With Stephen Everett, secretary and tutor of The Berwick Pipers Inc.
At what age do you start playing the bagpipes and what do you love most about it?
I started when I was 14 and I have experienced, and marvelled at their universal acceptance around the world. I have played my pipes all over Australia, PNG, Indonesia, NZ, Edinburgh; as well as in a helicopter at 10,000 feet with doors open while wearing a parachute. We considered nominating for an altitude record until we heard that an RAF navigator played his pipes at about 40,000 feet in a Vulcan. Essentially, a good piper gets invited to all sorts of gigs in a variety of interesting places to play the pipes in very interesting circumstances. From Debutante Balls to Twilight Ceremonies (where I couldn’t see what was going on because spotlights blinded me); from large street parades to playing “It’s a long Way to the Top” in front of 700 diners in the Melbourne Town Hall. The Town Hall gig included an unrehearsed rendition of “Highland Cathedral” with the organist.
What is something people don’t know about you?
Most people don’t know that I have performed in the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. It is a very busy month, and rewarding experience, with performances Monday through Saturday with two performances every Saturday. In addition to the Tattoo, there were a lot of performances around Edinburgh and Glasgow; the most memorable of which was the Edinburgh Cavalcade. It is a very long march of several kilometres and involves every pipe band that performs in each year’s Tattoo.
What is the most memorable moment in your life?
Not so much a moment because getting married and raising a family has been a very long-term project. I very much prefer reflecting on that achievement than reliving aircraft crashes, however memorable for all the wrong reasons, and the like.
What is your favourite television show?
I like QI. There is a genuinely funny group of people on the QI panel and they manage to highlight lots of quite interesting facts in a particularly humorous and entertaining way. I also always watch the Edinburgh Military Tattoo on TV and I never miss a viewing of the 1968 classic version of The Battle of Britain. I was in Defence aviation for 46 years and I hold a private pilot’s licence – the machinery of the war era was, and remains, fascinating whereas today’s aircraft are just very clinically competent.
At school, I…
Was neither particularly academic and nor a high achieving student. However I managed to experience quite a few interesting and challenging jobs in Air Force before retiring as a senior commissioned engineer officer.
What is your favourite place to visit in Victoria?
I never fail to be impressed by the Dandenongs, especially in autumn, however Victoria is blessed to have lots of awesome attractions, such as the Prom, west Gippsland, Mt Macedon, and the shipwreck coast..
What is your favourite book?
My favourite book is Magnusson’s “Scotland, The Story of a Nation.” It covers the period from Roman times to present day and the author injects a lot of insights gained from being a former chairman of Scottish National Heritage.
What has been your most embarrassing moment?
There haven’t been any moments of mortification although I recall confidently shouting the wrong commands on a parade once. The Warrant Officer Disciplinary (who was running the parade) made a lot of noise before he announced that I obviously had delusions of grandeur, to which I replied equally loudly that I was once a God.
What do you work towards in your free time?
I have been retired for almost four years now and have been a volunteer tutor at Swinburne for most of that time. I am on the committees of an eastern suburbs camera club and The Berwick Pipers INC, as well as being the tutor for the Berwick Pipers group. I do, however, love my “job” as grandfather to Sienna, 7, and Eddie, 4.
Where would your perfect holiday destination be?
I prefer the Scottish Highlands and Scotland’s west coast mainly for the scenery (great photography), culture (bagpiping and people), and the accompanying sense of familiarity and history…but definitely NOT the midges in summer.
