K. Bruce MacDonald (1944 – 2020)

Thursday February 20th, 2020

It’s with regret and sadness that we report the passing of long time member and judge K. Bruce MacDonald on Tuesday. Details can be found on the funeral home’s website, but for reference we’ve included a copy of the obituary here.

Obituary of Bruce MacDonald

Dr. Kenneth ‘Bruce’ MacDonald of Culross Township, tragically passed away as a result of a motor vehicle accident, on Tuesday, February 18th, 2020, at the age of 75.

Bruce is the cherished husband, best friend, and loving companion of Deborah MacDonald (née Blair).

He is dearly missed by his children, Hugh and Peg MacDonald of Vancouver and Katherine MacDonald of Mississauga.

Bruce is loved by Deborah’s children, Jason Rouse and Kristy Rouse of Guelph and is proud “Grandpa Mac” to Ella and Jagger Rouse. He is remembered fondly by Deborah’s family including Eleanor Lane, Ernie and Linda Blair, Lynne Blair, Mark and Beatrice Blair, Margaret and Les Sherratt, Laura Lane and Gordon Lane.

Bruce touched the lives of many nieces and nephews, cousins, colleagues, neighbours, friends, and his fellow pipeband members and students.

Bruce is predeceased by his parents Kenneth and Hazel (née Wolfe), father-in-law John Lane, brother-in-law Kevin Lane and cousin Henry Jaques.

There are many words to describe Bruce: Professor, soil scientist, consultant, farmer, cook extraordinaire and curler. He was gardener, woodworker, and gracious host to family and friends. He was a gifted piper and pipe major that played across the world. He judged hundreds of piping events, taught many students who learned from one of the best. Bruce never failed to amaze everyone who he met.

Visitation will be held at the Tiffin Funeral Home, Teeswater, Ontario on Friday February 21st from 6 pm to 9pm.

The funeral service to honour Bruce’s life will be held at Knox Presbyterian Church, Teeswater on Saturday February 22nd, 2020 at 1:00 pm with Reverend Owen Kim officiating.

Reception will follow at the Teeswater Community Centre.

Spring interment at the Culross-Teeswater Cemetery.

Memorial donations to the Canadian Cancer Society, University of Guelph OAC, or Knox Presbyterian Church will be appreciated as expressions of sympathy.

Bob Allen (1931 – 2019)

Tuesday August 27th, 2019

It is with profound sadness that the PPBSO notes the passing of Lifetime Member and former President Bob Allen. Bob was a friend to many in our community both in and outside of Ontario, and he will be missed. Our deepest condolences go out to his friends and family.

The full funeral details can be found here, but there will be two visitations this Thursday, August 29^th at Erb & Good Funeral Home in Waterloo, Ontario from 2 – 4 PM and again from 7 – 9. The memorial mass will be held on Friday, August 30^th at 10 AM Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Waterloo.

Maxville Notes

Monday July 22nd, 2019

A couple of important announcements regarding Maxville. The first is a reminder that the band meeting for the Grade 5 bands at Maxville will be on Friday, August 2^nd at 11:00.The band meeting for all other grades will be on Saturday, August 3^rd at 11:00.

As well, we’d like to take this opportunity to remind our members (and our guests) of some of the requirements regarding solo events:

• Please report to the stewards before the beginning of the event. Failure to do so may result in disqualification.
  
• A competitor shall play at his or her assigned or adjusted time or position, or when required to play by the Steward for the event.
  
• For pipers, if there is a conflict between your playing times for your light music and your piobaireachd events, let the stewards know right away. The piobaireachd event will usually take priority over the light music (since light music events are shorter), but this is up the discretion of the steward.
  
• Again for pipers, tuning time is limited to three (3) minutes for light music and five (5) minutes for piobaireachd. Exceeding your tuning time may result in disqualification.
  
• Please check in with the stewards regularly to ensure that you know when your turn to play will be.
  

If all competitors can keep these rules in mind, the events will go much more smoothly and will be to the benefit of all involved.

Kincardine Band Meeting

Thursday July 4th, 2019

The band meeting for Kincardine this Saturday, July 6^th will be held at 10:00. The exact parade time is TDB but it’s expected to start between 10:45 and 11:00

Georgetown Announcements

Saturday June 1st, 2019

Georgetown is only one week away and we have several exciting announcements. We’re always looking for additional Drum Majors to assist us during the games. Having your Drum Major at the games helps with the organization of the massed bands and makes everything run more smoothly. We understand that not all band Drum Majors may be comfortable in a massed bands environment, so we pleased to announce that Drum Major Shannon Brooks will be offering a seminar during the afternoon for all Drum Majors. This is a great opportunity for all the Drum Majors out there to develop their drill skills, discuss strategies, and work commanding both a single band and a wave. This will be the first of several seminars (including at both Cambridge and Fergus). All interested Drum Majors should attend the band meeting at 11:00, and a discussion about the seminar will follow.

We’re also pleased to announce that in conjunction with the Georgetown Highland Games, we’ll be offering a Dress and Deportment prize. This prize is completely separate from the musical competitions throughout the day, and will be awarded to the best band across all grades who demonstrate the best dress and field discipline during massed bands. The winning band will be awarded a cash prize. The full details of the prize and the evaluation criteria will be discussed during the band meeting.

Finally, we have a full list of competitors for our CPA graded contests on Friday night at 7:00. In our Silver Medal qualifier, we have 10 highly skilled competitors playing for a spot in the Silver Medal contests. All are encouraged to come and watch. The full orders of play and location details can be found on our contest page.

See everyone at Georgetown next weekend!

2019 Band Passes

Tuesday May 28th, 2019

Band passes for all games except Maxville are now being sent out. Please consult the list to see if and when passes for your band were mailed out. This list will be updated periodically.
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CPA B Level Silver Medal Qualifier & C Level Contests

Wednesday April 17th, 2019

The Pipers’ & Pipe Band Society of Ontario is pleased to announce the first annual Silver Medal Qualifier contest open to CPA members with a B grading to be held in Georgetown, Ontario (exact location TBD) on Friday, June 7, 2019 at 7:00pm. This qualifier event will provide the winner with entry into the Silver Medal events at both the Argyllshire Gathering and the Northern Meeting in 2020.

In addition to the Silver Medal Qualifier, the PPBSO is also pleased to offer a separate contest for CPA members with a C grading. Any non-registered CPA open level players who are interested in competing can enter the C Grade contest. Preference will be given to C Grade players and then to Open level players based on the date of their registration.

This event will also run in Georgetown, Ontario (exact location TBD) on Friday, June 7, 2019 at 7:00pm. Entry forms for both events can be found at https://ppbso.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/PPBSO-Silver-Medal-Entry-Form.pdf.

The deadline to enter is Friday, May 24, 2019. Entry fee is $30.00. Entries must be submitted to the PPBSO either via email at admin@ppbso.org or via regular mail at:

PPBSO
50 Steeles Avenue East
Milton, ON
L9T 4W9

Please direct any questions to admin@ppbso.org or 905-878-3000. Updates to contest details will be made to the contest page as additional information becomes available.

Announcing the 2019 Competition Season

Sunday March 3rd, 2019

The PPBSO is pleased to announce two additions to our 2019 competition season. Starting in May, solo competitors will have the opportunity to attend one of two branch events to compete for Champion Supreme points – the Kiwanis Festival in London, and the Ottawa Branch Indoor Games in Kemptville. Both of these great events will be held on May 4^th.
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