Sudbury Pipe Band modern history

History of the Band after 1967

In 1967, John Ross returned to Scotland, re-married and settled down in Cromarty. Pipe Major Henry Craig, George Black, a founder of Sudbury Spring Service, and Bill Ogston, chauffeur and gardener for the President of INCO, also retired. Younger members of the Band participated in many Centennial Year activities that made 1967 memorable in many ways despite the loss of so many of the people that had ensured the survival of the band.

The hundredth birthday party held for Peter MacLaughlin was a very memorable event that occurred in the early 1970's. In 1976, the Band was invited to Cheboygan, Michigan, to participate in the American Bicentennial Parade held on the Fourth of July. We won an award for the "Best Band" in the parade and were the guests of the Michigan National Guard. We received several invitations back to Cheboygan for their Fourth of July Celebrations.

In the Fall of 1980, the Band joined the Ontario Legion Massed Pipes and Drums. This organization consisted of Legion Bands from across Southern Ontario from communities such as Stayner, Hanover, Collingwood, Barrie, Lindsay, Lucknow, Clinton, Innisville, Toronto to name a few. A trip to the Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena with parades in Tijuana, Mexico, and Los Angeles followed shortly after. The next year, 1983, we travelled to Hawaii and were featured at the U.S. College "All Star Game" in Honolulu. In 1985, the first tour of Scotland occurred. In 1987, the Massed Band travelled to England and had an audience with the Queen Mother on July First. Appearances in Brussels, Amsterdam, Lahr, Strasberg, Paris and Caen followed. The Sudbury Band performed as duty band for all the Remembrance services that the tour group held at the Canadian Cemeteries along the European 1200 kilometer tour route. In 1990, another tour of Scotland was held complete with an audience with the Royal Family at the Braemar Highland Games.

In December 1991, we toured with the Massed Band to the Orange Bowl Parade in Miami and later went to the Bahamas. During this period of time, there were many appearances at the C.N.E. Warriors' Day Parades, Metro Toronto Police Games, the Kitchener Waterloo Octoberfest Parades, Royal Canadian Legion Conventions - too many to repeat here. At the Metro Police's Centennial Games, we performed on the field beneath a helicopter hovering overhead with a performing trapeze artist dangling from a rope beneath the helicopter. Very memorable indeed.

In the Fall of 1996, we rejoined the Massed Band and travelled south to Aurora for group practices held the last Sunday of each month except January and February. This year we again attended the C.N.E. Warriors' Day Parade, the Penetaguishene Legion Day, and the Kitchener-Waterloo Octoberfest Parade.

In the Fall of 1997, we ran a recruiting drive and enlisted about eight new members ranging in age from eight to twenty. This brings our roster up to 33 members in total. As a result, we have started a fund raising campaign to purchase at least six new replacement uniforms. We have operated a Bingo project for the past ten years that has been very helpful. However, new gaming laws and increased competition has shrunk this source of income considerably. Regardless, we still plan on purchasing summer uniforms to reduce wear and tear on our full dress uniforms. We have also sent promising students to the London School of Performing Arts for the past several years.

In 1999, we went, as part of the Massed Band to tour in Newfoundland for the Canada Day celebrations.

We carry on a tradition started by the Sault-Sudbury Regiment in 1938. The Manitoulin Island Branches of the Royal Canadian Legion still hold their Decoration Day on the First Sunday in June each year. We have maintained this commitment since that time.

We are proud of our volunteer association with the Second Battalion of the Irish Regiment of Canada and especially thank Lt/Col Guembal and his staff for their encouragement and support in providing practice facilities.

Material provided by:

Pipe Major Charles Kennedy (until Feb. 2000)

Mike Lewis was the Pipe Major from Feb 2000.

The current Pipe Major is Carrie MacDonald.

The band currently practises on Thursday and Sunday nights from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Navy League Hall, 19 Regent Street in Sudbury, Ontario.  The Band can be contacted at

or, contact Carrie or send me an email: Andrew Little

The band is always looking for new recruits for both pipes and drums.