Once again it was a brilliant sunny day on Sunday the 11th of December for the Clan Donald Auckland Pre –Christmas Lunch. This is the 4th year that the luncheon has been held in the Highlander Bar of the Northcote Tavern, which is well known for their fantastic menu including the famous Sunday Roast, which this year was roast pork.

As members arrived, they were entertained by John Hawthorn playing a selection of Scottish tunes on his piano accordion.

 

John Hawthorn playing a selection of Scottish tunes.

 

Clan Donald members and tavern guests were also entertained by the Signals Pipe Band later in the afternoon.

 

The Signals Pipe Band entertaining the guests.

 

Andrew Wilkie, Past President  of Clan Donald Auckland, arranged for the band to be present after performing at the local Father Christmas parade. It was a great way to start the Christmas season. And much appreciated by everyone.

 

Andrew Wilkie playing the pipes in the Signals Pipe Band.

 

This was the last Event for the President Bruce McGechan, who on his retirement as President, was moving with his wife Halina, to the town of Waipawa in the Central Hawkes Bay.

 

Halina and Bruce McGechan
The committee sprung a surprise on Bruce, by presenting him with a beautiful Quaich, Scotland’s cup of friendship. Halina was also presented with a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

 

 

However Bruce also sprung a surprise on the committee, by asking them to line up across the bar. He then presented the Quaich, full to the top with whisky, and asked each member to take a sip. This caused great merriment. And at the end the committee demanded that Bruce drink the last drop, to then turn the Quaich over and kiss the bottom. This is a well-known tradition in piping circles.

 

Bruce McGechan drinking the last of the whisky from the Quaich cheered on by the committee. From the left Immediate Past President Andrew Wilkie, Cindy Bradley, Eileen Clark, Mary McIsaac, Heather Higgins, Barry Paterson, Vice President Carl Bradley, Vice President Lynnette McDonald and partially obscured John Hawthorn.

 

After such a fantastic lunch and presentation, the members spent the rest of the afternoon chatting over a few drinks.

 

Heather Lomas and Heather Higgins

 

Marlene and Laurie Mathews

 

Mary McIsaac and Geoff Parry

 

Murdock and Lois McDonald

 

Heather Higgins and Sandy Burnett.

 

The Williamson family, Janet, Angus, Dee and Doug.

 

Friends since the days of the Auckland Ladies Pipe Band. Jean, Dorothy Beale, Carrol Elliott, Flora Brown with Carl Bradley, Vice President, and Eileen Clark.

 

Barrie Paterson and Margaret Parry.

 

Cindy and Carl Bradley

 

North Island Commissioner Tom McDonald and Lynnette McDonald.

 

 

Once again it was a beautiful Summers day on Saturday the 13th of February for the 23rd Paeroa Highland Games and Tattoo at the Paeroa Domain. The domain has many mature trees, which gave plenty of shade to the large crowd of interested spectators.

The programme for the day included Solo Piping, Solo Drumming and Highland Dancing. An Axemen’s Carnival, and a full programme of Heavyweight Field Events.

During the afternoon there was the Pipe Band Contest with bands from the Auckland and Central Districts.

The Clans Village was kept very busy with many visitors and the Clans paraded for the usual Clans March to the town centre in the morning.

 

Clan Donald members outside the Pavilion. From the left, President Bruce McGechan, 
North Island Commissioner Tom McDonald, Barrie Paterson, Vice President
Carl Bradley, Lex Allan, Sergeant at Arms Murdock McDonald, Ruth and 
Bruce Parker from Hawke’s Bay, Cindy Bradley and Laurie Fear. 

 
Clan Donald Auckland was kept busy in the Pavilion with members calling in for a chat and refreshments plus several people interested in becoming members. One of the new members Lex (Nathan) Allan was appointed Banner Bearer for the Clans March.

 

New member Lex Allan, Banner Bearer for the Clans March.

 
James McPhee of Clan MacPhee presented Tom McDonald, the Clan Donald North Island Commissioner, with a special eagle feather for his Glengarry. It is customary for Commissioners to have one feather, High Commissioners and Chieftains two feathers and Clan Chiefs three feathers.

 

Clan Donald North Island Commissioner receiving the gift of an eagle feather 
from James McPhee of Clan MacPhee.

 

Murdock McDonald chatting with Laurie Fear.

 

Tom McDonald and Vice President Lynnette McDonald with Guard Barrie Paterson.

 

Marni Macdonald from Coromandel with a Dress Up Doll.

 

Tom McDonald chatting with Lex Allan with Lynnette McDonald in the background.

 

At 5.30 pm the Tattoo was started with the Pipe Bands Street March through the town to the domain.

