By CATHERINE WATSON
DANDENONG resident Alastair Wright was 45 before he took up the bagpipes, and he has loved them ever since.
“A friend introduced me to it. I’d always wanted to play. I’m not that musical so it’s just sheer persistence. I’m still learning.”
Now 69, Mr Wright is still in his prime but he says some of his fellow members in the Casey Pipe Band are starting to run out of puff.
The dearth of pipers was apparent at their most recent performance, the Anzac Day march at Berwick, when the band could only muster five pipers and one drummer.
Now the pipes are calling, from Berwick to Dandenong and in the Cranbourne area, because the band will have to fold if it can’t find new recruits.
“We need people who maybe played the pipes 20 or 30 years ago and would like to take them up again,” said Mr Wright, who lives in Dandenong.
He promises lots of fun and an ecstatic response whenever and wherever the band plays: at Anzac Day marches, Scottish Day celebrations, RSL events, arts festivals, concerts, citizenship ceremonies and massed band celebrations.
Piping is also a great workout. “It’s not like playing the piano. It’s quite an effort. After 10 or 15 minutes, you can work up quite a sweat. It must be good for the vascular system. There are guys in bands in their 90s.”
Learners are also welcome but Mr Wright says they tend to come in with a hiss and roar and run out of gas pretty quickly.
“Out of 30 learners, generally only one will make it. It’s not easy. You’ve got to have strong lungs but a lot of technique comes in as well. You’ve got to put in the hard yards.”
The Casey Pipe Band practises in Berwick at 7.30pm on Wednesdays. Pipers, would-be pipers and drummers can call Alastair Wright on 9795 3085.
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