Equipment Manager, while he would become the Manager and also play the bass drum. Joe got in touch with Georgina Mitchell from the Scope Newspaper and told her that the band needed help. In November 1977, she announced the formation of the band and printed our Executive and our positions to the public. I then contacted Ewan Brown, a piper from Alcona, and a member of a Scout group, who came to my house and gave me lessons and I also later went to Paul McKenzie of the Newmarket Pipe Band.

We then approached Councillor Katie Janse, who thought it a great idea, as Joe wanted to call the band Township of Innisfil Pipes & Drums. She became our champion and arranged a meeting with the full Township Council. Mayor Gibbins, Councillor Grant Andrade and the others, by an Act of Council, granted us permission to use the Township name and to use the Township crest. They also gave us use of the Old Churchill Hall, free of charge, for our practices. We asked for and received donations from private citizens and businesses in our community. We now needed a Secretary/Treasurer, so Joe asked Mrs. Jerry Robson to take the job. She agreed, and we opened a bank account in the band name and she became the third, and last, founding member of Innisfil Pipes & Drums.

We visited Bill and Georgina Burnett, of Burnett’s Scottish Imports in Barrie (now Burnett’s & Struth Scottish Regalia Ltd.) who gave us practice chanters, pipe books, drumsticks and drum pads. Bill Burnett very kindly allowed us to pay later because Joe, who was a sewing machine mechanic, maintained Bill’s machines.

Registration for the band was held at the Belle Ewart Legion in Lefroy on the 14th and 29th of January, 1978 and we had over 60 people apply. We were lucky to find some people who had past experience in Pipe bands…chief among them was Joe Donald, an ex-piper in the Canadian Argyles. Joe became our first P/M and also taught the adults, myself included. Bob Day taught the young people chanter, while Cy Potter, Jim Hair and Rick Moses, who later became our first Drum Sgt., taught drums. Luke Allen, later of the Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band, World Champions, taught the bass drum. Kay Davis, mother of our present Chief of Police, had some experience as a tenor drummer and she showed the young people how to swing their sticks. Our band had a lot of drop-outs and new members came in too, but in the Fall of 1978, we actually did our first parade in Stroud. This parade was accomplished with help from the Newmarket band, who after 1 1/2 years had moved to become the Richmond Hill Legion Pipe Band with our own Joe Donald voted in as the P/M and, who was also still teaching for Innisfil.

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