The year that was...

So here we all are coming to the close of 2008.

Another year gone. Another chance to come up with those inspirational New Years resolutions which last 2 mins into the New Year!

How did it all go? A year to remember, or a year to forget?

Well for me personally it was a good'n, but not one where when I'm 70 and look back I'll say '2008, one of the best years of my life'. Nonetheless one that kept me busy and had many highs in its' own right.

What did I do of note?

I released a Music Book entitled 'The Warning Collection' with 4 other friends.

This was a hugely rewarding project on many levels. The main aim for me personally was to try and get my music in front of big name people in the Pipe Band world and hope that any of it would be played by their respective band. As improbable as it is, at least I've done everything my end to ensure I've given myself the best possible chance of it happening.

I competed in Pipe Idol! in Glasgow, Scotland.

This was a massive massive honour to have done this. The only reason I actually received the invite was because my good friend Paul Hughes recommended me to his bagpipe tutor back in Scotland who ran the event. Their friendship and trust must be immense as his tutor had never heard me play a single solitary note and yet I was given the chance to compete against very high achieving young pipers from around the world. I do hold some very minor regret about my performance however. The playing was overall fine and I received many complementary comments afterwards, but, I know by my own standards it wasn't anywhere near where I've played before and given the occasion I should have risen from those previous levels again to really do myself justice. If I am given the opportunity to have one last crack at it next year as it is an under 21 yrs event, I want to walk away this time knowing I've left everything I possible can on the board. Either way, it is something I will not forget and I'm sure will mean even more as the years go by!

I played with Manawatu at the NZ National Championships.

The first vivid memory I have of Pipe Bands of any note was 1999 in Dunedin at the NZ Nationals. I have three memories in particular.

1) The primary memory which I recall is seeing the NZ Police Pipe Band. They were at their height at this stage. They were regularly competing at the World Championships; They had pretty much all the superstars from throughout NZ playing; And their shear size was the biggest band I had seen at that stage in my life!

2) The A&D Pipe Band were memorable in that they looked like nutters! This was because they all had the same hair cut and the same hair colour. Imagine, a group of 25+ people all looking identically nuts. Very memorable.

3) Finally, I remember someone telling me that day that Greg Wilson had handed over the reigns of Manawatu to a guy called Stew MacKenzie. Although I didn't know these guys from a bar of soap, everyone else seemed to and soon filled me in on who they were. Manawatu were memorable in that they won the Street March that day, which meant they had to have beaten the NZ Police superstar band!

So, from that day at my first NZ Nationals, I had formed my first impressions of Pipe Banding in New Zealand. As we all know, first impressions last!

From there Manawatu picked up their first New Zealand overall title in 2001 in Timaru. Again a memorable occasion for me as that same day I won my first title with the St. Andrews College Pipe Band in grade 3! They went on to win consecutive titles up until 2007 when they were unable to compete that year due to a untimely death within the band. As a by note, I was playing for the NZ Police at that time and we picked up the title in their absence.

Manawatu has always been the ideal fit for me. I've always enjoyed their music thoroughly and their sound has always left me with the impression that this is a 'real man's band'. The big ballsy Sinclair sound, great tunes... it ticked all the boxes for me.

Anyway, back to my comment which started this history lesson, I was able to fulfill my dream of playing with Manawatu at the 2008 NZ Nationals. I flew into NZ for my first practice the weekend before, then competed with them the following weekend. An absolutely memorable occasion. I must make special note of the bands special ability to make a new player feel welcome. From the time I arrived they were doing everything they could to make me feel like part of the team. It was most definitely noted and for this reason it makes paying for flights that much easier knowing that when you arrive you're going to thoroughly enjoy the experience every time!

These were for me the three most notable moments in my life in 2008. On comes a new year which promises many more highs that will be memorable and I look forward to them wholeheartedly.

Best wishes to those (you: note singular) who read my blog and keep drinking Gin, it's good for you. Honestly.... it is :)