As our Patron prepares to leave his office at Rideau Hall along with his wife, Governor General Mary Simon, we are reassured that as he agrees to stay on as our Patron that we will see him at future events.  He has been a terrific supporter of the band, and we look forward to this continuing.

We put together an occasion to celebrate the Late Queen's 100th birthday. It was a lovely day.  More to come!

I know my friend Kirsty Duncan attended this event over the years, and lent a big smile to the day.  She was truly remarkable.

I have put together something to mark the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Legion. Visit our website at www.sospb.com and head to our Legion page for all the details.  
PipesDrums editor Andrew Berthoff kindly helped with some international promotion of our endeavor - see his article here

We played at the Algonquin Commons Theatre in Ottawa at the Palette of Cultures concert in September - what an amazing cast of great talented people!
Get out in your community and support your local artistic groups.  You'll be glad you did!

BBC Northern Ireland got in touch about taping us in Ottawa for their program 'The Band' to air in January.
​They got a lot of terrific coverage of our band at practice and play, and I got to celebrate my family and our Irish heritage.  It was great fun!

It's not easy playing in the dead heat of summer.  You have to make sure you're well hydrated, rested, and fed before going out to play.  Even then, you need to keep an eye out for each other, and keep the performance short and sweet, and to the point.  Your audience will understand, appreciate, and likely agree with you!

I think it's important to mark events - no matter the size - because the opportunity might not come your way again.  If you need help, let me know.  Done lots, more to come!

Our second annual Tartan Day show and reception at Beechwood Cemetery was a terrific success.  With music, tremendous poetry and tons of interesting history, there was something for everyone, and lots to enjoy.  Thanks everyone for coming out to support the pipe band.

It was a full house at Centrepointe Theatre in Nepean, Ontario, as the Red Hot Chilli Pipers kicked off their sold out tour of Ontario.  We are pleased to have been invited by our friend Tyler Fry - that's him in the middle - to join the band, and bring along some great dancers.  So, we did.  And are we glad we did!  Be sure to give them a listen - they're just terrific entertainers and musicians.  And they're our friends!  That's pretty cool.

Planning events is something that I truly enjoy.  I get an idea, get a plan, and get to work and with the people in the band and in my circle of friends, sometimes the most excellent results come to be.  This December, we hosted a party to not only mark a holiday time, but it served as a successful fundraiser for the trip to the Invictus Games in Vancouver in February.  We had such terrific music and dance, a silent auction that was very helpful, and friends that filled the room with kindness and appreciation.  It was a great day to end this year, and we are looking forward to the next year with lots of fun and adventures.  All the best to you!