Enjoy a fun day on the course with a tradition Scottish flavour! Get dressed up in highland garb and earn yourself 2 extra stableford points, sample whisky and haggis throughout the day, prizes for the best scottish attire, and pipers on the tie – pay them to stop!! Hole Sponsor is $450 plus GST, which gets you a team of four. Individual entry is set at $75 per person.

Shotgun start at 11am, with prize giving and appropriate festivities following. The NZ Champion Band will perform a few sets for everyone.

Download the flyer if you are interested in being involved!

Pipe Major Richard Hawke continued the winning way with a win in the A Grade Strathspey & Reel and a 3rd in the 6/8. Harry continued his good run with two seconds in the A Grade 6/8 and 2/4 March. Harry also won the Under 21 Piobaireachd. Malcolm Galloway finishes the list with a first in the A Grade Hornpipe and Jig.

Angus Hawke finished up top in B Grade, with 4 firsts and a second.

Congratulations to everyone from the Cale who participated at the Hastings Highland Games!

Photo courtesy of Celtic Kiwi – http://www.celtic-kiwi-photography.co.nz/

What could only be described as the greatest day of the bands history, the Grade 1 band took out the overall Grade 1 Aggregate at the 2012 National Pipe Band Championships in Tauranga on Saturday. The band won the Medley, was second in the set, won the Street March, first in Grade 1 Drumming, first in both the Kitto Cup and Westpac Trophy, and won the Ensemble Prize.

The band wishes to thank every single supporter for sticking by “the Cale” and for all the hard work and determination put in by every member – past or present. A phenomenal end to a difficult twelve months which has seen the band go from strength to strength and overcome a lot of adversity.

Bring on 2013!

Christchurch was a beautiful city. It was filled with gardens, tree-lined streets, an elegant Cathedral and historic facades. Trams nudged gently through city streets and largely peaceful suburbs stretched to the Port Hills and sweeping Brighton beach.

At 12:51pm, one year ago, Christchurch experienced the greatest natural disaster in New Zealand’s history. Hundreds of victims were unfairly taken from their families, tens of thousands left either without a roof or a home, and hundreds of thousands left affected. We were very fortunate that all we lost were the bricks and mortar of the elegant Caledonian Hall on Kilmore Street; memories from which will live on with us forever.

We were also very thankful that no one from the immediate band had perished, but we are very aware of the effects this event has had on our band members. In particular, we remember the grandparents of band member George Stick – Earl and Beverley Stick – who lost their lives on the 22nd.

One year on, houses are still being rebuilt, people’s lives are still being reclaimed, and businesses are still assessing the impact the earthquakes have had; however, the resilience of the Canterbury people is strong and the rebuild is on track. We were determined to attend the 2011 World Pipe Band Championships, and despite the hardship the band faced, we attended and came within 1 point of qualifying. The band was extremely lucky to have support from various groups and individuals in the United Kingdom who helped us with our trip there, as well as phenomenal support from our local base through fundraising and organising. As well as this, since February 22nd, Richard Hawke has been honoured with an MNZM for services to Piping and Pipe Band, the band gained second at Palmerston North Square Day 2011, the drum corps received a Premier endorsement, our solo pipers have accumulated the most prizes out of any other band in the country put together, and the band has grown in numbers and standard.

We as a band are greatly appreciative to all those from New Zealand and around the world who so generously offered us support – financial and moral – at the time. We still greatly appreciate the efforts which people from around the world went to to help the band even from remote locations. One we would like to thank in particular is the generous support that Pipes|Drums editor Andrew Berthoff offered through a Paypal donation account, which contributed an overwhelming $2500 to our cause. The incredible support we received through other mediums should not be forgotten too – so to all those who did anything for the band during that time, we thank you. To name all of you would just be too greater task.

So, while we remember those who have left us and pay tribute to the hard work still being done, we look to the future with optimism and strength. We are nearing 130 years old as a society, and we are stronger than we have ever been. The band too is in a strong position, and looks set to grow in strength in the near future. We are still committed to the vision we begun with 3 years ago, and the goals we set ourselves every year.

We are so looking forward to competing at Tauranga on the 9th and 10th of March, to honour the lives lost in our city, and to remember those who have given so much to us.

We will rebuild our city, but we will never forget.

The Canterbury Caledonian Society Pipe Band has had a good start to the season, with solid apperances at Ashburton and Deans Bush to get back into the 2012 season. We welcomed new piper Graeme Bryce into the band for the Ashburton weekend contest.

The band is looking forward to the national championships in 3 weeks time, and is already preparing for the Canterbury Provincial Championships in less than 1 1/2 weeks.

The band went north the next weekend and competed at the annual Highland Square Day in Palmerston North. The only contest outside of the Nationals where all 4 Grade 1 bands attend gives rise to a serious weekend of competing. This year, Pipe Band Club from Australia also joined in an made for a strong contest. Canterbury was runner-up in the set and won the Medley; a fantastic achievement considering the strength of the contest this year. The drummers won the Medley drumming.

It was also the first weekend where the drum corps played their new HTS-800 Premier Drums, as part of the sponsorship deal with Premier. The Band is proud to be a Premier Endorsee and is proud to play Premier Drums.

The Band looks forward to a rest for the next few weeks over the holiday period, and looks forward to getting back into it in early 2012.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Canterbury Caledonian Society Grade 1 Pipe Band.

Congratulations to James – a fantastic achievement considering he and Mrs Laughlin only married some weeks ago!

Once again, some of our competiting solo pipers competed incredibly well at the Labour Weekend Silver Chanter Competitions, held last weekend. Jamie Hawke in particular snared the big award – the Former Winners Clasp – as well as the A Grade 6/8 March. This is Jamie’s first Clasp – congratulations to him.

A full list of placings and prizes is below.

Jamie Hawke

• 1st, Former Winners Clasp
• 1st, A Grade 6/8 March
• 2nd, A Grade Piobaireachd
• 2nd, A Grade Strathspey and Reel
• 3rd, A Grade Hornpipe and Jig

Liam Kernaghan

• 1st, A Grade 2/4 March
• 2nd, A Grade Hornpipe and Jig
• 3rd, A Grade 6/8 March
• 1st, Most Points Under 23 A Grade

Richard Cox

• 4th, A Grade 6/8 March
• HC, Silver Chanter

Tom Glover

• 4th, A Grade Hornpipe and Jig

Harry Hawke

• 1st, Under 21 Piobaireachd
• 1st, Under 21 Strathspey and Reel

Katie Lawton

• 4th, B Grade 2/4 March
• 4th, B Grade Strathspey and Reel

Drum Sergeant James Laughlin and Lisa Campbell tied the knot in Noosa on Tuesday 4th October 2011 in front of a small group of family and friends.

The band congratulates the couple and wishes them a very happy life together.

After a busy few weeks in Australia, James is off to the World Drumming Solos on Labour Weekend in Scotland. The band will be waiting with baited breath to hear the results and see if James can be the first “kiwi” to make it into the Adult Final.