The Queenstown & Southern Lakes Pipe Band is celebrating winning grade 4B at last weekend’s Alexandra Blossom Festival pipe band contest.
What made the win especially exciting is they beat current 4B national champions, ILT City of Invercargill Pipe Band, who came second.
From left are pipers Sally Craik, Bryan Johnstone and Merv Gunn, bass drummer Sheena Michie, pipers Jamie Searle and Clifford Hiscock and longtime pipe major John Teviotdale.
Also playing were piper Will Taylor, tenor drummer Melissa McCallum and Teviotdale’s 16-year-old twin sons, Invercargill-based snare drummers Aiden and Morgan.
On the secret to their latest success — the band also won the title in 2023 — Teviotdale says "we concentrate on very simple tunes played well as we have varying degrees of abilities, 95% is getting a great sound".
"It’s a great combination, plus of course, a happy environment, as we all participate equally, and it seems to work well."
The band practises every Thursday at the Arrowtown Community Centre from 7.30 till 9pm — prospective members are welcome to pop along.
— PHILIP CHANDLER
