Old Northleans Community

How many other pipe band members are out there? It would be interesting to compare notes on the band over the years. All stories and anecdotes welcome!

Hi Andy

I was in the pipe band from about 76 to 1980 when I left, i was a tenor drummer with guys whose names I can't remember anymore (shame on me) 

Hi Matt, I think the following seniors were still in the band in '76, Drummers- Baker and Taylor, Pipers-Gordon Noble, Robert Noble, Niel Dunstan, When the fog clears and I remember some of the junior members, I will post them tosee if they 'Ring a bell' with you!

NOW YOUR GOING BACK TO THE FIRST LOT OF GUYS THAT WERE THERE WHEN I FIRST JOINED, ALLAN BAKER WAS THE BASS DRUMMER IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY.

there was also one other guy by the name of Lionel who was a snare drummer

Don't recall a Lionel, there was also Ewan Simpson on side drum, I am trying to remember the two tennor drummers, I can 'picture' them but can't recall their names at present.

Hi All,

I too was in the Pipe Band.

Lionel was Ewan Simpson's understudy i cannot remember his name either. There was also Reg (Parry?) i think was his surname. He used to go out wiith Sue. (She had lovely straberry blond hair) and was always quite shy. I think her surname at the time was topping.

There was also Helen Joubert, Annette Bosch, another lady who i can picture but cant remember her name. She always used to give me a hard time.

Robert Noble and his brother Andy? were also in the band.  

 

 

hi guys i was in the pipe band too, i was a piper, good to see ian is still around. the guy you thinking of was Lionel yendaell not sur of the speelling he was a side drummer, the tenors i dont rememeber but i think one was edward tavaris,

 

Gary Davies

ianmcgregor:

Hi All,

I too was in the Pipe Band.

Lionel was Ewan Simpson's understudy i cannot remember his name either. There was also Reg (Parry?) i think was his surname. He used to go out wiith Sue. (She had lovely straberry blond hair) and was always quite shy. I think her surname at the time was topping.

There was also Helen Joubert, Annette Bosch, another lady who i can picture but cant remember her name. She always used to give me a hard time.

Robert Noble and his brother Andy? were also in the band.  

The other "girl piper"at that time was Karen Hendrickson (sp?)  Andy and Robert Noble were brothers but no relation to Gordon.

 

 

Hello

You seriously knocked some cobwebs out of my memory here.  I was a friend of Euan Simpson, and I did a stint as a tenor drummer in 1976. I don't remember how often I played, or if I was mostly a back up, but I do remember a trip to Salisbury for a competition which I think we won.

 

We certainly did win, Steve, Northlea were the Southern African Champions in the mid 70's, we cleared the boards at the Royal Gathering in Johannesburg!

This is eerie. I've just today, made contact with euan after 30 years! :) I'll direct him to this site.

Here I am folks, entering the Time Warp again (visions of Riff Raff & Magenta).

 Thanks to Alison for referring me to the site.

What memories! Gary is correct about Lionel Yendall & Reg (can't recall his surname yet). Peter Taylor was the leading drummer for 1972/3, as well as the drum tutor. Those were the days of matchstick-thin rickety-pluck drumsticks & style of play. Charlie MacGregor was the pipe tutor & band master, & I recall David Brown being the PM. 1974 saw Father & Son team from Bulawayo Callies, John Martin & John Jnr, takeover as piping & drumming tutors respectively. John Jnr introduced us to the revolutionary Alex Duthart drumming style & sticks, but couldn't read drum music. A year or two later John Jnr left & I had met up with a couple of the top drummers in South Africa, Allan McLuckie & Dave Jeffries, who were both at the time in the Cozy Corner Pipe Band in Benoni - one year the Northlea band on its regular annual visit to the Royal Scots Highland Gathering in Johannesburg, were the guests of the CCPB (something Allan still talks about to this day). Anyway, it was Allan & Dave who brought me up to speed on Duthart's stuff. as well as reading drum scores, all which was duly passed on to the likes of Lionel & Reg.

 Andy & Rob Noble, sons of Joan & Jock, were brother pipers, & Gordon Noble, son of Frank, was in the pipe corps at the same time - I thought that the 3 were cousins (Frank & Jock brothers?), contrary to AndyH's comment, but subject to correction. And yes, the band cleaned up 6 years in a row (1972 - 1977) at the annual competitions in Jnb, as well as usually beating Churchill at the local events.

 I remember Eduard Tavares being & tenor drummer with a guy we called "Mungo" - think his surname was Munro, but can't recall a first name.

After Northlea, I ended up in the Engineers PB, plus Salisbury Callies, for 2 years during military service. Then a brief stint with the SA Irish, after which a 20-year sabbatical. Gary Davies & I crossed paths again when I joined the Transvaal Scottish "B" Band in late 2000. Gary was the PM. We had a very successful 2001 season - after starting the year as a bunch of rag-tag no-hopers, who 3 weeks before the Toti Gathering didn't know if we would play, ended up as the Grade 4 Champions of Champions (band & drum corps). Then I spent the next 2 seasons with the SA Irish, & a season each with Lyttleton Manor, Pta, & Pmb Callies. Last year I was in Saudi Arabia - no pipe bands there. Most of this year I've spent in Jnb, returning to Pmb a few weeks ago. These days my instrument of choice is the guitar.

 Thanks for the memories.

By the way, "Music4eva" = Euan Simpson.

Hey hey, Euan, glad you made it over. :)