During the entertainment there was a Mace Flourishing Competition, a Haggis Ceremony and massed highland dancers.

The Tattoo finished with the Lone Piper, the Ode to Scotland, Massed Bands playing Scotland the Brave and Auld Lang Syne.

Blair Hodson had a great year in 2015. He won Grade B at the Waipu Highland Games, the Hastings Highland Games and the Otago Centre Queens Birthday Competition. These are considered to be the three most prestigious competitions in New Zealand.

Blair seems to have a talent for the Piobaireachd, where he placed 1st at Waipu and won the Dunedin Silver Medal for Piobaireachd. He was also placed 1st at both Waipu and Hastings for the March, Strathspey and Reel proving that he is a well rounded piper.

Blair also competed in the Highland Piper’s Society of Canterbury’s Silver Chanter Solo Piping Championships 2015 B Grade, where he was placed 1st for the 6/8 March and 3rd for the Strathspey and Reel.

Blair is descended from a long line of pipers. The first were from the McIsaac family who arrived in Nelson in May 1842. Richard and Jean McIsaac with their children had left Glasgow for their new life in New Zealand on board the sailing ship, the “Clifford”. They settled in Renwick, a small town in the Wairau Valley in Marlborough.

The McIsaac family were involved in establishing the Scottish Society of Marlborough Highland Pipe Band in 1916, and in the 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s there were a number of McIsaac’s involved in this band.

Anton Hodson, Blair’s father, played in this band in the 1960’s unaware of his mother’s family connection. It wasn’t until the McIsaac family had a reunion in 1994, that the connection was made, when a lot of stories about the pipers were told.

Blair is descended from his father’s grandmother, who was the granddaughter of the emigrants from Scotland. His cousins in Blenheim and Nelson also play the pipes.

A talent such as Blair’s, tends to confirm the old Gaelic saying “often the pipers are the seventh son of the seventh son”.

23 year old Blair, is also a Clan Piper for Clan Donald Auckland, and has been for the last 5 years along with his father Anton.

Clan Donald Auckland has several pipers as members, including the President Bruce McGechan, and it has been of great interest to see Blair’s progress over the years. He is a fantastic talented piper who is just coming into maturity and has now progressed to A Grade.

Blair also plays for the Canterbury Caledonian Pipe Band who have been the New Zealand Grade 1 Champions for the last five years. This band has also competed, for the last three years, at the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow Scotland, gaining an 11th place in 2013, 9th in 2014 and 10th last year. A fantastic result, when competing against the top pipe bands from around the world.

Blair Hodson. New Zealand B Grade Champion for 2015.

Clan Donald Hawkes Bay hosted a dinner on the 8th of July for “Clan Donald and Friends”. International Tartan Day falls on 1 July and the dinner helped to mark that occasion as well as providing a bit of winter cheer.

The dinner attracted 46 guests, including the Clan Donald National President Christine Martin and her husband Elwyn, who is the Clan Donald South Island Commissioner. Also in attendance were the North Island Commissioner Tom McDonald and his wife Lynnette, who is a Vice President of Clan Donald Auckland, and John and Trish McKechnie from Clan Donald Wellington.

Clan Donald Hawkes Bay’s Piper, Maurice Chisnall, who is the Pipe Major of the City of Hastings Pipe Band, piped in the visiting dignataries, and also piped in the haggis for the Haggis Ceremony which was held at the beginning of the evening, after which he entertained those present with a selection of pipe tunes. Later in the evening Robert Arrell, from the Napier Pipe Band, played for the gathering as well.

From the left. Elwyn Martin, Lynnette McDonald, Peter Mackie (Treasurer HB), Jill McDonald, David McDonald (President HB), Christine Martin, Doug McGechan, Ruth Parker, Bruce Parker, Bev Fothergill, Lyn McNaughton, Glennis McDonald, Ian McDonald, John McKechnie, Trish McKechnie, and kneeling Tom McDonald.

 

Robert Arrell and Harry Renfree from the Napier Pipe Band, Doug McGechan, Glennis and Ian McDonald.

 

Ian Brown, Diane Peters, Tim and Denise Godfrey.

 

Bruce and Ruth Parker.

 

Lynnette McDonald, John and Trish McKechnie, Christine and Elwyn Martin.

 

Peter Mackie, Jill and David McDonald, Greg Rowe.

 

Robert Arrell from the Napier Pipe Band.

 

Hawkes Bay President David McDonald was very happy with the success of the evening and with the number attending. By opening the occasion up to “Friends of Clan Donald” as well as members, it is much easier to attract enough people to make the occasion financially viable as well as enjoyable for those participating – literally “the more the merrier”.